“These
things have I spoken to you, so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God. They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart.
John 16:1-6
John 15 [26.] “When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me. You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
John 16 [1.] “These things have I spoken to you, so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God. They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.
John 16 [12.] “I have yet many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you. All things whatever the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine, and will declare it to you. A little while, and you will not see me. Again a little while, and you will see me.”
Meaning:
Jesus had warned that the world would hate his disciples as it had hated him, and promised that the Spirit of truth would testify about him alongside their own witness (John 15:26-27). In these verses he speaks plainly about the persecution ahead, explains why he is telling them now, and notices the grief that has filled their hearts.
- “So that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble”
The word for “stumble” suggests a trap that makes someone fall. Jesus did not want sudden suffering to destroy their faith. Forewarned is forearmed. When persecution came, they would recognise it as something their Lord had foretold, not as a sign that he had failed them.
- “They will put you out of the synagogues”
For a Jew in the first century, being expelled from the synagogue meant losing community, worship and often family and livelihood. This had already happened to the man born blind, for the leaders “had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue” (John 9:22). Fear of this kept some believers silent (John 12:42).
- “Whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God”
Some persecutors would act out of sincere religious zeal. Saul of Tarsus is the clearest example. Before he met the risen Jesus he was “still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). Later he confessed, “I persecuted this Way to the death” (Acts 22:4), and wrote that he had acted “ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13-15). Sincerity does not make violence right. Jesus names the root problem: “they have not known the Father, nor me.”
- “I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you”
While Jesus was present, the hostility fell mainly on him, and he protected his disciples. Now that he was leaving, they would face the world’s opposition themselves, so they needed to be prepared.
- “None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’”
Peter and Thomas had asked where he was going (John 13:36; John 14:5), but their questions were about losing him. No one was now asking about the purpose and glory of his going to the Father. Their minds were filled with their own loss.
- “Sorrow has filled your heart”
Jesus saw their grief and did not dismiss it. He would go on to explain that his departure was for their good (John 16:7), and that their sorrow would be turned into joy (John 16:20-22).
The Significance of John 16:1-6
- Prepared for opposition
Jesus’ honesty is a gift. Following him may bring rejection, even from religious people. Knowing this in advance helps believers stand firm rather than stumble.
- Zeal without knowledge
History shows that people can do terrible things in God’s name. These verses warn against religious zeal that is not shaped by knowing God as revealed in Jesus.
- Jesus sees our sorrow
Jesus noticed his disciples’ grief. He also understands the sorrow of his people today, and he speaks words of comfort and hope into it.
Cross-References:
John 9:22: "if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue." Expulsion had already begun.
Acts 9:1: "But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," A zealous persecutor.
1 Timothy 1:13-15: "I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." Paul looks back on his persecution.
John 16:7: "It is to your advantage that I go away," Jesus' departure is for their good.
Conclusion: Jesus warned his disciples that they would be expelled from synagogues and even killed by people who thought they were serving God. He told them this in advance so that persecution would not make them stumble. Seeing their hearts full of sorrow, he prepared to show them why his going to the Father was for their good.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible