John 16:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They had already heard beforehand and knew why they suffered. This reason could fully encourage them. Therefore Christ everywhere sets it forth, saying: they have not known Me; and: they will do this for My sake, for My name, and for the Father (Jn 16:3; Jn 15:21). He also says: I first suffered; and: they venture upon this unjustly.

Let us also think on this in temptations. When we endure anything from evil men, let us look to our Leader and the Perfecter of our faith. Let us consider that we endure it for virtue and for Him.

If we think on this, everything will be easy and bearable. Indeed, if everyone even boasts when he suffers for those he loves, will anyone feel grief who suffers anything for God?

If Christ, for our sake, called the most shameful thing, the Cross, glory, then still more must we think in this way. If we can despise sufferings so greatly, then still more can we despise wealth and covetousness.

Therefore, when something unpleasant must be endured, we must think not only of the labors, but also of the crowns. As merchants think not only of the seas, but also of profit, so we must think of heaven and boldness before God.

If covetousness seems pleasant to you, consider that Christ does not approve it, and it will at once appear hateful. Again, if it is hard for you to give to the poor, do not dwell in thought on the expense.

At once set before yourself the harvest from this sowing. When it is hard for you to refrain from passionate desire for another man’s wife, think of the crown for the contest, and you will easily complete the struggle.

If even fear of men restrains one from shameful deeds, much more will love for Christ. Virtue is austere, but let us imagine it clothed in the majesty of the promises to come.

Men of lofty soul find virtue beautiful even without this, in itself, and therefore strive toward it. They live virtuously not for rewards, but to please God. They value chastity highly, not to escape punishment, but because God has so commanded.

But if someone is weaker, let him set the rewards before himself. Let us act in this way also concerning almsgiving. Let us be merciful to our own kin, and let us not despise those perishing from hunger.

Is it not the height of absurdity that we ourselves sit at table in laughter and satiety, while passing through the street and hearing others weep, we not only ignore their crying, but even become angry with them and call them deceivers?

What are you saying, man? Will anyone deceive for a single loaf of bread? Yes, you say. In that case, all the more quickly must you have pity on him. All the more quickly must you deliver him from need.

If you do not wish to give, at least do not insult. If you do not wish to save him from drowning, at least do not cast him into the abyss.

Consider how you will entreat God for help when you reject the poor man who comes to you. “With the measure you use,” it is said, “it will be measured to you” (Mt 7:2).

Consider with what contrition he departs. His head is bowed to the ground. He weeps. In addition to his poverty, he has received a fresh wound from contemptuous treatment.

If you consider begging alms an extreme misfortune, then think what a storm is endured by the man who asks, receives nothing, and departs insulted besides.

How long shall we become like wild beasts and forget nature itself because of covetousness? Many sigh at this, but I want you to have such compassion not only now, but always.

Think of that day when we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We shall ask mercy for ourselves, and Christ will set the poor before all and say to us that for one loaf and one coin you stirred up such a storm in these souls.

What shall we answer? How shall we justify ourselves? That He will set them before all, you may learn from His words: “As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me” (Mt 25:45).

They will no longer address us in speech, but God will rebuke us on their behalf. When the rich man saw Lazarus, Lazarus said nothing to him, but Abraham spoke for him.

So it will be with the poor whom we despise. We shall see them not in a pitiable state, not with hands stretched out, but in repose. Meanwhile we ourselves shall appear in their state.

And would that we appeared only in their state, and were not subjected to a far heavier punishment. For there the rich man did not merely long to be satisfied with crumbs. He was tormented in flame, suffered grievously, and heard: “You received your good things in your life, and Lazarus evil things” (Lk 16:25).

Therefore let us not consider wealth anything great. It will lead us to torment if we are not attentive. But if we are attentive, poverty too will bring us delight and repose.

If we bear it with thanksgiving, we shall be freed from sins and acquire great boldness before God. Therefore let us not always seek repose, so that there we may enjoy repose.

Let us undertake labors for virtue. Let us cut off what is superfluous. Let us seek nothing beyond what is needed, but let us spend all that we have on those in need.

Otherwise, what defense shall we have when God promises us heaven, and we do not give Him even bread? He kindles the sun for you and places all creation at your service. Yet you do not give Him even clothing, and you will not share your shelter with Him.

And why do I speak of the sun and creation? He set before you His Body and gave you His precious Blood. Yet you do not give Him even a cup of water.

