I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
Jesus came out from the Father into the world and would leave the world again to go back to the Father, declaring where He came from and where He was going. He said this in private in the upper room to His faithful eleven after Judas withdrew, to prepare them to be left without His visible presence as their counselor and shepherd. He spoke it standing in the shadow of the cross with full knowledge of betrayal, desertion, scourging and a criminal's death before Him, yet thinking not of Himself but of them, and they could not then grasp it because it was contrary to their wishes and they were not yet strong enough to bear the truth of His humiliation and death. His coming from the Father's presence as the Light of the world was to make men better acquainted with the Father, speaking essential and unchangeable truth with authority and certain knowledge for the education of all generations, whose meaning the Holy Spirit opens to blinded eyes. These words were given to comfort and strengthen His church to stand fast without failing through trial and persecution to the end of time, preparing them as witnesses and teaching that their ministry after His departure could rest not on human effort but on Him and on divine power.
Setting and Plain Meaning
The verse declares that Jesus came forth from the Father into the world and would again leave the world and go to the Father, identifying His origin and mission and foretelling His departure and return. The disciples later understood from this that He had indeed come from the Father and believed that the Father had sent Him. It belongs to Christ's farewell instruction to His faithful disciples, the eleven, spoken in private in the upper room after Judas withdrew, as He prepared them to be separated from Him. His departure meant they would no longer have Him as their visible counselor, and would soon be left without a shepherd, so their future ministry could not rest on human effort without divine agency but had to rest on Him and on divine power. Such sacred truth was beyond what the multitude could understand, and it belongs to the words of comfort, counsel and prayer in John 15-17 poured out for His little flock, with His approaching separation as part of His mission whose great purpose was to glorify the Father.
He spoke it knowing the terrible ordeal before Him of betrayal, scourging, desertion, humiliating death as a criminal, ingratitude and cruelty from those He came to save, and a sacrifice that would be in vain for many. He stood in the shadow of the cross with pain torturing His heart, and knowledge of what lay before Him might have overwhelmed Him with His own humiliation and suffering. Yet thinking not of Himself but of the twelve who had been with Him as His own, whose faith and courage would be severely tried and who after His shame and sorrow and painful treatment were over would be left to struggle in the world, His care for them was uppermost in His mind, for having loved His own in the world He loved them to the end. Its meaning is so simple that even children may understand it, yet being contrary to the disciples' wishes and desires they could not comprehend that their beloved Teacher would leave them to die.
The disciples could not fully understand these words of comfort and counsel at the time, and even the faithful in the room could not fully understand until after the resurrection. They were not yet ready and strong enough to bear all the wonderful truths about His humiliation and death, so He deliberately refrained from crowding and confusing their minds and understanding. After His resurrection they would better understand and value them and appreciate those truths. Those words later stayed their sinking hearts in disappointment and trial and gave peace and hope to believers, being repeated again and again by the disciples.
What It Reveals
He came forth from the Father's presence into the world as its Light to teach men what God would have them know and to bring them into better acquaintance with the Father. His teaching spoke truth with authority and certain knowledge, setting forth the truths essential for His people and the unchangeable principles of Bible truth. It was no fanciful idea, no probability, no human opinion, no false theory, and no idle tale.
That instruction of the great Teacher in John 14-17 sets forth what God desires to do for the human race, and it was given for the education and obedience of men and women in every age from generation to generation. Its meaning is opened when the Holy Spirit comes as He came upon the disciples at Pentecost, so that blinded eyes are opened and scales fall away. Then the truths about the Father are understood more clearly.
He took His glorified humanity with Him to heaven when He returned to the Father. The promise of knowing the Father fully is not completed in this life, for believers know only in part now. They will understand clearly when the conflict is ended and Christ acknowledges His faithful workers before the Father, and those who receive Him and remain loyal to God will at last see God face to face. His approaching separation from the disciples belonged to that mission whose great purpose was to glorify the Father, and the Father's glory was the joy for which He endured humiliation and suffering.
