5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
Luther's Explanatory Notes
5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
But now I go away to Him who sent Me. That is, "to-morrow I shall be nailed to the cross and killed, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart." The sense is contained in the words, "where I am goin," as if he would say, "You are so very depressed and troubled over this word which you hear, that you do not think of further inquiring where I am going; that is, not which road, or for what purpose and why I go away, and of what good it shall be to you."
"But I must now excuse you, that you think so lightly of where I am going, and cannot console yourselves or rejoice on account of it, for you are so much accustomed to Me and wish Me to be with you, that no greater affliction can come upon you, than that I should be taken from you." In this way He wishes to cheer them up and rouse them a little from their sadness.
It is to your advantage that I go away. He will say, "For my own sake, I would need neither coming nor going; but it is expedient for you, and is your help and consolation. For My departure you shall have the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and with it the power which He will carry on through you, which I cannot do at present among you; for by this present bodily mission I am required to suffer and die and thus go to the Father and afterwards send the Holy Ghost, who shall do much greater things through you, than are now done by Me, and shall commit to you it great and excellent office and work, whereby my kingdom shall be ex tended over the world. v. 8ff.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:He will convict the world, etc. Through the Holy Ghost, says Christ, you shall become courageous people and attack and reprove the whole world. In these words He shows what kind of kingdom His kingdom is, and how it shall be governed; namely, through the word which the Holy Ghost shall preach, and which shall work in the hearts of men.
What now is meant by the whole world? And what is meant by convicting the whole world applies to all that is in the world, even in its nicest and loveliest arrangement. For by the world we must not understand the gross, outward sins, such as adultery, murder, theft (for with these the worldly power has to do) but with the subtle, secret sins, which the Holy Ghost convicts, and the world does not recognize.
But to reprove or convict means to allow no merit in any thing of the world, but to attack its works and nature by the word and the gospel (which is the rod by which the world is reproved) and tell them that, whoever they may be, they are altogether guilty and unrighteous before God, and that they must obey this preaching of Christ, or be eternally damned and lost. According to this all men on earth must be subject to the office of the ministry, which the apostles and their successors administer for God's sake, and must be obedient to it, if they would obtain the grace of God and be saved.
True, the Holy Ghost reproved the world also from the beginning, by preaching, but now it is to begin the more earnestly over all the world and more energetically. (See Acts 2:37 ) On the other hand, if they will not receive such preaching they shall be eternally damned. (2 Cor. 2:16) "Of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment." These are three great things and excellent parts, in which all is comprised, that concerns the spiritual government and kingdom of Christ, and of which the world knows and understands nothing at all. The world, nature, reason, know not that unbelief is sin, and faith is righteousness, and that God's judgment condemns every thing which they and the devil urge against the Christians.
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;Of sin, etc. What is sin? Is it not stealing, murdering and the like? Yes, these also are sins; but not yet the very chief sins. For you find many people who are not guilty of these outward sins, but of the real chief sin of which the Holy Ghost preaches the whole world is guilty, else he could not reprove the whole world. Now, this sin is called unbelief in Jesus Christ.
Here unbelief alone is referred to as sin and faith is praised, that it represses and extinguishes the remaining sin, even in the saints. As if He would say, "If they believed on me all their sins whatever they have committed would be remitted to them."
But what is it to believe on Christ? It is not only this, that anyone believes that Christ is God, or rules with God the Father in heaven in like power, but that He is to me a gracious God, has taken my sins upon Himself and reconciled me with God. He that believes not in Christ has not the Holy Ghost, and therefore can have no good thoughts. And though he does something that in itself is not bad, but right, he does it like a slave out of fear, and not out of a right hearty obedience.
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;Of righteousness. The Holy Ghost will also condemn righteousness. Now what kind of righteousness may this be? Christ does not here speak one word of what I shall do or not do; but only and alone of His work, which He does; namely, because "He goes to the Father, and we see him no more." This and nothing else shall be our righteousness. This is righteousness, says Christ, "that I go to the Father"; that is, no man is justified before God, but by and on account of this, that I die and rise again. This is also the reason why He mentions the going. He does not say, "I am with the Father," but "I go to the Father;" for in this going sin is swallowed up in righteousness and Christ is passed through death unharmed. (He did not remain under sin or death) The more you prosecute and know this work, (the belief in the going) the more cheerful it will make your heart; for where such knowledge is, there the Holy Ghost can not be absent. Then when he comes he must make the heart willing, cheerful and joyful, so that it goes out freely, and does every thing that is pleasing to God.