But you gave once? That is not mercy. If you do not give as long as you have, you have not yet fulfilled everything. The virgins who had lamps also had oil, but not in sufficient quantity.

Even if you were giving from your own property, you ought not to be stingy. But you are not giving what belongs to the Lord. Why then are you miserly?

Do you want me to tell you the cause of such inhumanity? These men acquire property through covetousness, and therefore they are stingy in almsgiving. Whoever is accustomed to acquire in this way does not know how to spend.

Indeed, how can one accustomed to plunder dispose himself to the opposite? How will he give another his own property, when he takes what belongs to others?

As soon as a dog becomes accustomed to feeding on meat, it can no longer guard the flock. For this reason shepherds kill such dogs. So that the same may not happen to us, let us abstain from such food.

For those who become the cause of another’s death by hunger also feed on flesh. Do you not see how God made everything common for us?

If He allowed some to be in poverty, He did this also for the relief of the rich. By giving alms to the poor, they could be freed from sins.

But you have become cruel and inhuman even in this respect. From this it is clear that if you had such power over greater things, you would commit many murders. You would deny everyone both light and life.

To prevent this, God set a limit to your insatiability in wealth. If it pains you to hear this, it pains me still more to see it in deed.

Life is so short, and everything is already at the doors, that all must be regarded as a brief hour. Why do you need filled storerooms, a multitude of servants, and stewards?

Why not have thousands of heralds of mercy? A storeroom utters no voice, and moreover attracts many robbers. But what is saved for the poor ascends to God Himself.

It sweetens the present life, dissolves all sins, and brings glory before God and honor among men. Why then do you not wish so many good things for yourself?

You will not benefit the poor as much as you will benefit yourself when you do good to them. For them you improve their present condition. For yourself you prepare future glory and boldness.

May we all be counted worthy of this, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion unto the ages. Amen.

When sorrow struck even the disciples, as men still imperfect, see how He corrects them by rebuke. Previously they had addressed Him with many questions. Thus Peter said: “Where are You going?” (Jn 13:36).

And Thomas said: “We do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5). And Philip said: “Show us Your Father” (Jn 14:8).

But now, hearing that “they will put you out of the synagogues,” that they will hate you, and that “whoever kills you will think he offers service to God” (Jn 16:2), they so lost heart that they were seized by silence.

They said nothing more to Him. This is what He reproaches them for, saying: “These things I did not say to you from the beginning, because I was with you.”

“These things I did not say to you from the beginning,” He says. Why did He not say them at the start? So that no one might say that He spoke by inference from many previous events.

Why then does He approach so difficult a matter? I knew this from the beginning, He says, and I did not refrain from telling you through ignorance, but because “I was with you.”

Again this is said in a human manner. It is as though He says: You were in safety, and you could ask whenever you wished. The whole war had been raised against Me. Therefore it was unnecessary to speak of this at the beginning.

But did He really not say this? When He called the Twelve, did He not say: “You will be brought before governors and kings,” and “they will scourge you in the synagogues” (Mt 10:18, 17)?

How then does He now say: “I did not say it from the beginning”? At that time He foretold only scourging and being brought to judgment.

He did not say that their death would appear so desirable that killing them would even be considered service to God. Yet this especially could frighten them, that they would be judged as impious and harmful men.

To this one must add that there He spoke of the sufferings they would endure from the Gentiles. Here He spoke with special force also of the Jewish persecutions, and showed that they were already at the doors.

The whole war was raised against Me, while you yourselves were in complete safety. Therefore such words, preparing and protecting you in advance, were not then necessary. But now, as I go to My Father and leave you, I forewarn you of this, so that you may guard yourselves. How, then, did the Lord say that He had not spoken of this from the beginning, when it is written that, after calling the twelve disciples, He said to them: "You will be brought before governors and kings" (Mt 10:18)? Although He said that they would be brought before governors, He had not yet said that they would kill them as impious men, harmful people, and enemies of God. There is another answer also. There He said that they would have to suffer from the Gentiles. Here He says that the Jews would cause them afflictions. For it is surely the Jews who would expel them from the synagogue.

