John 16

Passage overview

Acts 16 contains important scenes from Paul’s second missionary journey. In this chapter, it begins with Paul and Silas calling on Timothy to accompany them in Lystra, then follows the events as they pass through Asia guided by the gospel and cross over into Macedonia (Europe). It also covers the ministry of the gospel in Philippi, as well as a variety of episodes, including miraculous events in prison and stories of salvation.

1verse“I have said these things to you so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble.

2verseThey will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.

3verseThey will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me.

4verseBut I have told you these things so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

5verseBut now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

6verseBut because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart.

7verseNevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

8verseWhen he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment;

9verseabout sin, because they don’t believe in me;

10verseabout righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more;

11verseabout judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.

12verse“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.

13verseHowever, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming.

14verseHe will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you.

15verseAll things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine and will declare it to you.

16verse“A little while, and you will not see me. Again a little while, and you will see me.”

17verseSome of his disciples therefore said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;’ and, ‘Because I go to the Father’?”

18verseThey said therefore, “What is this that he says, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what he is saying.”

19verseTherefore Jesus perceived that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Do you inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’?

20verseMost certainly I tell you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

21verseA woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world.

22verseTherefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

23verse“In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

24verseUntil now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

25verse“I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. But the time is coming when I will no more speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father.

26verseIn that day you will ask in my name; and I don’t say to you that I will pray to the Father for you,

27versefor the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from God.

28verseI came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

29verseHis disciples said to him, “Behold, now you are speaking plainly, and using no figures of speech.

30verseNow we know that you know all things, and don’t need for anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

31verseJesus answered them, “Do you now believe?

32verseBehold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

33verseI have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”

Timothy’s Companionship (Verses 1-5)

Paul meets Timothy in Lystra and Derbe and appoints him as a coworker. Timothy was of mixed heritage, born of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. To remove obstacles to the gospel, Paul has Timothy circumcised. After that, they travel through various towns, spreading the faith customs established in Jerusalem and showing how the churches become even more firmly established.

The Beginning of Mission to Europe (Verses 6-10)

The process of the Holy Spirit guiding the paths of Paul and his companions appears here. Paul’s group wanted to preach the gospel in Asia, but the Holy Spirit repeatedly blocks their way. Then, during the night, Paul receives a vision of a Macedonian man, and convinced that this is God’s calling, he crosses over into Macedonia. This marks an important turning point as the gospel enters Europe beyond Asia.

Ministry in Philippi and the Prison Incident (Verses 11-40)

Paul’s group goes to Philippi, a major city of Macedonia, and begins their ministry there. Lydia, a seller of purple cloth, accepts the gospel, and her home becomes the starting point of the first church in Europe. Next, when Paul drives out the spirit from a fortune-telling slave girl, her owners accuse Paul and Silas and have them thrown into prison. However, while Paul and Silas are giving glory to God through praise and prayer in prison, an earthquake occurs, the prison doors open, and an event takes place in which the jailer and his entire family accept the gospel. Finally, Paul and Silas reveal that they are Roman citizens and are released honorably.

Meditation Points

  • We can see that God’s guidance is sometimes different from our plans. The turning of Paul’s group becomes an opportunity for the gospel to expand into a wider world.
  • By reflecting on how the gospel changes a person (Lydia, the jailer’s family) and, through them, transforms a city, the church, and the home, we can meditate on personal change and its ripple effects.
  • Even in the trial of prison, Paul and Silas show an attitude of faith focused on God through praise and prayer without being shaken.

Try Applying It to Yourself

  • When my plans and direction are blocked, I need to check whether I have the faith to trust God’s guidance and follow it.
  • I can also think about how I might share and expand the influence of the gospel in my home, workplace, and community.
  • It can be an opportunity to reflect on whether I am living a life that reveals God’s glory through gratitude and praise even amid difficulty and suffering.

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