7 `But I tell you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him unto you;
and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.
`And when the Comforter may come, whom I will send to you from the Father -- the Spirit of truth, who from the Father doth come forth, he will testify of me;
and I will ask the Father, and another Comforter He will give to you, that he may remain with you -- to the age; the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it doth not behold him, nor know him, and ye know him, because he doth remain with you, and shall be in you.
And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose;
and this he said of the Spirit, which those believing in him were about to receive; for not yet was the Holy Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
nor reason that it is good for us that one man may die for the people, and not the whole nation perish.' And this he said not of himself, but being chief priest of that year, he did prophesy that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but that also the children of God, who have been scattered abroad, he may gather together into one.
Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast taken captive captivity, Thou hast taken gifts for men, That even the refractory may rest, O Jah God.
wherefore, he saith, `Having gone up on high he led captive captivity, and gave gifts to men,' -- and that, he went up, what is it except that he also went down first to the lower parts of the earth? he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things -- and He gave some `as' apostles, and some `as' prophets, and some `as' proclaimers of good news, and some `as' shepherds and teachers, unto the perfecting of the saints, for a work of ministration, for a building up of the body of the Christ, till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,
for the momentary light matter of our tribulation, more and more exceedingly an age-during weight of glory doth work out for us --
And Peter having opened his mouth, said, `Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons,
And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, `saith he,' `Ye did hear of me; because John, indeed, baptized with water, and ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit -- after not many days.'
ye heard that I said to you -- I go away, and I come unto you; if ye did love me, ye would have rejoiced that I said -- I go on to the Father, because my Father is greater than I.
and if I go on and prepare for you a place, again do I come, and will receive you unto myself, that where I am ye also may be;
`And, lo, I do send the promise of my Father upon you, but ye -- abide ye in the city of Jerusalem till ye be clothed with power from on high.'
and of a truth I say to you, Many widows were in the days of Elijah, in Israel, when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, when great famine came on all the land,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on John 16
Commentary on John 16 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 16
Among other glorious things God hath spoken of himself this is one, I wound, and I heal, Deu. 32:39. Christ's discourse in this chapter, which continues and concludes his farewell sermon to his disciples, does so.
Jhn 16:1-6
Christ dealt faithfully with his disciples when he sent them forth on his errands, for he told them the worst of it, that they might sit down and count the cost. He had told them in the chapter before to expect the world's hatred; now here in these verses,
Jhn 16:7-15
As it was usual with the Old Testament prophets to comfort the church in its calamities with the promise of the Messiah (Isa. 9:6; Mic. 5:2; Zec. 3:8); so, the Messiah being come, the promise of the Spirit was the great cordial, and is still.
Three things we have here concerning the Comforter's coming:-
Jhn 16:16-22
Our Lord Jesus, for the comfort of his sorrowful disciples, here promises that he would visit them again.
Jhn 16:23-27
An answer to their askings is here promised, for their further comfort. Now there are two ways of asking: asking by way of enquiry, which is the asking of the ignorant; and asking by way of request, which is the asking of the indigent. Christ here speaks of both.
Now for this he gives a reason (v. 25), which plainly refers to this promise, that they should not need to ask questions: "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs, in such a way as you have thought not so plain and intelligible as you could have wished, but the time cometh when I shall show you plainly, as plainly as you can desire, of the Father, so that you shall not need to ask questions.'
Jhn 16:28-33
Two things Christ here comforts his disciples with:-
These words, and needest not that any man should ask thee, may bespeak either,