Juan 16

1 »Todo esto les he dicho para que no flaquee su fe.

2 Los expulsarán de las sinagogas; y hasta viene el día en que cualquiera que los mate pensará que le está prestando un servicio a Dios.

3 Actuarán de este modo porque no nos han conocido ni al Padre ni a mí.

4 Y les digo esto para que cuando llegue ese día se acuerden de que ya se lo había advertido. Sin embargo, no les dije esto al principio porque yo estaba con ustedes.

La obra del Espíritu Santo

5 »Ahora vuelvo al que me envió, pero ninguno de ustedes me pregunta: “¿A dónde vas?”

6 Al contrario, como les he dicho estas cosas, se han entristecido mucho.

7 Pero les digo la verdad: Les conviene que me vaya porque, si no lo hago, el Consolador no vendrá a ustedes; en cambio, si me voy, se lo enviaré a ustedes.

8 Y cuando él venga, convencerá al mundo de su error^[a] en cuanto al pecado, a la justicia y al juicio;

9 en cuanto al pecado, porque no creen en mí;

10 en cuanto a la justicia, porque voy al Padre y ustedes ya no podrán verme;

11 y en cuanto al juicio, porque el príncipe de este mundo ya ha sido juzgado.

12 »Muchas cosas me quedan aún por decirles, que por ahora no podrían soportar.

13 Pero cuando venga el Espíritu de la verdad, él los guiará a toda la verdad, porque no hablará por su propia cuenta sino que dirá solo lo que oiga y les anunciará las cosas por venir.

14 Él me glorificará porque tomará de lo mío y se lo dará a conocer a ustedes.

15 Todo cuanto tiene el Padre es mío. Por eso les dije que el Espíritu tomará de lo mío y se lo dará a conocer a ustedes.

16 »Dentro de poco ya no me verán; pero un poco después volverán a verme.

La despedida de Jesús

17 Algunos de sus discípulos comentaban entre sí:«¿Qué quiere decir con eso de que “dentro de poco ya no me verán”, y “un poco después volverán a verme”, y “porque voy al Padre”?»

18 E insistían: «¿Qué quiere decir con eso de “dentro de poco”? No sabemos de qué habla».

19 Jesús se dio cuenta de que querían hacerle preguntas acerca de esto, así que les dijo:—¿Se están preguntando qué quise decir cuando dije: “Dentro de poco ya no me verán”, y “un poco después volverán a verme”?

20 Ciertamente les aseguro que ustedes llorarán de dolor, mientras que el mundo se alegrará. Se pondrán tristes, pero su tristeza se convertirá en alegría.

21 La mujer que está por dar a luz siente dolores porque ha llegado su momento, pero en cuanto nace la criatura se olvida de su angustia por la alegría de haber traído al mundo un nuevo ser.

22 Lo mismo les pasa a ustedes: Ahora están tristes, pero cuando vuelva a verlos se alegrarán, y nadie les va a quitar esa alegría.

23 En aquel día ya no me preguntarán nada. Ciertamente les aseguro que mi Padre les dará todo lo que le pidan en mi nombre.

24 Hasta ahora no han pedido nada en mi nombre. Pidan y recibirán, para que su alegría sea completa.

25 »Les he dicho todo esto por medio de comparaciones, pero viene la hora en que ya no les hablaré así, sino que les hablaré claramente acerca de mi Padre.

26 En aquel día pedirán en mi nombre. Y no digo que voy a rogar por ustedes al Padre,

27 ya que el Padre mismo los ama porque me han amado y han creído que yo he venido de parte de Dios.

28 Salí del Padre y vine al mundo; ahora dejo de nuevo el mundo y vuelvo al Padre.

29 —Ahora sí estás hablando directamente, sin vueltas ni rodeos —le dijeron sus discípulos—.

30 Ya podemos ver que sabes todas las cosas, y que ni siquiera necesitas que nadie te haga preguntas. Por esto creemos que saliste de Dios.

31 —¿Hasta ahora me creen?^[b] —contestó Jesús—.

32 Miren que la hora viene, y ya está aquí, en que ustedes serán dispersados, y cada uno se irá a su propia casa y a mí me dejarán solo. Sin embargo, solo no estoy, porque el Padre está conmigo.

33 Yo les he dicho estas cosas para que en mí hallen paz. En este mundo afrontarán aflicciones, pero ¡anímense! Yo he vencido al mundo.

Juan 16 Commentary

Chapter 16

Persecution foretold. (1-6) The promise of the Holy Spirit, and his office. (7-15) Christ's departure and return. (16-22) Encouragement to prayer. (23-27) Christ's discoveries of himself. (28-33)

Verses 1-6 Our Lord Jesus, by giving his disciples notice of trouble, designed that the terror might not be a surprise to them. It is possible for those who are real enemies to God's service, to pretend zeal for it. This does not lessen the sin of the persecutors; villanies will never be changed by putting the name of God to them. As Jesus in his sufferings, so his followers in theirs, should look to the fulfilling of Scripture. He did not tell them sooner, because he was with them to teach, guide, and comfort them; they needed not then this promise of the Holy Spirit's presence. It will silence us to ask, Whence troubles come? It will satisfy us to ask, Whither go they? for we know they work for good. It is the common fault and folly of melancholy Christians to look only on the dark side of the cloud, and to turn a deaf ear to the voice of joy and gladness. That which filled the disciples' hearts with sorrow, was too great affection for this present life. Nothing more hinders our joy in God, than the love of the world, and the sorrow of the world which comes from it.