Besides this, there is another benefit. One who is prepared and knows in advance what must happen to him will be subject to weaker fear. He will easily overcome everything that seems terrible and will acquire a firm mind in the trials themselves. For suffering that comes unexpectedly and contrary to expectation, I think, strikes much more powerfully. So the Psalmist also says: "I was prepared and was not troubled" (Ps 118:60). Therefore He commands the disciples to remember that He usefully and necessarily foretold the future to them. It was certain that, by believing also from this that He is the true God, they would easily believe that He would deliver them from afflictions. For it belongs to the true God to know all things. "And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you." Christ also took thought beforehand for something else useful and very necessary. It was certain that when they were first called by Him to discipleship, and while they were always living with Him, they witnessed many miracles. They also experienced His incomparable power and omnipotence. Thus they supposed that they would conquer every temptation and overcome all afflictions whatsoever. Was it fitting for those who had received favor from One able to perform such miracles still to doubt and become fainthearted? But Christ foretold that, contrary to expectation, they would be subjected to dangers. Therefore, so that they would not be greatly troubled by this, He explains why He did not foretell it at the beginning. Otherwise they might reflect and say: Have we been deceived in our first hope? Have we erred in our purpose? We considered ourselves called to every good thing, yet in the end we fall into such unexpected afflictions. The Lord therefore considers it necessary to explain the reason why He did not foretell this at the beginning. He says: "These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you." While He was still with them, He could easily save them, deliver them from every temptation, and give them proper teaching and correction on every occasion.

How can this be connected with the Lord’s words? These words refer to the promise of the Holy Spirit, who would descend upon them, and to the testimony He would give when they received sufferings.

Jesus did not speak of the Comforter from the beginning, because He Himself was with them. His presence was more than sufficient consolation. But now, on the eve of His departure, it was necessary to announce to them the descent of the Spirit.

Through Him the love of God would be poured into their hearts, so that in fullness of faith they might preach the word of God.

And the rest, remaining perverse and blind, were angered by this increase of His disciples. Having zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, they killed them, believing that by this they were serving God.

But He who was killed for them gathered them. Before He was killed, He instructed them concerning their future, so that their ignorant and unprepared souls would not be disturbed by an unexpected and unforeseen appearance of evil, as though it had happened suddenly.

Rather, knowing of it beforehand, they were to endure it with patience and hasten toward the eternal good. He Himself showed that this was the reason He revealed this to them beforehand, by adding: “But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.”

“Their time,” that is, the time of the Jews, is the time of darkness, the time of night. But “by day the Lord showed His mercy, and by night He explained it” (cf. Ps 41:9). Thus the night of the Jews could in no way darken the day of the Christians, which was separated from it. Though it had power to kill the flesh, it could not wrap faith in darkness.

When the Lord Jesus foretold to His disciples that after His departure they would have to endure persecutions, He added and said: “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you; but now I go to Him who sent Me” (Jn 16:4-5).

Here we must first consider whether He truly had not foretold sufferings to them before. The other three Evangelists show clearly enough that He foretold these things to them even before the Supper (cf. Mt 24:9; Mk 13:9-13; Lk 21:12-17), after which, according to John, He said: “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.”

Perhaps this question is resolved as follows. Those Evangelists also said that He was already close to the Passion when He foretold these things to them. Thus He did not say this from the beginning, when He first began to be with them, but when He was already about to depart and go to the Father.

Therefore what is said here, “I did not say these things to you from the beginning,” does not contradict what those Evangelists say.

Yet how shall we resolve this question while trusting the Gospel according to Matthew? He recalls that the Lord spoke to them about this not only when, as the Passion drew near, He prepared to share the Passover table with His disciples, but also from the very beginning.

This was when they were first called by the name of the twelve Apostles and sent to accomplish divine works (cf. Mt 10:17).

What then did He mean here by saying, “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you”? Surely He speaks here of the Holy Spirit descending upon them and bearing witness through them when they would suffer those evils.

The Lord spoke to His disciples from the beginning about coming persecutions, but before the Supper He had not spoken of the Holy Spirit bearing witness of Him through them during persecutions. This He had not told them from the beginning, because He Himself was with them.

Thus the Comforter, or Advocate, for both terms translate the name which in Greek is Paracletus, became necessary after Christ’s departure. Therefore He did not speak of Him from the beginning, when He was with them, because they were comforted by His presence.

But as He prepared to depart, He had to speak of the coming of the Comforter. Through Him it would come to pass that, when love was poured into their hearts (cf. Rom 5:5), they would boldly preach the word of God.

While He Himself bore witness within them concerning Christ, they themselves would also bear witness of Him. They would not stumble when their Jewish enemies cast them out of the synagogues and killed them, thinking that by this they were serving God.

