Thoughts on John 16:8-11.

1907 195 The recorded discourses of our Lord immediately preceding His Passion are in point of length in marked contrast with the sayings of the risen Saviour. The latter are extremely brief, as we know, and largely of what I may perhaps call an official character, whether mandatory, as "Go and teach all nations" (Matt. 28:19), or declaratory, as "Whosesoever's sins ye remit, they are remitted" (John 20:23). Once or twice, a gentle rebuke was conveyed, as to Thomas, and to the travellers to Emmaus. But we have no details of what the Lord said on these occasions. It is true we are told how He expounded unto the two disciples, in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. But we have not the exposition (how we should prize it! ), though we do read that their hearts burned within them while He opened unto them those Scriptures, with the letter of which they were conversant. Doubtless, the Lord must have said much to His chosen ones during the wonderful days between the Resurrection and the Ascension, much that they then needed. But we may be sure that infinite wisdom guided the inspired writers both in what they wrote down and in what they withheld. And indeed it may not be wholly fanciful to see a correspondence between the brevity of the Lord's recorded utterances on these latter occasions, and the mysterious nature of His appearances. Truly, He was still "this same Jesus," as He will be according to the angels' word (Acts 1:11) in the day of His manifestation. But there is a reserve as well as a mystery that did not characterise Him "in the days of His flesh." However, be that as it may, whatever be the explanation of the difference between the sayings, such is the fact.

But let us turn to what is more immediately before us, viz. the discourses comprised in John 13 to 16, and more particularly verses 8 to 11 of the latter chapter. The entire record is an inexhaustible, as well as an unfathomable, mine of spiritual wealth, infinitely precious as giving us the ipsissima verba, the very words of the Saviour, and that too just before He suffered. We mark His gracious concern for them at a time so awful for Himself, when the powers of darkness were gathering, how in view of His imminent departure He is occupied in comforting them. They had much to learn, as we have, and we see how feebly they entered into what was before their Master, whether the sufferings or the glories that should follow. Peter indeed shortly before had put the question, "Whither goest Thou"? But he was merely thinking of earthly possibilities, confident of being able to tread the same path as His Master — strangely ignorant of his weakness, though ardent and sincere. We know the Lord's answer, and how literally His warning was justified. Hence it was perfectly true, as Christ said, that none had asked Him whither He was going. They had not asked in the sense He meant. They had no thought of the path of life and the fulness of joy at the Father's right hand. Their hearts were surcharged with sorrow in the prospect of losing their Lord, who explains to them how expedient it was that He should depart, as other wise the Comforter could not come. And then the Lord proceeds to state the comprehensive and sublime truths embodied in John 16:8-11.

"When He is come". It may not be unnecessary to point out that Christ says "He" not "It." It is indeed a very emphatic "He," one of the most forcible of Greek pronouns (ekeigos), so strikingly used to designate the Lord Himself, by the same apostle John in his First Epistle. Thus the personality of the Holy Spirit is strongly affirmed. Let us not forget that we worship Trinity in Unity. But this by the way. The Holy Ghost then convicts the world of three most important facts, the first being a solemn indictment. And first, as to the word rendered "reprove" in the A.V., but rather difficult to render satisfactorily in English, (so full of meaning is it) — it signifies "reprove," "convict," "convince," all at the same time. It has been rendered, "bring demonstration of," in a version well known to most of the readers of this periodical. It involves, as one has said, the conception of "authoritative examination, unquestionable proof, decisive judgment, and primitive power." Such is the function of the Holy Spirit, who necessarily convicts and brings demonstration. It is true all are not convinced. This, as J.N.D. says, supposes effect in the person convinced. But, whether the world heed or not, such is the work of the Spirit. And the first thing of which He convicts is sin; and that not merely as a matter of fact, but that the world is altogether wanting in a knowledge of what sin really is, of its exceeding heinousness in God's sight. A distinguished statesman, recently deceased, and who was also something of a theologian, was once asked what he considered the great lack of the age. At once he replied, "A sense of sin; that is the great lack." Now, whatever we may think of this leader as a politician (with which of course we have nothing to do), or even of his theology in general, it is clear he hit the nail on the head on this occasion. Alas, this most deplorable want has made rapid strides of late. Whatever were the faults of the old Puritans, at any rate they almost equalled pious Jews in the reality of their sense of sin. Sin is indeed a missing of the mark, as the expressive Greek equivalent implies. But it is more; "sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). It is the setting up, by the creature, of its will in opposition to God, and involves naturally separation from God. The cross of Christ is its measure, and "only there do we behold our darkness." "That most tremendous wrong" both revealed what man was capable of doing to perfect goodness, and at the same time displayed how terrible sin was, how great the darkness, because nothing less than that "precious death" could put away sin. As again has been said, sin was expiated in its greatest act." Of course we must carefully distinguish between man's ignorant hatred to which our blessed Lord voluntarily gave Himself up as a martyr, and God's foreseeing purpose thereby to bring about the atonement, and all that is therein involved.

"Of sin because they believe not on Me." Not because they have done this, that, and the other thing, they ought not to have done. All this, however true, falls short of the most serious short-coming. For Christ is the touch-stone, and they had not "loved the Highest when they saw" Him. Nay, they had both seen and hated both Him and His Father, But how the majesty of our Lord stands out! and how inconceivable that any should so speak who was merely man! Being what He was, and is, the language is not only intelligible, but the spiritual mind is conscious that nothing short of it could meet the case. "Talk they of morals, O Thou bleeding Love? The grand morality is love of Thee." So wrote long ago a poet little read now-a-days, too serious probably for a sadly flippant age. But he had evidently grasped the great truth that the want of belief in, and of love to Christ, "lies at the root of all sin and reveals its nature." All is summed up in surrender to the Holy One of God.

But, if the world rejected, what about the Father? Righteousness, said the Lord (and I apprehend the word, used here only by St. John, is employed in its most entensive meaning), righteousness was vindicted by the return of the Son to the Father; not merely to heaven. There could be no further revelation, nothing could be added to it, as one has said. The standard of righteousness was fixed for ever. As a man on earth, even the disciples would behold their Lord no more, there is absolute finality. And as we have seen that sin is not merely the breaking of specific commandments, but that it reveals a most terrible state of separation from God, so righteousness is discerned to be "no mere outward fulfilment of legal or moral obligation."

Lastly, the Spirit testifies that the prince of this world hath been judged (kekritai). We have the two great protagonists, the Son of God and the devil, each, so to speak, bidding for the soul of man, and we see the one raised to the right hand of God the Father, the other judged. "I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven," said our Lord, at an earlier date to the Seventy, who however were rejoicing too much in the fact of their power over evil spirits, too little in the higher blessing of names written in heaven. But even then Christ anticipated the day when evil would be overcome. Thus then, three cardinal facts are stated in terms of matchless conciseness as well as sublimity. The very order is perfect; first, the fact of sin, secondly, the triumph of the Deliverer, thirdly, the discomfiture of the great enemy of God and man. It is all anticipative of course, but of what soon came to pass. R.B.