Verses 7-15 Christ's departure was necessary to the Comforter's coming. Sending the Spirit was to be the fruit of Christ's death, which was his going away. His bodily presence could be only in one place at one time, but his Spirit is every where, in all places, at all times, wherever two or three are gathered together in his name. See here the office of the Spirit, first to reprove, or to convince. Convincing work is the Spirit's work; he can do it effectually, and none but he. It is the method the Holy Spirit takes, first to convince, and then to comfort. The Spirit shall convince the world, of sin; not merely tell them of it. The Spirit convinces of the fact of sin; of the fault of sin; of the folly of sin; of the filth of sin, that by it we are become hateful to God; of the fountain of sin, the corrupt nature; and lastly, of the fruit of sin, that the end thereof is death. The Holy Spirit proves that all the world is guilty before God. He convinces the world of righteousness; that Jesus of Nazareth was Christ the righteous. Also, of Christ's righteousness, imparted to us for justification and salvation. He will show them where it is to be had, and how they may be accepted as righteous in God's sight. Christ's ascension proves the ransom was accepted, and the righteousness finished, through which believers were to be justified. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. All will be well, when his power is broken, who made all the mischief. As Satan is subdued by Christ, this gives us confidence, for no other power can stand before him. And of the day of judgment. The coming of the Spirit would be of unspeakable advantage to the disciples. The Holy Spirit is our Guide, not only to show us the way, but to go with us by continued aids and influences. To be led into a truth is more than barely to know it; it is not only to have the notion of it in our heads, but the relish, and savour, and power of it in our hearts. He shall teach all truth, and keep back nothing profitable, for he will show things to come. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit, all the preaching, and all the writing of the apostles, under the influence of the Spirit, all the tongues, and miracles, were to glorify Christ. It behoves every one to ask, whether the Holy Spirit has begun a good work in his heart? Without clear discovery of our guilt and danger, we never shall understand the value of Christ's salvation; but when brought to know ourselves aright, we begin to see the value of the Redeemer. We should have fuller views of the Redeemer, and more lively affections to him, if we more prayed for, and depended on the Holy Spirit.

Verses 16-22 It is good to consider how near our seasons of grace are to an end, that we may be quickened to improve them. But the sorrows of the disciples would soon be turned into joy; as those of a mother, at the sight of her infant. The Holy Spirit would be their Comforter, and neither men nor devils, neither sufferings in life nor in death, would ever deprive them of their joy. Believers have joy or sorrow, according to their sight of Christ, and the tokens of his presence. Sorrow is coming on the ungodly, which nothing can lessen; the believer is an heir to joy which no one can take away. Where now is the joy of the murderers of our Lord, and the sorrow of his friends?

Verses 23-27 Asking of the Father shows a sense of spiritual wants, and a desire of spiritual blessings, with conviction that they are to be had from God only. Asking in Christ's name, is acknowledging our unworthiness to receive any favours from God, and shows full dependence upon Christ as the Lord our Righteousness. Our Lord had hitherto spoken in short and weighty sentences, or in parables, the import of which the disciples did not fully understand, but after his resurrection he intended plainly to teach them such things as related to the Father and the way to him, through his intercession. And the frequency with which our Lord enforces offering up petitions in his name, shows that the great end of the mediation of Christ is to impress us with a deep sense of our sinfulness, and of the merit and power of his death, whereby we have access to God. And let us ever remember, that to address the Father in the name of Christ, or to address the Son as God dwelling in human nature, and reconciling the world to himself, are the same, as the Father and Son are one.

Verses 28-33 Here is a plain declaration of Christ's coming from the Father, and his return to him. The Redeemer, in his entrance, was God manifest in the flesh, and in his departure was received up into glory. By this saying the disciples improved in knowledge. Also in faith; "Now are we sure." Alas! they knew not their own weakness. The Divine nature did not desert the human nature, but supported it, and put comfort and value into Christ's sufferings. And while we have God's favourable presence, we are happy, and ought to be easy, though all the world forsake us. Peace in Christ is the only true peace, in him alone believers have it. Through him we have peace with God, and so in him we have peace in our own minds. We ought to be encouraged, because Christ has overcome the world before us. But while we think we stand, let us take heed lest we fall. We know not how we should act if brought into temptation; let us watch and pray without ceasing, that we may not be left to ourselves.

Footnotes

• [a]. "convencerá " "… " "error" . Alt. "pondrá en evidencia la culpa del mundo" .
• [b]. "¿Hasta " "… " "creen? " Alt. "¿Ahora creen?"