John 5:43

5:43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept ¹  me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept ²  him.

John 15:26

15:26 When the Advocate ³  comes, whom I will send you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he ⁴  will testify about me,

John 16:4

16:4 But I have told you these things ⁵  so that when their time ⁶  comes, you will remember that I told you about them. ⁷ 

“I did not tell you these things from the beginning because I was with you. ⁸ 

John 16:7

16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate ⁹  will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.

John 16:13

16:13 But when he, ¹⁰  the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide ¹¹  you into all truth. ¹²  For he will not speak on his own authority, ¹³  but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you ¹⁴  what is to come. ¹⁵ 

[5:43]  ¹ tn Or “you do not receive.”

[5:43]  ² tn Or “you will receive.”

[15:26]  ³ tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in John 14:16 for discussion of how this word is translated.

[15:26]  ⁴ tn Grk “that one.”

[16:4]  ⁵ tn The first half of v. 4 resumes the statement of 16:1, ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν (tauta lelalhka Jumin), in a somewhat more positive fashion, omitting the reference to the disciples being caused to stumble.

[16:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “their hour.”

[16:4]  ⁷ tn The words “about them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:4]  ⁸ sn This verse serves as a transition between the preceding discussion of the persecutions the disciples will face in the world after the departure of Jesus, and the following discussion concerning the departure of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit-Paraclete. Jesus had not told the disciples these things from the beginning because he was with them.

[16:7]  ⁷ tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in John 14:16 for a discussion of how this word is translated.

[16:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “that one.”

[16:13]  ¹⁰ tn Or “will lead.”

[16:13]  ¹¹ sn Three important points must be noted here. (1) When the Holy Spirit comes, he will guide the disciples into all truth. What Jesus had said in 8:31-32, “If you continue to follow my teaching you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” will ultimately be realized in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus’ departure. (2) The things the Holy Spirit speaks to them will not be things which originate from himself (he will not speak on his own authority), but things he has heard. This could be taken to mean that no new revelation is involved, as R. E. Brown does (John [AB], 2:714-15). This is a possible but not a necessary inference. The point here concerns the source of the things the Spirit will say to the disciples and does not specifically exclude originality of content. (3) Part at least of what the Holy Spirit will reveal to the disciples will concern what is to come, not just fuller implications of previous sayings of Jesus and the like. This does seem to indicate that at least some new revelation is involved. But the Spirit is not the source or originator of these things – Jesus is the source, and he will continue to speak to his disciples through the Spirit who has come to indwell them. This does not answer the question, however, whether these words are addressed to all followers of Jesus, or only to his apostles. Different modern commentators will answer this question differently. Since in the context of the Farewell Discourse Jesus is preparing the twelve to carry on his ministry after his departure, it is probably best to take these statements as specifically related only to the twelve. Some of this the Holy Spirit does directly for all believers today; other parts of this statement are fulfilled through the apostles (e.g., in giving the Book of Revelation the Spirit speaks through the apostles to the church today of things to come). One of the implications of this is that a doctrine does not have to be traced back to an explicit teaching of Jesus to be authentic; all that is required is apostolic authority.

[16:13]  ¹² tn Grk “speak from himself.”

[16:13]  ¹³ tn Or will announce to you.”

[16:13]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “will tell you the things to come.”