The Gospel According to John

Biblical Research Monthly
August, 1957
Dr. David L. Cooper
(Installment Thirty-one)

CHRIST'S FINAL WORDS WITH HIS DISCIPLES

From John 13:31 to 16:33 we have the two quiet talks that Christ had with His disciples before he was arrested. In 13:31-14:31 Jesus was speaking to His disciples concerning the necessity of His going away—returning to heaven. This message filled the hearts of the disciples with sorrow and grief. It was spoken in the Upper Room where Jesus and the disciples observed the Passover and also the Lord's Supper. The last quiet talk recorded in 15:1-16:33 was spoken on the way from the Upper Room to the Kidron Valley. In 15:1-16:15 Jesus talks to His disciples concerning them and their relationship to Him after His departure and after the Holy Spirit has come upon them. In 16:16-33 Jesus gives His final farewell to His disciples.

The Parable of the Vine and the Branches

In 15:1-15 Jesus gave the parable of the vine and branches in order to show the close relationship that must exist between Himself and the disciples if they are to live and work for Him. He declared that He is the vine and they are the branches and that His Father is the husbandman who cares for the vineyard. The reason for His mentioning this parable doubtless grew out of the fact that, at the Passover Supper and at the institution of the Lord's Supper, Jesus had spoken of the fruit of the vine.

It is clear to all that the branch must be connected with the vine in order for it to have the life of the vine and to bear fruit. But every branch that does not bear fruit is pruned off by the good husbandman and is destroyed. This statement of the Lord Jesus probably was an echo of the fate that would come to Judas who would betray Him. Outwardly he had the same connection with Jesus that the rest of the apostles did, but in reality did not. The rest of the apostles were clean because of the words that Jesus had spoken to them, but Judas was not clean because he was a murderer from beginning—in his heart. On one occasion, as we learn in the sixth chapter of John, many of the disciples of Jesus forsook Him, saying they could not accept His teaching concerning the necessity of their eating His body and drinking His blood. These persons were outwardly His disciples and seemingly had connection with Him; but, when the test came, they flickered an forsook Him. So it became evident that they were pruned off by the Great Husbandman.

Every branch in the vine that bears fruit is purged and cleansed that it may bear more fruit. Continuing the thought of fruit-bearing, Jesus said, "Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit." God's scale for fruit-bearing is no fruit, fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The fruit of which He is speaking is the fruit that is borne of the indwelling Christ and the Holy Spirit. Apart from the strength that Christ gives and the Holy Spirit imparts, no one can bear any fruit in the sight of God. Doubtless, much that is accepted as fruit of the Spirit will be found to be bogus and the result of human effort apart from the indwelling Christ.

Jesus said, "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing." To bear fruit a branch, the individual believer, must abide in Christ, and Christ, in him—if the fruit which he bears is to be acceptable in the sight of God. To abide in Christ is to be in spiritual fellowship and communion with the Lord. Christ's abiding in the believer is His residing in the heart of the believer. Thus the reciprocal relationship of each to the other is set forth in this statement.

If this reciprocal relationship of abiding is maintained by believers, whatsoever they ask the Father in His name shall be granted. God answers prayer. James told believers that they had not because they asked not. He also told them that they asked, but did not receive because they were praying for things to be used on their own pleasure—and not for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. When two or three abiding in Christ come together and agree as concerning any one thing for which they shall make request, the prayer will be answered. Prayer, believing prayer, is the most powerful weapon that the believer has.

Jesus insisted that if the disciples love Him, they will keep His commandments. Love is a mighty force and power. If they, said He, keep His commandments, they shall abide in Him. His revealing the secrets of the victorious life to them was given that their joy might be made full.

Jesus insisted that He was not calling the disciples slaves or servants, but, rather, friends, because the servant knows not what the master intends to do. But Jesus took His disciples into an intimate fellowship with Himself and revealed to them the secrets of His heart. The basis of the fellowship with the Lord is revealed in Psalm 25:14: "The friendship of Jehovah is with them that fear him; And he will show them his covenant." The word friendship in the footnote of this verse is given as secret. The Lord delights to reveal His secrets to His faithful followers.

The Position in the World of the Believer Filled with the Spirit

As we see in 15:16, Jesus reminded that He had chosen His followers out of the world—and that they had not chosen Him. Moreover, He appointed them that they should go and bear fruit and that their fruit should abide. In this connection He assured them that, whatever they were to ask of the Father in His name, He would grant to them. The scriptural way to pray is to approach the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy spirit. This type of praying is what we see in the New Testament. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the great intercessors for the people of God. Hence, when the believer prays to the Father in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, God will grant the petition provided it is in accordance with His will concerning them.

Jesus revealed to His disciples that, since they were His chosen ones, the world would hate them because it had hated Him first. Anyone who is on God's side will be hated by the Devil and all the forces of evil. Satan swears eternal vengeance against all the people of God and is constantly fighting against them. We may expect to have constant warfare with Satan, as is seen Ephesians 6:10-20. Our warfare is against the powers of evil. We can be victorious if we put on the whole armor of God and trust Him, committing everything to the Lord in earnest, real prayer.

The disciples are not to be surprised at the opposition which they meet from Satan and the forces of evil. They opposed Jesus, and they will oppose everyone who knows Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

If the Lord Jesus had not come to the world and had not performed the miracles which no one else had ever wrought, the people of His generation would not have been held responsible for rejecting the light shining from His ministry. But, since He worked unprecedented miracles, there was no excuse for their sin (verses 15-22). It is quite evident that His enemies hated Him with an inveterate venom. He assured them that those who hated Him also hated the Father (verses 23 and 24). In the attitude which the enemies of Christ took, one sees the fulfilment of the prediction "They hated me without a cause" (verse 25).