For love endures all things (cf. 1 Cor 13:4), the love which was to be poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit given to them (cf. Rom 5:5).

This, then, is the whole meaning of what was said. He would make them His martyrs, that is, His witnesses, through the Holy Spirit. By His action in them they would endure the burdens of every persecution and, inflamed by divine fire, would not grow cold in love for preaching.

And so He said: “I have said these things to you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you.” I have said these things to you, of course, not only because you will suffer them, but also because, when the Comforter comes, He will bear witness of Me.

Then you will not be silent from fear of those trials, and through this it will come to pass that you too will bear witness. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you and Myself comforted you by My bodily presence.”

That presence is accessible to your human senses, and you, like children, are able to receive it.

In the struggle for virtue, it is a great support to know for what the struggle is being fought. Even for us, if we suffer for a good man, it should be a consolation that we suffer for a good one. If someone gladly suffers for a person dear to him, how much more should he suffer for God and for virtue. "And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you." This was because I was with you, and such sufferings were not awaiting you while I was with you. But now I tell you this because I am being parted from you, and the afflictions themselves are already drawing near. Yet even at the beginning, when Jesus Christ called His disciples, He said to them: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves" (Mt 10:16). He also said: "They will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will beat you, and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake". And again: "You will be hated by all for My name's sake," and: "Do not fear those who kill the body" (Mt 10:17, 18, 22, 28). Why, then, did He say: "These things I did not say to you at the beginning"? Because the phrase "these things" here indicates something different from what was said above. It refers to the words: "But the hour is coming," or drawing near, "when whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God" (Jn 16:2). This prediction is much more terrible than all the former ones.

In His death and in the Ascension to heaven that followed, His holiness was fully revealed. Finally, He will prove to the world that its prince is judged, deprived of power, and cast down from his throne. In place of his kingdom, the Kingdom of God will be established. In this lies the whole essence of Christianity: awareness of sin, recognition of the Lord Christ as Redeemer from sin, and triumph over the enemy, the source of all evil.

While Jesus Christ was with the disciples, He could have hindered the growth and strengthening of their faith in Him by predictions of afflictions. But now, when He is going to the Father, that very silence could have had dangerous consequences for their faith.

The Lord had spoken to His disciples before, and more than once, about the sufferings and afflictions awaiting them. He had done so in terms no less strong than here (cf. Mt 5:10 and following; Lk 6:22 and following; Mt 10:16 and following; Lk 12:4 and following; Mt 21:12 and following; Mt 24:9). But before, He had not explained so fully either the cause of the sufferings awaiting them or their close connection with His whole work. The reason He speaks to them about all this precisely now, and not before, is that before He was with them, but now He is departing from them. When He Himself was with them throughout His public ministry, all the world's enmity was directed against Him Himself. The disciples remained, as it were, to the side. But with His departure, they will be the representatives of His work on earth. Therefore the world's enmity, previously directed against Him, will turn upon them. They will have to bear the blows of this enmity upon themselves. Compare Chrysostom and Theophylact. Therefore, to strengthen them in this coming struggle, He now reveals to them, as fully as possible and in connection with His whole work, the character of the activity awaiting them, together with promises and consolations.

He had not said that they would clothe their hatred with the appearance of service to God. He had not indicated when this hatred would be revealed. He had not joined the prediction of the world's hatred with the promise of the Spirit, the Comforter. All this was because His personal presence with the disciples protected them from temptations. Therefore there had been no need to speak of them. This was all the more so because the world's persecutions were to appear with particular force only after Christ's return to heaven. God's protection is certain for us, my hearers. However great our infirmity may be, and however strong the world's enmity against us, the Spirit, the Comforter, is with us. His power is almighty, and His help is sure. Amen.

The Lord "did not say all this at the beginning," because by His presence He guarded and protected them, completing their formation. Now, as He leaves them and withdraws from them in human form, He reveals everything to them. He prepares them, fully armed, as perfect men, to go out to battle with the world. Earlier also (Mt 10:18) the Lord had told the disciples: "You will be brought before governors... they will beat you." Yet the Lord had not yet revealed to them the full depth of hatred to which they would be subjected. Nor had He revealed all the moral suffering they would endure when they were regarded as evildoers, impious men, and blasphemers. Chrysostom also especially points this out in Homily 78.