João 16

João 16

Morgan - Do ye now believe?—John 16.31 In these words Jesus, very tenderly but very definitely, challenged His disciples in the hour when they declared that their belief in the Divinity of His mission was confirmed. They were perfectly sincere. They felt that they had at last passed beyond the region where it would be possible to doubt. How much better He knew them than they knew themselves! He knew that presently they would find themselves in shattering circumstances, and that they would then doubt every-thing, and be scattered. Yet observe the reason of His question. He was preparing them for those very experiences, creating a foothold for their faith, even when the floods should sweep around them. The very fact that He had known and had foretold the course of events, would be something to hold on to, and the memory of it would help them back again to faith. Two lessons of great importance may be learned here. The first is that our faith is a poor foundation; indeed that it is no foundation. We do verily believe to-day, but to-morrow may bring storms which will for the moment strain faith to the breaking-point, and make it of no value. The other is that He is faithful, and that is the foundation. In the fiercest hour of upheaval, He it is Who creates some possibility for our failing faith to gather strength. So, as to our faith also, we ever have to say: "Not unto us, 0 Jehovah, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory." (BORROW Life applications from every chapter of the Bible PAGE 324) John 16:32 “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. KJV John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now 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. BGT John 16:32 ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ ἐλήλυθεν ἵνα σκορπισθῆτε ἕκαστος εἰς τὰ ἴδια κἀμὲ μόνον ἀφῆτε· καὶ οὐκ εἰμὶ μόνος, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ ἐστιν. NET John 16:32 Look, a time is coming– and has come– when you will be scattered, each one to his own home, and I will be left alone. Yet I am not alone, because my Father is with me. CSB John 16:32 Look: An hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ESV John 16:32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. NIV John 16:32 (NOTICE NIV DOES NOT TRANSLATE GREEK "BEHOLD") "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. NLT John 16:32 But the time is coming-- indeed it's here now-- when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. NRS John 16:32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. NJB John 16:32 Listen; the time will come -- indeed it has come already -- when you are going to be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. NAB John 16:32 Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. YLT John 16:32 and now it hath come, that ye may be scattered, each to his own things, and me ye may leave alone, and I am not alone, because the Father is with me; MIT John 16:32 Pay attention: A time is coming and has arrived when you will be scattered each one to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the father is with me. hour: John 4:21,23 5:25,28 12:23 that: Zec 13:7 Mt 26:31,56 Mk 14:27,50 Ac 8:1 2Ti 4:16,17 every: John 20:10 yet: John 8:16,29 14:10,11 Isa 50:6-9 Related Passages: Matthew 26:56+ “But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled. Mark 14:27, 50+ And Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.’.....50 And they all left Him and fled. Zechariah 13:7+ “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. Isaiah 53:10-12+ But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering (THIS IS WHEN CRIED MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?), He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. PREDICTION OF DISCIPLES DESERTION Behold (idou), an hour (hora) is coming (erchomai), and has already come (erchomai), for you to be scattered (skorpizo), each to his own home, and to leave (aphiemi) Me alone - The time phrase (hour is coming...already come) speak of the imminence of fulfillment of the prophecy about to be announced. Jesus is bringing them back down to earth in the previous affirmations concerning Him including the authenticity of their faith. He is not saying they did not have genuine faith, but is saying their their faith has limits. It would soon to come to pass that their actions demonstrate that their faith was not yet fully mature. He does this by alluding to the prophecy in Zechariah 13:7+ specifically the prophecy "that the sheep may be scattered." Recall that Peter had already been warned of his impending failure (Jn 13:38). And yet I am not alone, because the Father (pater) is with Me - In John 8:29 Jesus declared "He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." Of course there was soon to be one humanly incomprehensible exception when, as He bore the sins of the world on the Cross (2Co 5:21+, 1Pe 2:24+), He cried out "“ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” (Mt 27:46+) C H Dodd has an interesting comment on Jesus response to the disciples' affirmation of belief writing that " The damping down of an enthusiastic confession of faith might seem surprising, if we did not remember that it corresponds to a constant pattern, not only in the Fourth Gospel but elsewhere: cf. John 6:68–70, Jn 8:38; Mark 8:29–33 (and parallels), Jn 10:28–31, 38–40, Jn 14:29–31. It is part of the character and genius of the Church that its foundation members were discredited men; it owed its existence not to their faith, courage, or virtue, but to what Christ had done with them; and this they could never forget." (BORROW The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel PAGE 416)