John 16:1–33
Focus verse: ‘When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment’ (John 16:8)
Old Testament lens: ‘ for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.’ (Psalm 96:13)
In Charles Dickens’ novel,Bleak House, there is a legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which drags on for years without resolution and the lawyers are not interested in justice at all. justice, however, is the total opposite! It is real, active, and trustworthy. Here in John 16:8–11, as we continue to come and see Jesus in the Gospel of John, He introduces the Holy Spirit as an advocate, a legal helper in a great spiritual courtroom.
In Jewish thinking, judgment wasn’t just about condemnation. It was about vindication, about setting things right. Tom Wright uses this illustration from Dickens (1) and then explains how Jesus says the Holy Spirit exposes that the world is wrong regarding sin, justice and judgment.
Firstly, the world is wrong about ‘Sin’. The world is guilty of rejecting Jesus. The refusal to believe in Him is evidence that the world chooses its own way over God’s way.
Secondly the world is wrong about “Justice” (or righteousness) – The world thought it was right to condemn Jesus.But Jesus’ resurrection and return to the Father prove that he is truly righteous. God has already declared the verdict in his favor.
Thirdly the world is wrong about “Judgment,” The “ruler ofthis world,” that is satanic power behind evil and death, has been defeated. The Holy Spirit, then, doesn’t just comfort us—he defends us and convicts the world. The Holy Spirit does this through us, as the Spirit-filled people of God, speaking out, standing firm, and living in the light of the truth. There is a powerful image of childbirth in verses 16–22. Jesus tells the disciples they will experience grief. Pain gives way to new life. Jesus’ death will feel like loss, but his resurrection will bring unshakable joy. Jesus tells his disciples that there are things they cannot yet bear, but that the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” will guide them later. Richard Hays explains that this is key: after Jesus’ resurrection, the Spirit will help the disciples remember and understand what Jesus said.
The Early Church Fathers that inspired the Celtic Church
Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–c. 395 AD), one of the Cappadocian Fathers,
“Scripture teaches … that he who desires to behold God sees the object of his longing in always following him. The contemplation of his face is the unending journey accomplished by following directly behind the Word.”(2) In John Chapter 16 Jesus speaks about a journey he is going on, to the Father. Gregory of Nyssa was major theologian of the soul’s ascent to God. Gregory of Nyssa’s concept of epektasis, the soul’s endless journey into God, became foundational in Christian mysticism. The Celtic Church, especially in texts like the “Navigatio Sancti Brendani” (The Voyage of St. Brendan), expresses a vision of the spiritual life as a journey or pilgrimage into mystery. St. Brendan the Navigator stands as a vivid expression of Celtic interpretations of Johannine theology, especially John 16. His55 legendary voyage is a spiritual parable that explores: the Holy Spirit’s role in judgment and guidance. Brendan and 14 monks set sail in search of the “Promised Land of the Saints”. This is a vision of heaven. They encounter islands, monsters, angels, temptations, and trials, each with spiritual significance. The journey lasts 7 years, mirroring the biblical number of completion or spiritual fulfillment. Ultimately, they glimpse the Promised Land but do not remain— returning to share the vision. Focused on cosmic spiritual struggle, each place or event represents a moral or spiritual reality. They are passionate about divine judgment and the need for purification and discernment before entering heaven. This aligns with John 16, where the Spirit prepares the disciples to face a hostile world with courage, by aligning with truth.
REVIVAL
In praying for revival, John 16:8 “when He comes The Holy Spirit convicts the world” is of vital importance. Roy Hession says, ‘If we are really open to conviction as we seek fellowship with God (and willingness for the light is the prime condition of fellowship with God), God will show us the expressions of (the) proud hard self that causes him pain. Brokenness in daily experience is simply the response of humility to the conviction of God. (3) Charles Finney said that “revival can be expected when wickedness humbles and distresses Christians and when Christians have a spirit of prayer for revival. He says that a revival of religion may be expected when Christians begin to confess their sins to one another and when Christians are willing to make the necessary sacrifices to carry it on.” (4) The Early Church Fathers and Celtic Saints were aware of the struggle and used mystic language to express the spiritual journey of the believer. The journey of travailing intercession and prevailing prayer, is a struggle too, as the intercessor prays with God’s heart for promises to be fulfilled. Corey Russell says “travail is one of the hallmarks of true revival” James Goll says that in order to pray with God’s heart, travailing prayer is a type of prayer that brings forth promises. The powerful image of childbirth in John16: 16–22 is of a woman in travail. He says “travail is a form of intense intercession, given by the Holy Spirit, whereby an individual, or even a group of people gripped by needing a promise that has been gestating in God’s heart labours with him in prayer, so that the new life he desires can come forth.” The word “travel” originally came into English as a variant spelling or form of “travail.” Because traveling in the Middle Ages was extremely difficult and uncomfortable, slow, dangerous, and full of hardship, the word “travel” gradually came to mean “a journey”, but it retained the sense of toil and struggle from its root. The journey of vindicating for judgement was costly for Jesus. As we participate in prayer for revival, praying for the new life the Lord Jesus desires, we can enter into the prayer of travail and partner with Jesus in the place of intercession. Barbara Yoder is currently emphasizing the gift of tongues.(5), as an important ingredient to partnering with Jesus in prayer.
Prayer
Lord send your Holy Spirit to convict me of my sin and give me the grace to confess it, according to your leading… and as you come to judge the earth in righteousness and in truth, give me the grace to carry a spirit of supplication, to partner with you in intercession. Lord give me that grace I pray.
The Lord He comes, to judge the earth ( CLICK ON PICTURE BELOW TO LISTEN TO SONG)
(1) Wright, N.T. John for Everyone, Part 2, SPCK, (2002), 79
(2) https://holysilence.org/post/amazon-me-and-gregory-of-nyssa?utm_source=chatgpt.com
(3) Hession, R. The Calvary Road, Rickford Hill, (2003), 4.
(4) Finney, C. Memoirs of Revivals of Religion CreateSpace (2014), 13.
UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD 
Leave a comment