John 14:16
Read John 14:16 Using Other Translations
What does John 14:16 mean?
And I will pray the Father
, Here Christ speaks as Mediator, and promises his disciples,
that he would intercede for them with the Father; which is
designed as an encouragement to them to ask for what they want,
in his name, and to comfort their hearts, which were troubled at
the news of his departure from them;
and he shall give you another Comforter.
This is no inconsiderable proof of a trinity of persons in the
Godhead; here is the Father prayed unto, the Son in human nature
praying, and the Holy Ghost the Comforter prayed for; who is the
gift of the Father, through the prevalent mediation of the Son,
and is another "Comforter"; distinct from the Messiah, to whom
reference is here had! One of the names of the Messiah, with the
Jews, is (Mxnm)
F21, "a Comforter"; such an one Jesus
had been to his disciples; and now he was about to leave them,
and for their support under their sorrows, he promises to use his
interest with his Father, that he would give them another
Comforter, meaning the Spirit, who performs this his work and
office, by taking of the things of Christ, and showing them to
his people; by shedding abroad the love of the Father, and of the
Son, into their hearts; by opening and applying the precious
promises of the Gospel to them; by being a spirit of adoption in
them; and by abiding with them as the seal, earnest, and pledge
of their future glory; and with this view Christ promises to pray
for him,
that he may abide with you for ever:
not a few years only, as I have done, but as long as you live;
and with all those that shall succeed you in the work of the
ministry, and with the church, and all true believers unto the
end of the world: this is a proof of the saints' final
perseverance. When we consider these words, in connection with
the preceding exhortation, to keep the commands of Christ, and as
an encouragement so to do, it brings to mind a saying of R.
Eliezer ben Jacob F23;
``he that does one commandment gets for himself (dxa jylqrp) , (ena paraklhton) , the very word here used, "one advocate", or "comforter"; and he that transgresses one command, gets for himself one accuser.''But though the word signifies both an advocate and a comforter, the latter seems to be the meaning of it here, as being more suited to the disconsolate condition of the disciples.
F21 T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 5. 1. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 2. Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2.
F23 Pirke Abot, c. 4. sect. 11.
