What does Jesus mean by saying it is good for you that I go away?

When Jesus says it is good for the disciples that He goes away, He is talking about His death, resurrection, and return to the Father. The disciples feel only the loss and are filled with sorrow, but Jesus explains that His going makes way for the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to come. While Jesus was with them in one place at a time, the Spirit would live in them and be with them always. So His physical absence would actually bring them deeper help, comfort, and power than they yet understand.

Who is the Comforter and what is His work in this passage?

The Comforter is the Holy Spirit. In this passage, Jesus says the Spirit will come after He goes to the Father. The Spirit will comfort and strengthen believers, but He will also work in the wider world. Jesus says the Spirit will reprove, or convict, the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This means the Spirit will show people their sin, especially their refusal to believe in Jesus, confirm that Jesus is truly righteous and accepted by the Father, and make clear that the devil, the prince of this world, has already been judged.

How does the Holy Spirit convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment?

Jesus explains each part. Of sin, because people do not believe in Him. The Spirit shows that turning away from Jesus is not a small matter but the heart of our guilt. Of righteousness, because Jesus goes to the Father and they see Him no more. His return to the Father proves that He is truly righteous and His work is accepted. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. The Spirit shows that Satan has been defeated by Jesus’ work, so the world’s proud rejection of Christ is exposed as empty and doomed.

What does it mean that the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth?

When Jesus says the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth, He is speaking first to the disciples who would later teach and write about Him. They are not ready to handle everything yet, but the Spirit will lead them step by step, after Jesus has gone, so they understand His words, His death, His rising, and His rule. The Spirit does not bring a different message. He takes what belongs to Jesus and explains it. For believers today, this means real understanding of Jesus comes as the Spirit opens our minds to what He has already said.

Why does Jesus say the disciples cannot bear many things now?

Jesus knows the weakness and sorrow of His disciples. They are already overwhelmed by the thought of His leaving and the troubles ahead. He has many more things He could tell them, but in that moment they would not be able to handle or understand them. So He does not load them with more than they can carry. Instead, He promises that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will lead them into the truth they need, at the right time. This shows Jesus’ gentle care and the wise way God teaches His people gradually.

What does it mean that the prince of this world is judged?

The prince of this world is a way of speaking about Satan, the chief enemy of God and His people. When Jesus says he is judged, He means that through His death and rising again, Satan’s power and claim are broken. The judgment has already been decided. The Holy Spirit makes this clear by showing that Christ now has all authority. For the disciples, this means that those who oppose the gospel are fighting a losing battle. For believers today, it brings courage, knowing that evil does not have the final word because its ruler has been condemned.

Why does Jesus say a little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me?

This saying points to a short time when the disciples will lose sight of Jesus, and then see Him again. First, He will be taken, suffer, and die, so they will not see Him. Then, after a little while, He will rise from the dead and appear to them. Beyond that, when He goes to the Father and sends the Spirit, they will “see” Him in a deeper way by faith, not by physical sight. Through the Spirit’s work, Jesus will be more truly present to their hearts than He was when He walked beside them.

What does this passage teach about the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

This passage shows a close unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus says He is going to the One who sent Him, the Father. He also says that everything the Father has is His. Then He says the Spirit will not speak from Himself but will take what belongs to Jesus and show it to the disciples. So the Father gives all things to the Son, the Son sends the Spirit, and the Spirit glorifies the Son and makes His words clear. They are distinct persons, yet work together in perfect agreement.

How can believers today apply what Jesus says about the Comforter?

Believers today can take this passage as a strong reason to lean on the Holy Spirit rather than on their own strength. Jesus shows that the Spirit is given to comfort, to expose sin, to point us to Jesus’ righteousness, and to remind us that evil has been judged. When we feel sorrow, confusion, or weakness, we can remember that Jesus left so the Spirit could live in us. We should ask God to guide us into truth, help us understand Scripture, and keep our eyes on Christ even when we cannot see Him with our physical eyes.

John.16.5

John 16:5

KJV Jesus

But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Promised

5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.

And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Foretold

A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.