The Pulpit Commentary - John 16:7-33
(9) The promise of the Paraclete . read more
(9) The promise of the Paraclete . read more
The departure of Jesus, with its experiences of sorrow and joy to the disciples. They were soon to stand in a new relation to Christ. I. THE DEPARTURE AND THE RETURN OF CHRIST . "A little while, and ye shall see me no more: then a little while more, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father? 1. Our " Lord foresees and declares his death as almost at hand . That would for the time sever him from the sight of his disciples. 2. He foresees and declares... read more
(c) The sorrow turned into joy . In these verses he approaches the final farewell, in which the whole body of the disciples are introduced as inwardly or among themselves perturbed by the special difficulty of the words. Before the Spirit can do all this, a separation must be experienced. read more
There is no exact or categoric reply to the very inquiry which he has heard and cited, but there is more of prophecy and help than if he had said, "Tomorrow I die and shall be laid in the grave, and on the third day I shall rise again." He had often said this, and they refused to understand. It was not merely a resurrection of the body, but the glorification in the Father of his entire Personality, for which he wished them to be prepared. A simple restoration like that of Lazarus would not... read more
Grief and gladness. Our Lord gave his apostles to understand that he was no enemy to the emotions that are characteristic of humanity. By becoming his disciples men did not exempt themselves from the common sorrows, nor did they forfeit the common joys, of human life. But these emotions were to be excited by greater and worthier occasions than those met with in ordinary experience. To be a Christian is to know profounder sorrow, and to rise to loftier joy, than falls to the lot of the... read more
The next illustration is very remarkable, and surely cannot be a simple analogy of the supervening of joy on sorrow. The woman (the article does not point to any special γυνή , but refers to a universal fact and law of womanhood, cf. ὁ δοῦλος , John 15:15 ) when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come. So now there are the travail-pangs of the new humanity, the new theocracy, bitter and terrible, But as soon as she has brought forth the child, she remembereth no... read more
And , so he continues, ye therefore £ indeed now have sorrow —your hearts are troubled, you weep and lament to-night, your desolation for "a little while" will be utter collapse and dismay— but I shall see you again. He does not repeat, "Ye shall behold me" ( θεωρεῖτέ με , cf. John 14:19 ), but "I shall see you ( ὔψομαι ὑμᾶς )." The same word, however, is used repeatedly in the record of the resurrection, and in John 16:19 he had said ὄψεσθέ με . The point of the... read more
"I will see you again." The sympathy and the wisdom alike of our Lord's declarations and promises to his disciples upon the eve of his departure, command our warmest admiration. He both felt for those who were about to pass through a trial so severe, and he knew how to minister to their heart's necessities. What a knowledge of human nature is apparent in this simple bat most significant promise! I. THE OCCASIONS UPON WHICH THIS PROMISE WAS FULFILLED . 1. Upon our... read more
Ye shall weep ... - At my crucifixion, sufferings, and death. Compare Luke 23:27.The world - Wicked men. The term world is frequently used in this sense. See John 16:8. It refers particularly, here, to the Jews who sought his death, and who would rejoice that their object was obtained.Shall be turned into joy - You will not only rejoice at my resurrection, but even my death, now the object of so much grief to you, will be to you a source of unspeakable joy. It will procure for you peace and... read more
John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - John 16:22
Verse 22 22.Your joy no man shall take from you. The value of the joy is greatly enhanced by its perpetuity; for it follows that the afflictions are light, and ought to be patiently endured, because they are of short duration. By these words Christ reminds us what is the nature of true joy The world must unavoidably be soon deprived of its joys, which it seeks only in fading things; and, therefore, we must come to the resurrection of Christ, in which there is eternal solidity. But I will see... read more