Comfort and Calling
These words belong to the encouragement, hope, comfort, counsel and prayer of John 14 through John 16, and to the comfort, counsel and prayer of John 15 through John 17, spoken to strengthen His church and true believers to stand fast and endure without failing as long as time lasts through trials, temptations, difficulties and the most trying hour, including trials brought by unconverted believers. He spoke them knowing the terrible ordeal of betrayal, scourging, desertion and death awaiting Him, thinking not of Himself but of His disciples whose faith and courage would be severely tried. Their meaning is so simple that even children may understand it, yet being contrary to the disciples' wishes and desires they could not comprehend that their beloved Teacher would leave them to die. They were spoken in private to His faithful disciples, the little flock soon to be left without a shepherd and without His visible presence, after Judas withdrew from the upper room, because the multitude could not understand such sacred truth. Though they grieved to hear He was going, He had made known the difficulties ahead and held out hope for their future.
They were meant to comfort them in their trial and to give believers peace and hope, and after the resurrection they would better understand and value them, repeating them again and again to stay their sinking hearts in disappointment and trial. He plainly opened before them the events that would follow His death so they would be prepared to endure persecution without apostatizing, and to lead them to understand the great subjects they were to deliver to the world as witnesses. He deliberately refrained from crowding their minds and confusing their understanding with all the wonderful truths about His humiliation and death, because they were not yet strong enough to bear them.
His departure meant separation from them as their visible counselor, so their future ministry after He left them could not rest on human effort without divine agency, which would fail, but had to rest on Him and on divine power. The lesson of this discourse must be studied to obtain knowledge of the Word and its converting power, for John 16 holds words He commanded His followers to take and give to the people. His works and words there give sure evidence for preaching with divine authority with a Thus saith the Lord. When the lesson is so studied and willingly given, evidence comes to the people in His abiding presence with them to the end of the world, producing conversions like the three thousand brought to faith at Pentecost.
The discourse teaches how people may receive His grace and warns that those who refuse its conditions will be unready to meet Him when He comes in glory. It belongs to God's plainly expressed will for His people found in John 6 and John 13 through John 17. That instruction is meant to cure dissension and seeking the highest place, and when lived out in practical life it produces unity with one another and with Christ and love that stands as an unbreakable wall against the assaults of the enemy and stands the test of the shaking time.
Jesus came out from the Father into the world and would leave the world again to go back to the Father, declaring where He came from and where He was going. He said this in private in the upper room to His faithful eleven after Judas withdrew, to prepare them to be left without His visible presence as their counselor and shepherd. He spoke it standing in the shadow of the cross with full knowledge of betrayal, desertion, scourging and a criminal's death before Him, yet thinking not of Himself but of them, and they could not then grasp it because it was contrary to their wishes and they were not yet strong enough to bear the truth of His humiliation and death. His coming from the Father's presence as the Light of the world was to make men better acquainted with the Father, speaking essential and unchangeable truth with authority and certain knowledge for the education of all generations, whose meaning the Holy Spirit opens to blinded eyes. These words were given to comfort and strengthen His church to stand fast without failing through trial and persecution to the end of time, preparing them as witnesses and teaching that their ministry after His departure could rest not on human effort but on Him and on divine power.
Setting and Plain Meaning
The verse declares that Jesus came forth from the Father into the world and would again leave the world and go to the Father, identifying His origin and mission and foretelling His departure and return. The disciples later understood from this that He had indeed come from the Father and believed that the Father had sent Him. It belongs to Christ's farewell instruction to His faithful disciples, the eleven, spoken in private in the upper room after Judas withdrew, as He prepared them to be separated from Him. His departure meant they would no longer have Him as their visible counselor, and would soon be left without a shepherd, so their future ministry could not rest on human effort without divine agency but had to rest on Him and on divine power. Such sacred truth was beyond what the multitude could understand, and it belongs to the words of comfort, counsel and prayer in John 15-17 poured out for His little flock, with His approaching separation as part of His mission whose great purpose was to glorify the Father.
He spoke it knowing the terrible ordeal before Him of betrayal, scourging, desertion, humiliating death as a criminal, ingratitude and cruelty from those He came to save, and a sacrifice that would be in vain for many. He stood in the shadow of the cross with pain torturing His heart, and knowledge of what lay before Him might have overwhelmed Him with His own humiliation and suffering. Yet thinking not of Himself but of the twelve who had been with Him as His own, whose faith and courage would be severely tried and who after His shame and sorrow and painful treatment were over would be left to struggle in the world, His care for them was uppermost in His mind, for having loved His own in the world He loved them to the end. Its meaning is so simple that even children may understand it, yet being contrary to the disciples' wishes and desires they could not comprehend that their beloved Teacher would leave them to die.
