Church Fathers Commentary John 16:5-11

"But now I go unto him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have spoken these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you. And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged." — John 16:5-11 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: The disciples, not yet perfected and being overcome by sorrow, were rebuked and corrected by our Lord. He said, But now I go My way to Him that sent Me; and none of you asks Me, Where do you go? They were so struck down at hearing that whoever killed them would think he was doing God service that they could say nothing. For this reason, He adds, But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. It was no small consolation for them to know that the Lord was aware of their overwhelming sorrow—sorrow because He was leaving them and because of the evils they heard they were to suffer, though they did not know if they could endure it courageously.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, since they had asked Him earlier where He was going and He had replied that He was going where they could not come, now He promises that He will go in such a way that no one will ask Him where He is going: and none of you asks Me, Where do you go? As He ascended to heaven, they did not question Him with words but followed Him with their eyes. Our Lord, however, saw the effect His words would have on their minds. Not yet having the inner consolation that the Holy Spirit would impart, they were afraid of losing the outward presence of Christ. So, when they could no longer doubt from His own words that they were going to lose Him, their human affections were filled with sadness at the loss of their visible object. Therefore, it follows, But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But He knew it would be for their good, since that inner sight with which the Holy Spirit would console them was far better: Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away.

St. John Chrysostom: It is as if He said, "However great your grief may be, you must hear how it is profitable for you that I go away." He then shows what this benefit is: For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He says this not because of any inequality between the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, but because the physical presence of the Son of Man among them would hinder the coming of the Spirit. For the Holy Spirit did not humble Himself as the Son did by taking on the form of a servant. Therefore, it was necessary for the form of a servant to be removed from their eyes, because as long as they looked upon that form, they thought Christ was nothing more than what they saw Him to be. So it follows: But if I depart, I will send Him unto you.

But could He not send Him while He was here—He who, we know, came and remained on Him at His baptism, and indeed, from whom we know He could never be separated? What, then, does If I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you mean, except that you cannot receive the Spirit as long as you know Christ according to the flesh? When Christ departed in the body, not only the Holy Spirit, but the Father and the Son also came spiritually.

St. Gregory the Great: It is as if He said plainly, "If I do not withdraw My body from your eyes, I cannot lead you to understand the Invisible One through the Comforting Spirit."

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, brought about this result: once the form of a servant—which our Lord had received in the Virgin's womb—was removed from their physical sight, Christ was revealed to their purified spiritual vision. He was revealed in the very form of God, in which He remained equal to the Father even while He chose to appear in the flesh.

St. John Chrysostom: What do those say here who hold unworthy ideas about the Spirit? Is it beneficial for the master to leave so that a servant may come? He then shows the good the Spirit will accomplish: And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But how is it that Christ did not convict the world? Is it because Christ spoke only among the Jews, while the Holy Spirit, poured into His disciples throughout the whole world, convicted not just one nation, but the world? But who would dare to say that the Holy Spirit convicted the world through Christ's disciples, but that Christ Himself did not, when the Apostle exclaims, Do you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me? (2 Corinthians 13:3). Therefore, those whom the Holy Spirit convicts, Christ convicts also. He will reprove the world means He will pour love into your hearts so that, with fear cast out, you will be free to convict others. He then explains what He has said: Of sin, because they believed not in Me. He mentions this as the sin above all others, because while it remains, the other sins are retained; when it departs, the others are forgiven.

However, it makes a great difference whether one believes in Christ or only believes that He is the Christ. For even the demons believed that He was the Christ, but the one who truly believes in Christ is the one who both hopes in Christ and loves Christ.

The world is convicted of sin because it does not believe in Christ, and it is convicted concerning the righteousness of those who do believe. The very contrast presented by believers is a condemnation of unbelievers. Of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you see Me no more. This relates to the common objection of unbelievers: "How can we believe what we do not see?" So the righteousness of believers lies in this very statement: Because I go to the Father, and you see Me no more. For blessed are they which see not, and believe. The faith of even those who saw Christ is praised, not because they believed what they saw (that is, the Son of Man), but because they believed what they did not see (that is, the Son of God). When the form of a servant was withdrawn from their sight completely, only then was the scripture, The just live by faith (Hebrews 10:38), fulfilled in its completeness. It will be your righteousness, therefore, of which the world will be convicted: that you believe in Me without seeing Me. And when you do see Me, you will see Me as I will be, not as I am now with you; that is, you will not see Me as mortal, but as everlasting. For in saying, you see Me no more, He means that they would no longer see Him in His mortal state.

Or, to put it another way: they did not believe; He went to the Father. Therefore, the sin was theirs, and the righteousness was His. His coming from the Father to us was an act of mercy, while His going to the Father was an act of righteousness, according to the Apostle's saying, Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him (Philippians 2:9). But if He went to the Father alone, what benefit is that to us? Is it not rather that He is "alone" only in the sense of being one with all His members, just as the head is with the body? So then, the world is convicted of sin through those who do not believe in Christ, and of righteousness through those who rise again in the members of Christ.

It follows, Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged—that is, the devil, the prince of the wicked, who in their hearts dwell only in this world which they love. He is judged in that he is cast out. The world is convicted concerning this judgment, for it is pointless for someone who does not believe in Christ to complain about the devil. For the devil, having been judged—that is, cast out and permitted to attack us from the outside only for our testing—has been overcome through martyrdom by not only men, but also women, boys, and girls.

Or, "judged" means he is destined irrevocably for the punishment of eternal fire. And the world is convicted of this judgment, in that it is judged along with its prince, the proud and ungodly one whom it imitates. Therefore, let people believe in Christ, so they are not convicted of the sin of unbelief, by which all other sins are retained. Let them cross over to the company of believers, so they are not convicted concerning the righteousness of those justified ones whom they fail to imitate. Let them beware of the judgment to come, so that they are not judged along with the prince of this world, whom they imitate.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, to put it another way: He will reprove the world of sin by cutting off all excuse and showing that they have sinned unpardonably in not believing in Me, especially when they see the indescribable gift of the Holy Spirit obtained by calling on My name.

St. Augustine of Hippo: In this way also, the Holy Spirit convicted the world of sin by the mighty works He performed in the name of the Savior, who was condemned by the world. The Savior, retaining His righteousness, did not fear to return to Him who sent Him, and in returning, He proved that He had come from Him: Of righteousness, because I go to the Father.

St. John Chrysostom: That is, My going to the Father will be a proof that I have led an irreproachable life, so that they will not be able to say, "This man is a sinner," or, "This man is not from God." Furthermore, since I conquered the devil (which no one who was a sinner could do), they cannot say that I have a demon and am a deceiver. But as he has been condemned by Me, they will be assured that they will trample upon him later; and My resurrection will show that he was not able to hold Me.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The demons, seeing souls go from hell to heaven, knew that the prince of this world was judged and that, having been brought to trial in the Savior's cause, he had lost all right to what he held. This was seen at our Savior's ascension, but it was declared plainly and openly at the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.