Lesson for October 19, 2025
The Book of John
Lesson 37
Chapter 16:1-33
Verses 1-6
“These things I have spoken to you so that you will not be led into sin. 2 They will ban you from the synagogue, yet an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering a service to God. 3 These things they will do because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. However, I did not say these things to you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 ‘But now I am going to Him Who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, grief has filled your heart.”
These things refer to what Jesus had been teaching the night before He was betrayed. He had just taught His disciples the reasons why the world hates them. By preparing His disciples ahead of time for what was about to happen, Jesus was protecting them from being discouraged and afraid. The betrayals, the illegal trials of Jesus, and the Crucifixion were going to test their faith and their resolve to continue to follow Jesus.
Jesus anticipated ongoing hostility from the Jewish religious leaders toward the disciples, as they had for Him. Jesus was about to return to Heaven and He knew that religion would continue to oppose the teaching of grace throughout the Church Age. The doctrine He was teaching His disciples was designed to protect them (and believers after them) against the adversities of life.
Verses 7-11
“But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: 9 regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; 11 and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”
Jesus Christ prophesied the coming of the Church Age. He taught many things concerning the plan of God and one thing which He emphasized in the Upper Room and the Garden of Gethsemane was the dispensation of the Church. Jesus only had time to teach them a few important details and principles connected with the Church Age, which was about to begin. The eleven disciples heard Jesus Christ teach Bible doctrine every day for three years, and yet they didn’t always understand it until the Church Age began.
Jesus foretold the ministry of the Holy Spirit to unbelievers during the Church Age. The Holy Spirit would convict (convince) a person that sin has caused them to be separated from God and in need of a Savior. He would convict (convince) them of the need to come up to God’s standard of righteousness, which was personified in the Person of Jesus. And no one can measure up to Him, without having His righteousness given to them as a gift, which occurs at salvation. The Holy Spirit would also convict (convince) unbelievers that there is a day of judgment coming where they will stand before Jesus and be judged for their rejection of Him as Savior. This will be done in an effort to convince a person to put their faith in Jesus as their Savior.
Verses 12-15
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at the present time. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you.”
God the Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide. It is His ministry to guide us to and teach us truth. It is the Holy Spirit Who makes doctrinal information understandable. We learn accurate Bible doctrine when we consistently expose ourselves to it, under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. The result is storage of doctrinal information that can be used by the Holy Spirit to guide us into a victorious Christian life. Notice that the Holy Spirit does not glorify Himself. Ignorance of God’s Word means limited guidance by the Holy Spirit. (John 7:17; 14:26; 16:13-14; Romans 8:14; I Corinthians 2:10-16; II Timothy 2:15; 3:16)
Verses 16-18
“A little while, and you no longer are going to see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” 17 So some of His disciples said to one another, ‘What is this that He is telling us, A little while, and you are not going to see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me; and, because I am going to the Father’? 18 So they were saying, ‘What is this that He says, A little while’ We do not know what He is talking about.’
A little while, and you no longer are going to see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me is a reference to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, which the disciples didn’t seem to understand. Jesus had previously taught them this doctrine in analogies. The Resurrection gives believers hope for the future and power for the present. With a personal sense of destiny, believers are free to live their Christian lives with a relaxed mental attitude, knowing that their eternal destination is secure in Christ. At the resurrection of the Church, God will make no distinction between those who have failed to live their Christian lives and those who succeeded in living it. All believers are resurrected. The time of the resurrection of the Church is God’s perfect decision.
Verses 19-22
“ Jesus knew that they wanted to question Him, and He said to them, ‘Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, A little while, and you are not going to see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me?’ 20 Truly, truly I say to you that you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy! 21 Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. 22 Therefore, you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you.’”
To clarify what He had said, Jesus quoted the phrase again, A little while, and you are not going to see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me. This was the third time Jesus made this statement, and it is obvious that the disciples failed to understand it. Jesus started out with an explanation, in a very simple way. He described what their reactions would be, when He is crucified – they were going to “weep and wail.” Jesus said the religious world would rejoice at His death, but the sorrow of the disciples would be turned to joy when they saw Jesus alive after the Resurrection. This would be a joy no one could take away from them!!!
Verses 23-25
“And on that day, you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. 25 ‘These things I have spoken to you in figures of speech; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.
And on that day, you will not question Me about anything was a reference to the coming Church Age, when Jesus would be in Heaven, “seated at the right hand of the Father.” Everything was going to change for the disciples after the Cross, after the Resurrection, and after the Ascension. Jesus would no longer be with His disciples. Therefore, the disciples would have a new, unique relationship with the Holy Spirit.The disciples would become apostles and pray to God the Father, in Jesus’ name. Our authority to ask anything in prayer comes as a result of what Jesus did on the Cross. All prayer should be directed to the Father, in the name of Jesus.
These things I have spoken to you in figures of speech; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. Eleven of these disciples would go into the Church Age and they must be oriented to the Father’s plan because they are going to be “the apostles to the Church.” This would require a lot of new information about God’s plan for this new dispensation. The disciples would no longer be taught face-to-face by Jesus. During the Church Age, believers would be taught the mind of Christ by the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13-14)
Verses 26-28
“On that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.’
Once Jesus entered Heaven, and “sat down” at the right hand of the Father, He became the High Priest of all believers in the Church Age. Asking in the name of Jesus is a prayer that goes directly to God the Father based on the Father’s love for His Son and for His children (believers).
Verses 29-33
“His disciples said, ‘See, now You are speaking plainly and are not using any figure of speech. 30 Now we know that You know all things, and that You have no need for anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You came forth from God.’ 31 Jesus replied to them, ‘Do you now believe? 32 Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.’”
The disciples had a difficult time understanding many of the analogies that Jesus used during His ministry. After the Cross and the Resurrection, the things Jesus had taught them began to become much clearer. This is an indication to us that learning doctrine is a process, and believers should never become discouraged when learning it. Since it took the disciples time to learn and understand what Jesus had been teaching them, it will take us time, as well!
Jesus replied to them, ‘Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone. Jesus used sarcasm as a mild rebuke to question their commitment to Him. Fear of being associated with Jesus would cause the denial of Him and fleeing to hide in their houses by His disciples. Yet, Jesus understood the difficulty of what they would face, and gave them words of encouragement when He said, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”