John 16:1-33 (TLB)
Jesus Teaches His Disciples about the Holy Spirit
1 “I have told you these things so that you won’t be staggered by all that lies ahead. 2 For you will be excommunicated from the synagogues, and indeed the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service. 3 This is because they have never known the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these things now so that when they happen you will remember I warned you. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.
5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me; and none of you seems interested in the purpose of my going; none wonders why. 6 Instead you are only filled with sorrow. 7 But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don’t, the Comforter won’t come. If I do, he will—for I will send him to you.
8 “And when he has come he will convince the world of its sin, and of the availability of God’s goodness, and of deliverance from judgment. 9 The world’s sin is unbelief in me; 10 there is righteousness available because I go to the Father and you shall see me no more; 11 there is deliverance from judgment because the prince of this world has already been judged.
12 “Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t understand it now. 13 When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes, he shall guide you into all truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, but will be passing on to you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He shall praise me and bring me great honor by showing you my glory. 15 All the Father’s glory is mine; this is what I mean when I say that he will show you my glory.
16 “In just a little while I will be gone, and you will see me no more; but just a little while after that, and you will see me again!”
17-18 “Whatever is he saying?” some of his disciples asked. “What is this about ‘going to the Father’? We don’t know what he means.”
19 Jesus realized they wanted to ask him so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I mean? 20 The world will greatly rejoice over what is going to happen to me, and you will weep. But your weeping shall suddenly be turned to wonderful joy when you see me again. 21 It will be the same joy as that of a woman in labor when her child is born—her anguish gives place to rapturous joy and the pain is forgotten. 22 You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and then you will rejoice; and no one can rob you of that joy. 23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything, for you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will give you what you ask for because you use my name. 24 You haven’t tried this before, but begin now. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and your cup of joy will overflow.
25 “I have spoken of these matters very guardedly, but the time will come when this will not be necessary and I will tell you plainly all about the Father. 26 Then you will present your petitions over my signature! And I won’t need to ask the Father to grant you these requests, 27 for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from the Father. 28 Yes, I came from the Father into the world and will leave the world and return to the Father.”
29 “At last you are speaking plainly,” his disciples said, “and not in riddles. 30 Now we understand that you know everything and don’t need anyone to tell you anything. From this we believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you finally believe this?” Jesus asked. 32 “But the time is coming—in fact, it is here—when you will be scattered, each one returning to his own home, leaving me alone. Yet I will not be alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world.”
Jesus told His Disciples about the Holy Spirit, before He left earth...He told them that when the Father sends the Comforter instead of Me—and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit—He will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you...So the Holy Spirit was able for the disciples to be reminded of everything that Jesus had ever told them...Jesus was going away, away to Heaven...He was going to the One who sent Him...None of them seemed interested in the purpose of His going; none wondered why....Instead they were only filled with sorrow...But the fact of the matter is that it is best for His disciples that Jesus did go away, for if I don’t, the Comforter would not come...If Jesus left then He would send the Comforter to them...And when the Comforter came He would convince the world of its sin, and of the availability of God’s goodness, and the deliverance from judgment of their sins...The world’s sin would be gone for those who believed in Him...The world’s sin is unbelief in Jesus...We must believe in Jesus to have our sins be gone...Jesus has never sinned...So there was and is this Righteousness available because Jesus would go to the Father and they would see Him no more...There would be this deliverance from judgment because the prince of this world has already been judged...There was so much more Jesus wanted to tell them before He left...But they could not understand these things He was saying...When the Holy Spirit, who is Truth, comes, He would guide them into all Truth, for He will not be presenting His Own ideas, but will be passing on to you what He has heard...He will tell you about the future...He shall praise Me and bring Me great honor by showing you My Glory...All the Father’s Glory is Mine; this is what I meant when He said that He would show His disciples His Glory...
The Apostle Paul traveled through Turkey and arrived in Ephesus, where he found several disciples...“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them...“No,” they replied, “we don’t know what you mean...What is the Holy Spirit?”...“Then what beliefs did you acknowledge at your baptism?” he asked...And they replied, “What John the Baptist taught.”...Then Paul pointed out to them that John’s baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin to God and that those receiving His baptism must then go on to believe in Jesus, the one John said would come later...As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the LORD Jesus...Then, when Paul laid his hands upon their heads, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other languages and prophesied...The men involved were about twelve in number...
The Holy Spirit for me is hard to understand...Like Jesus talking to His disciples about the Holy Spirit they could not understand these things He was saying about the Holy Spirit...My personal Holy Spirit must be weak in spirit, because I like the twelve disciples and the twelve Ephesians do not understand it as a believer...When Jesus talked to Nicodemus, He told him, “‘I tell you the Truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.’...‘How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked...‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’...Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the Truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit...Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit...You should not be surprised at My saying, “You must be born again”’”...And Nicodemus had trouble understanding this also...Jesus told Nicodemus that he was a respected Jewish teacher, and yet he did not understand these things about the Spirit...Jesus old him face to face what He knew and had seen—and yet Nicodemus did not believe Him...Jesus told him, if you don’t even believe Me when I tell you about such things as these that happen here among men, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven?...For only Jesus the Messiah, hade come to earth and would return to heaven again...Jesus' Words are Divine, and hard for Nicodemus to understand...And like Nicodemus and the others I struggle with the indwelt Holy Spirit and how to make the Counselor stronger and better for me...
It seems the Disciples understood after Jesus left about the Holy Spirit...The Ephesians understood after Paul explained it to them...Nicodemus also seems to understand when he helps Joseph of Arimathea anoint Jesus' body after His death...I pray that the Holy Spirit will grow in me...It must take time, so I must pray often to strengthen my Holy Spirit, and better understand Him...