Matthew Henry Commentary John 16

Our Lord Jesus, by giving His disciples notice of trouble, intended that the terror would not surprise 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; wicked deeds will never be changed by attaching God's name 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 did not then need this promise of the Holy Spirit's presence. It will silence us to ask, 'From where do troubles come?'

It will satisfy us to ask, 'To where do they go?' 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. What filled the disciples' hearts with sorrow was too great an affection for this present life.

Nothing more hinders our joy in God than the love of the world, and the sorrow of the world that comes from it.

Christ's departure was necessary for 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 in only one place at one time, but His Spirit is everywhere, 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 effectively, and He alone.

It is the method the Holy Spirit takes: first to convince, and then to comfort. The Spirit will 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 have become hateful to God; of the fountain of sin, the corrupt nature; and lastly, of the fruit of sin, that its end 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. He also convinces of Christ's righteousness, imparted to us for justification and salvation. He will show them where it is to be found and how they may be accepted as righteous in God's sight. Christ's ascension proves that the ransom was accepted and the righteousness finished, through which believers were to be justified. And He convinces the world of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

All will be well when his power—the power of the one who caused all the mischief—is broken. Since Satan is subdued by Christ, this gives us confidence, for no other power can stand before Him. The Spirit also convinces 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 help and influences.

To be led into a truth is more than merely to know it; it is not only to have the notion of it in our heads, but the relish, savour, and power of it in our hearts. He will teach all truth, and keep back nothing profitable, for He will show things to come. It is fitting for everyone to ask whether the Holy Spirit has begun a good work in one's heart.

Without a clear discovery of our guilt and danger, we will never understand the value of Christ's salvation; but when brought to know ourselves rightly, we begin to see the value of the Redeemer. We would have fuller views of the Redeemer, and more lively affections for Him, if we prayed more for, and depended more on, the Holy Spirit.

It is good to consider how near our seasons of grace are to an end, that we may be stirred to make the most of them. But the sorrows of the disciples would soon be turned into joy, like those of a mother upon seeing her infant. The Holy Spirit would be their Comforter, and neither humans 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 signs 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?

Asking the Father shows a sense of spiritual needs and a desire for spiritual blessings, with the conviction that they come from God alone. Asking in Christ's name is acknowledging our unworthiness to receive any favors from God and shows full dependence upon Christ as the Lord our Righteousness. Our Lord had until then spoken in short and weighty sentences, or in parables, the meaning of which the disciples did not fully understand; but after his resurrection, he intended to teach them plainly those things that related to the Father and the way to him, through his intercession.

And the frequency with which our Lord stresses offering petitions in his name shows that the great purpose of Christ's mediation is to impress us with a deep sense of our sinfulness, and of the merit and power of his death, by which we have access to God. And let us always 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, since the Father and Son are one.

Here is a plain declaration of Christ's coming from the Father and His return to the Father. The Redeemer, in His entrance, was God manifest in the flesh, and in His departure was received up into glory. Through this saying, the disciples improved in knowledge.

Their faith also increased; they said, “Now we are sure.” Alas, they did not know their own weakness. The Divine nature did not desert the human nature but supported it and gave comfort and value to Christ's sufferings. And while we have God's favorable presence, we are happy and ought to be at ease, even if all the world forsakes 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 do not know how we should act if brought into temptation; let us watch and pray without ceasing, that we may not be left to ourselves.