The disciples could not fully understand these words of comfort and counsel at the time, and even the faithful in the room could not fully understand until after the resurrection. They were not yet ready and strong enough to bear all the wonderful truths about His humiliation and death, so He deliberately refrained from crowding and confusing their minds and understanding. After His resurrection they would better understand and value them and appreciate those truths. Those words later stayed their sinking hearts in disappointment and trial and gave peace and hope to believers, being repeated again and again by the disciples.
What It Reveals
He came forth from the Father's presence into the world as its Light to teach men what God would have them know and to bring them into better acquaintance with the Father. His teaching spoke truth with authority and certain knowledge, setting forth the truths essential for His people and the unchangeable principles of Bible truth. It was no fanciful idea, no probability, no human opinion, no false theory, and no idle tale.
That instruction of the great Teacher in John 14-17 sets forth what God desires to do for the human race, and it was given for the education and obedience of men and women in every age from generation to generation. Its meaning is opened when the Holy Spirit comes as He came upon the disciples at Pentecost, so that blinded eyes are opened and scales fall away. Then the truths about the Father are understood more clearly.
He took His glorified humanity with Him to heaven when He returned to the Father. The promise of knowing the Father fully is not completed in this life, for believers know only in part now. They will understand clearly when the conflict is ended and Christ acknowledges His faithful workers before the Father, and those who receive Him and remain loyal to God will at last see God face to face. His approaching separation from the disciples belonged to that mission whose great purpose was to glorify the Father, and the Father's glory was the joy for which He endured humiliation and suffering.
Comfort and Calling
These words belong to the encouragement, hope, comfort, counsel and prayer of John 14 through John 16, and to the comfort, counsel and prayer of John 15 through John 17, spoken to strengthen His church and true believers to stand fast and endure without failing as long as time lasts through trials, temptations, difficulties and the most trying hour, including trials brought by unconverted believers. He spoke them knowing the terrible ordeal of betrayal, scourging, desertion and death awaiting Him, thinking not of Himself but of His disciples whose faith and courage would be severely tried. Their meaning is so simple that even children may understand it, yet being contrary to the disciples' wishes and desires they could not comprehend that their beloved Teacher would leave them to die. They were spoken in private to His faithful disciples, the little flock soon to be left without a shepherd and without His visible presence, after Judas withdrew from the upper room, because the multitude could not understand such sacred truth. Though they grieved to hear He was going, He had made known the difficulties ahead and held out hope for their future.
They were meant to comfort them in their trial and to give believers peace and hope, and after the resurrection they would better understand and value them, repeating them again and again to stay their sinking hearts in disappointment and trial. He plainly opened before them the events that would follow His death so they would be prepared to endure persecution without apostatizing, and to lead them to understand the great subjects they were to deliver to the world as witnesses. He deliberately refrained from crowding their minds and confusing their understanding with all the wonderful truths about His humiliation and death, because they were not yet strong enough to bear them.
His departure meant separation from them as their visible counselor, so their future ministry after He left them could not rest on human effort without divine agency, which would fail, but had to rest on Him and on divine power. The lesson of this discourse must be studied to obtain knowledge of the Word and its converting power, for John 16 holds words He commanded His followers to take and give to the people. His works and words there give sure evidence for preaching with divine authority with a Thus saith the Lord. When the lesson is so studied and willingly given, evidence comes to the people in His abiding presence with them to the end of the world, producing conversions like the three thousand brought to faith at Pentecost.
The discourse teaches how people may receive His grace and warns that those who refuse its conditions will be unready to meet Him when He comes in glory. It belongs to God's plainly expressed will for His people found in John 6 and John 13 through John 17. That instruction is meant to cure dissension and seeking the highest place, and when lived out in practical life it produces unity with one another and with Christ and love that stands as an unbreakable wall against the assaults of the enemy and stands the test of the shaking time.