Though the enemies of Christ opposed Him and did their uttermost to counteract His influence, Jesus said that the Comforter would come, whom He would send from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth who proceedeth from the Father and who would bear testimony concerning Him (verse 26). The disciples, likewise, would bear witness to Him, as we see in verse 27.

Jesus spoke plainly concerning the hatred and the opposition with which the disciples would meet in order that they might not be caused to stumble when, after His departure, it would arise. Then He made the astounding statement that many would put them to death, thinking that by so doing they would be rendering service to God (John 16:1-4).

Saul of Tarsus was a notable example of this prophecy. He verily thought that he should do many things contrary to the name of the Lord Jesus, and thus became the arch enemy of the early church. But, since he was doing them in ignorance, mercy was extended to him, as we see in I Timothy 1:12-16.

This prediction made a profound impression upon the Apostles. The revelation He made to them was hard for them to comprehend. Jesus declared, "But because I have spoken these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart." Then He added that it was necessary for Him to leave them; for, if He did not, the Comforter would not come. But, if He did go away, He and the Father would send the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—who would do a very definite work of grace in the world. The special work which the Holy Spirit was to perform, as set forth in this passage, is convicting the world in reference to sin, righteousness, and judgment (16:8). He would, said Jesus, convict the world in respect of sin. On the day of Pentecost, as we see in Acts, chapter 2, the Holy Spirit spoke to a vast crowd of people in Jerusalem, using the Apostle Peter as the human spokesman. The impact of this great message was so powerful that the audience shouted, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" They were pricked in their hearts and realized the enormity of their sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord, Saviour, and Messiah. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit apparently came upon the entire audience on that occasion. The result of His convicting was that about three thousand persons who had been opposed to Christ renounced their sin of rejecting Him and accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour. These people took a definite stand for Christ and were baptized on that day. Again, the Holy Spirit used the Apostle Peter, as we see in Acts, chapter 3, in bringing conviction to a vast audience in Jerusalem on another occasion. As a result of this second recorded sermon, the number of disciples came to be about 5,000. We cannot be positive whether 5,000 accepted the Lord as the result of the second sermon or whether the 5,000 included the 3,000 that accepted the Lord on the day of Pentecost. But we can see the fulfillment of the promise that the Holy Spirit would convict the world in respect to sin because it believed not on Christ.

In the second place, the Holy Spirit would convict people, according to this promise in John 16, of righteousness because Christ went to the Father and the disciples beheld Him no more. The Holy Spirit brought to the minds of convicted sinners that Christ was righteous, that He made the proper offering for sin, and that God accepted His offering. A good commentary on this verse is found in Romans 4:23-25: "23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him; 24 but for our sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification." The original text says in verse twenty-five that Christ was delivered up because of our trespasses and was raised because of our justification. It was proper for Christ to offer Himself. He was delivered up because of our transgressions; He was raised from the dead because of our justification, because God's scheme of redemption was righteous and He accepted the atonement of Christ. The Holy Spirit, therefore, made clear to the people the righteousness and the holiness of the atonement which Christ made for all who accept Him. The believer is acceptable to God, not because of anything that he has in himself or has done or will do, but purely and simply because of the righteousness of Christ and His suffering and dying in our behalf—taking our place upon the cross.

The third thing of which the Holy spirit convicts the world is judgment, because the "Prince of this world hath been judged." The entire life of Christ was a battle with Satan from beginning to end, but the crucial point was reached when Christ was nailed to the cross, and when He poured out His blood for the remission of our sins. Christ himself laid down His life and took it up again. His atonement was acceptable to the holiness and righteousness of God. When He arose He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Satan was defeated on every count; he is a conquered foe. The Holy Spirit convicts the world in regard to the judgment of Satan.

The Final Farewell of Jesus with His Apostles

In John 16:16-33 we have the final farewell between Jesus and the Apostles before His arrest and crucifixion. In verses 16-24 Jesus spoke of His departing again and their not seeing Him for a long time. An examination of these verses shows that He was talking about two different departures and of His coming again. It was within a few hours from the time of the talk that He would be killed, and then after three days He would rise from the dead and see them again in His glorified resurrection-body. Then He would go away, returning to heaven, and will see them at His second coming—that is when He comes for His saints, which is known as the Rapture of the saints. This coming occurs before the great Tribulation begins, for, said Paul to the Thessalonians, believers turn from idols to God to serve the living God and to wait for the Son from heaven, even Jesus who delivereth believers from the wrath to come. Thus there is a blending of the two experiences in these verses.

In verses 25-33 Jesus began to speak very clearly to His disciples concerning His departure and of His return. They began to comprehend more clearly what He was talking about when He spoke of His going and coming back again and then going away again. They felt, therefore, that He was no longer speaking in dark sayings, but was talking plainly. Finally, in verse 32 He declared that the hour had come when they would be scattered abroad, but He assured them that he would not leave them alone. In fulfillment of the prediction found in Zechariah 13:7, when God allows the sword to strike His Shepherd, He takes care of the little ones who are scattered—that is, the disciples. This promise is the assuring message that Jesus gave to His disciples in the last few words that He had with them before His arrest and crucifixion. He closed His farewell message to them with the following words, "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Jesus overcame; Satan is a conquered foe. We can be more than conquerors through Christ who loved us and gave Himself up for us. May we realize the depth of His victory and live triumphantly in Him, awaiting the day of His return.