Jn. 16:26. In that day you shall ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will pray the Father for you:
Again encouraging them that in trials they will receive help from above, He says: "You will ask in My name, and I assure you that the Father loves you so much that you will no longer have need of My mediation. For He Himself loves you."
Jn. 16:27. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from God.
Then, lest they fall away from Christ, since they no longer have need of Him and stand in the direct love of the Father, He says: "The Father loves you, because you have loved Me." Therefore, if you fall away from My love, you will immediately fall away from the Father also.
Jn. 16:28. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father.
And since the report that He came forth from God and goes again to God comforted them in various respects, He speaks of this often. Therefore they themselves also, having benefited from hearing this and having been encouraged, what do they say?
Jn. 16:29. His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You are speaking plainly, and You are not speaking any parable.
Jn. 16:30. Now we see that You know all things and have no need for anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.
The disciples, having heard that God the Father will love them, and that they do not need the mediation of Him, Christ, as those adopted by the Father, and that He came forth from God, say: "Now we see that You know all things," that is, You know what causes each heart to stumble, and You have no need to learn this from others, and therefore we believe that You came forth from God. For to know the secrets of the heart is proper to God (Ps. 43:22).
See then how imperfect they were, when they say "now we see." They, having listened to His teaching so much and for so long, say "now we know."
Jn. 16:31. Jesus answered them: Do you now believe?
But Christ declares to them that even now they are still imperfect, that they have not understood anything great about Him, but are still thinking lowly and about earthly things. He says: "Do you now believe?" and by this He as it were reproaches and rebukes them for the slowness of their faith.
Jn. 16:32. Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, when you will be scattered, each to his own place, and will leave Me alone;
And lest they, holding such thoughts about Him, should think that they were pleasing Him, He says: "The hour is coming when you will be scattered, each to his own." You think that you have a great understanding of Me. But I say to you that you will abandon Me to My enemies, and such fear will seize you that you will not even withdraw from Me together with one another, but will be scattered each one separately, and each will seek refuge and salvation for himself alone.
Jn. 16:32. But I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
But I will suffer no harm from this. For I am not alone, but the Father is together with Me. Therefore I suffer not out of weakness, but voluntarily give Myself over to the crucifiers. When, therefore, you hear "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46), do not understand it simply, as though the Savior was forsaken by the Father (for, as He testifies here, "the Father is with Me"), but understand it thus: that these words were spoken by human nature, which had been forsaken and rejected on account of sins, but in Christ was reconciled and made the Father's own.
Jn. 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace.
"These things," He says, "I have spoken to you, so that you would not remove Me from your thoughts and would not waver or be troubled in continuing your steadfast love for Me, but so that you would have peace in Me, that is, so that you would remain unwavering, accepting as certain everything that I have said to you."
Let Arius also hear that all these humble things, seemingly unworthy of the glory of the Son, were said for the sake of the listeners, and not so that we might use these words in defining dogmas; for they were said to comfort the apostles, as showing His love for them.
Jn. 16:33. In the world you will have tribulation;
Temptations for you will not stop at these frightening words, but as long as you are in the world, you will have tribulation, not only now when I am being betrayed, but also after this. But you resist the tempting thought.
Jn. 16:33. Be of good courage: I have overcome the world.
When I have conquered, you, the disciples, ought not to grieve, but to despise the world, as already conquered. How then did He conquer the world? By overthrowing the ruler of worldly passions.
However, this is evident from what follows. For all things were subjected to Him and yielded. Just as with the defeat of Adam all nature was condemned, so with the victory of Christ the victory extended to all nature, and in Christ Jesus we have been granted the power "to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19). For "by man came death" (1 Cor. 15:21), and by man also came life and power over the devil. For if God alone had conquered, then none of this would pertain to us.