Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 16:32

"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and [yet] I am not alone, because the Father is with me." — John 16:32 (ASV)

Behold, the hour comes, yes, has now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

These poor creatures, who were so bold and so overconfident, would all be runaways. If persecution were to arise in our day, I wonder how many of us would be found true men. Ah! you think you are true blue; but you would run at the first touch of water, not to mention fire. Are there not many of us who are only weak believers?

If our faith were sharply tried, would it stand the test?

And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

How gloriously is that blessed truth put in just here! The awful solitude that Christ was about to pass through can hardly be understood by us. It was not only that every friend forsook Him, but that there was not under heaven a single person who could sympathize with Him. He was going through deeps that no other could ever fathom; He was to bear griefs which no other could ever bear. You may indeed sip of His cup, but you can never drink it to its dregs as He did.

You may be baptized with His baptism; but into the depths of the abyss of woe into which He was immersed, you cannot come. Alone! Alone! Never was there a human being so much alone as was the man Christ Jesus in that dread hour; and yet He says, I am not alone, because the Father is with me. O brave Master, make us also brave! May we be willing to stand alone for Your sake, and to feel that we are never so little alone as when we are alone with You!

Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone:

Ah, me! these were the men who said they believed in him; yet, in his time of trial, they fled like cowardly unbelievers. God help us, and sustain us, or we will do as they did!

Oh! you who say you believe tonight, beware that tomorrow you might be scattered in unbelief and fear. Whatever faith we have is God's giving, and if it remains with us, it will be because God keeps it there. But there is not one among us who has any faith to spare.

We do not know, but it may be that the very hour has come, even now, that will try us and make us ask whether we have any faith at all.