John 16 Bible study: Sorrow turned into joy

Jesus is still speaking. In the WEB his words from chapter 15 run on into this chapter, and the first closing quotation mark comes at the end of 16:16. He begins by saying why he is telling them: "I have said these things to you so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble" (16:1) (tap stumble). Then he tells them what is coming: "They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God" (16:2) (tap synagogues). He gives the reason in the next verse: "They will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me" (16:3). He doesn't name them, and these notes don't either. "But I have told you these things so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them" (16:4): Favor's chapter on John 14 sets these words beside 13:19 and 14:29 in Told before it happens. Then he adds: "I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you" (16:4). "But now I am going to him who sent me" (16:5), he says, "But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart" (16:6) (tap sorrow, filled).

2 Samuel 4:8→leads toJohn 16:2

Rechab and Baanah killed Ishbosheth (4:5-7) and told David, "The LORD has avenged my lord the king today of Saul and of his offspring" (4:8). David called them "wicked men" (4:11). In Jesus' words to his disciples: "the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God" (John 16:2). John doesn't cite 2 Samuel 4, so setting the two side by side is a reading. Some see the same thing in both: a killing credited to God, done by men David calls "wicked" (4:11), and of which Jesus says, "They will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me" (John 16:3). Others read each on its own terms: Jesus is warning his disciples of what they will suffer for his sake (John 16:1-3), while the chapter gives only the brothers' words to the king, not what they thought, and David likens them to the man who came "thinking that he brought good news" (4:10).

λύπηlypesay LOO-pay

Strong's: "sadness". John's Greek has this noun four times, and all four are in this chapter (counted in RP2018). "But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart" (16:6). "You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy" (16:20). The woman giving birth "has sorrow because her time has come" (16:21). And "Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice" (16:22). The New Testament has it 16 times, and the Gospels have it once more, in Luke's "found them sleeping because of grief" (Luke 22:45).