Now, who would have thought that such should be the righteousness and that it is to come in this way? Therefore the Christian's righteousness is a special piety, which no heart can imagine; we must hear and learn of the Holy Ghost, and though one learn it, yet he can not comprehend it as the Lord here says: "I go to my Father and you see me no more." For by this the manner and nature of faith is represented, that it does not feel or grope, or care for evidence of those things, but joyfully concludes to believe those things which he does not feel, nor can fathom these inwardly and outwardly with all his powers, (Rom. 8:24) Such righteousness is therefore very secret and hidden, not only from the world and reason, but also from the saints.
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.The third thing is, that the Holy Ghost shall also condemn the world of judgment, (or on account of the judgment by which God condemns.) But what kind of judgment that is the Lord shows very finely, when he says, "because the prince of this world is judged." The prince of this world is the devil, with his members, who are all unbelievers and ungodly. In these words all flesh with all its powers is condemned, and what the world praises is rejected by God. If he, the prince of this world, the most supreme, is considered, who has all the power and wisdom of the world in the highest degree; then also all that the world regards as good is cast down.
This judgment embraces both the pious and unpious; yea, it begins here in the saints, (1 Pet. 4:17) "at the house of God." For the righteous, while they live, have flesh and blood, to which sin adheres; to suppress the same, God brings them into much distress and anxiety, until the flesh becomes entirely subject to the Spirit. (Rom. 7:18 ff; 8:4.) These are only beginnings of the judgment of God in external things; but against the evil one he will execute it hereafter. (1 Pet. 4:17.) The world does not yet know this judgment of the cross. But the Christians hold fast to it. For the reproof of the Spirit always sounds in their hearts and ears: Why do you fear? Do you not know that the prince of this world is judged? Such comfort those especially need, who have the office of the Holy Ghost to reprove the world of sin and righteousness. For no reproof will and can the world less endure than that they should be called sinners and proclaimed as such people, who have no righteousness. Therefore when such condemnation is publicly made (as it should be) the world begins to rage and roar as if it were mad. But the Holy Spirit is here and preaches to us of this judgment; otherwise the preachers would let themselves be intimidated. He, the Spirit, tells the world that it is condemned by His judgment, together with its prince and head, the devil.
The unrest of the world (He says). shall be that this King Christ has by His going to the Father overcome both the world and the devil, and now announces that he is Lord over all. The judgment of condemnation has already been pronounced on the devil, (and nothing more is wanting but the execution thereof, in order that the punishment may be inflicted upon him in eternal hell fire.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.I have yet many things to say to you. By this He does not mean, "I have many other things to say to you, and the Holy Spirit will teach and explain to you differently from what I have done." But the "many things to say" means, when one speaks of one thing in various manners, but always discusses one thing. "These three things," he will say, "which I have now told you, you do not entirely under stand, even if I should explain them to you. I would, indeed, have much to say, in order the better to explain their meaning; but you are yet so deeply involved in the gross carnal understanding that you can not comprehend it. Therefore I will wait till the Holy Ghost comes."
These words the popish doctors have also perverted to the support of their pretentions, saying: "We must have something more than the gospel and the Holy Scriptures; therefore we should also hear what the councils and the pope decide." But with whom does Christ speak? Doubtless with the apostles. Again he says: "He will guide you into all truth." (v. 13.) Here we conclude: If what the councils teach is truth, then the apostles never came into the truth, since not one of them ever kept those foolish decisions of the councils.
In the third place he says, "But you can not bear them now." Here we ask: "Would it have been too difficult for the apostles to understand such a rule, which forbids to eat meat on Friday and the like?"
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth. This He said designedly; for He sees far ahead, how the lying spirit of the devil shall also move and show itself in the church. "For He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak." Here and in verse 13 He gives the Holy Spirit his true designation, whereby we shall know and try him. The others speak what they themselves have contrived, which is the devil's nature (John 8:44. He makes a preacher of the Holy Ghost, that we may not gaze up for Him to heaven (as the fanatics do) but know that He will be by and with the word.
Accordingly He says that the Holy Ghost will also prophesy, and will show you things to come. He speaks here of future things, which concern Christendom especially, and which we ought to know. The Revelation of St. John is also such a prophecy. This spirit of prophecy remains still in the Christian church, although not in the same degree as in the days of the apostles, that we can foretell such things, but only so far as we have received it from them.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.In the third place he says, He shall I glorify me. That is, "make your hearts so full of the knowledge of God, that for My sake you will risk and suffer, and have all your joy and comfort in Me. For He shall receive of Mine and shall show it unto you." This is also spoken of the office of the Holy Ghost; but here He goes higher and shows how it is with the Divine Being. For he takes of his own; namely, the divine essence in eternity, not only of the Father, but also of Christ, and thus there remains one eternal essence or Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.All things that the Father has are Mine. Thus He makes himself equal to the Father in all things. From this He infers and repeats what He has said of the Holy Ghost. "Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." This is the circle, roundly closed and all three contracted into one divine essence.
Luther's Explanatory Notes on the Gospels, pp. 364-368
