John 16

John 16
John 16:14-22 on the recto side of Papyrus 5, written about AD 250.
BookGospel of John
CategoryGospel
Christian Bible partNew Testament
Order in the Christian part4

John 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records Jesus' continued Farewell Discourse to his disciples, set on the last night before his crucifixion. In this chapter, Jesus speaks about the work of the Holy Spirit, the joy of the believers and his victory over the world.[1] The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that John composed this Gospel.[2]

Text

John 15:25-16:2 on the recto side of Papyrus 22, written c. AD 250.

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 33 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

Places

The setting for the discourse in this chapter and the following chapter appears to be in Jerusalem. The precise location is not specified, but John 18:1 states that afterwards, "Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley".

Purpose

The evangelist's purpose in this section of his gospel is to support the early Church for whom he is writing, to ensure that they do not fall away (Greek: ινα μη σκανδαλισθητε, hina mē skandalisthēte) (John 16:1). Some commentators suggest he is writing for a specific group of believers called the Johannine Community.[4]

Verse 1

All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.[5]

Heinrich Meyer relates "all this" to John 15:18–27, the section of this discourse which anticipates the world's hatred for the disciples.[6]

English translations vary widely in the way they treat the opening verse of this chapter:

Meyer observes that

Prepared beforehand, and armed by Christ’s communications, they were not to be made to stumble at Him, but were to oppose to the hatred of the world all the greater efficiency and constancy of faith.[6]

Verse 2

They will put you out of the synagogues.[7]

Jesus foretells the exclusion from the Jewish synagogues which the evangelist has already alluded to in John 9:22 and 12:42.[8]

Verse 4

But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.
And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.[9]

Lutheran writer Johann Bengel notes that while Jesus had not said these things before, he was previously aware of the hatred which would arise.[10]

Verse 5

Now I am going back to the One who sent me. But none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'[11]

The King James Version adopted the wording "I go my way" for this verse.[12]

William Robertson Nicoll comments that the disciples' failure to ascertain clearly where Jesus was going reflected their absorption with "the thought of His departure and its consequences of bereavement [for] themselves".[13]

Verses 8-11

Commentator Henry Alford refers to three key words in this chapter, ἁμαρτία, δικαιοσύνη, κρίσις (sin, righteousness and judgment, John 16:8–11) which "comprehend the three great steps of advance in spiritual truth among men".[14]

Verse 13

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.[15]

Alford advises that in the words all truth, "no promise of universal knowledge, nor of infallibility, is hereby conveyed; but a promise to them and us, that the Holy Spirit shall teach and lead us, not as children, under the tutors and governors of legal and imperfect knowledge, but as sons".[14]

Verse 24

Fragment of John 16:22-30 on the verso side of Papyrus 5, written c. AD 250.
Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.[16]

See also: Matthew 7:7-8 and Luke 11:9-10.

See also

References

  1. ^ Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an Abbreviated Bible Commentary, 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House. 1962.
  2. ^ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
  3. ^ Philip W. Comfort and David P. Barrett. The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Incorporated, 2001, pp. 74-78.
  4. ^ Anderson, P., The Johannine Community, accessed 28 November 2020
  5. ^ John 16:1: New International Version
  6. ^ a b Meyer, H. A. W., Meyer's NT Commentary on John 16, accessed 29 August 2022
  7. ^ John 16:2: New King James Version
  8. ^ Kieffer, R., John in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary Archived 2019-05-02 at the Wayback Machine, p. 989
  9. ^ John 16:4: NKJV
  10. ^ Bengel, J. A., Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament on John 16, accesses 29 August 2022
  11. ^ John 16:5: New Century Version
  12. ^ John 16:5: KJV
  13. ^ Nicoll, W. R. (1897 ff), The Expositor's Greek Testament on Joh 16, accessed 7 February 2024
  14. ^ a b Alford, H., Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary on John 16, accessed 28 November 2020
  15. ^ John 16:13 NKJV
  16. ^ John 16:24 NKJV
Preceded by
John 15 		Chapters of the Bible
Gospel of John 		Succeeded by
John 17