His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speak you plainly, and speak no proverb.
All Commentaries on John 16:29 Go To John 16
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
But this sense seems to be interfered with by what follows: At that day you shall ask in My name. What shall we have to ask for in a future life, when all our desires shall be satisfied; Asking implies the want of something. It remains then that we understand the words of Jesus going to make His disciples spiritual, from being carnal and natural beings. The natural manso understands whatever he hears of God in a bodily sense, as being unable to conceive anyother. Wherefore whatever Wisdom said of the incorporeal, immutable substance are proverbs to him, not that he accounts them proverbs but understands them as if they were proverbs. But when, become spiritual, he has begun to discern all things, though in this life hesee but in a glass and in part, yet does he perceive, not by bodily sense, not by idea of the imagination, but by most sure intelligence of the mind, perceive and hold that God is notbody, but spirit; the Son shows so plainly of the Father, that He who shows is seen to be of the same nature with Him who is shown. Then they who ask, ask in His name, because by the sound of that name they understand nothing but the thing itself which is expressed by that name. These are able to think that our Lord Jesus Christ, in so far as He is man, intercedes with the Father for us’ in so far as He is God, hears us together with the Father: which I thinkis His meaning when He says, And I say not to you that I will pray the Father for you. To understand this, viz. how that the Son does not ask the Father, but Father and Son together hear those who ask, is beyond the reach of any but the spiritual vision.
But why do they say so, when the hour in which He wasto speak without proverbs was yet future, and only promised? Because, our Lord's communications still continuing proverbs to them, they are so far from understanding them, that they do not even understand their not understanding them.
Why this remark? To one Who knew all things, instead of saying, you need not that any man should ask You; it would have been more appropriate to have said, you need not to ask any man; yet we know that both of these were done, viz. that our Lord both asked questions, and was asked. But this is soon explained; for both were forthe benefit, not of Himself, but of those whom He asked questions of, or by whom He was asked. He asked questions of men not in order to learn Himself, but to teach them: and in the case of those who asked questions of Him, such questions were necessary to them in order to gain the knowledge they wanted; but they were not necessary to Him to tell Him what that was, because He knew the wish of the inquirer, before the question was put. Thus to know men's thoughts beforehand was no great thing for the Lord, but to the minds of babes it was agreat thing: By this we know that you came forth from God.
Lastly, He reminds them of their w weak tender age in respect of the inner man. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe? .
For they did not only with their bodies leave His body, when He was taken, but with their minds the faith.
He wishes to advance them so far as to understand that He had not separated from the Father because He had come forth from the Father.
The tribulation of which He speaks was to commence thus, i.e. in every one being scattered to his home, but was not to continue so. For in saying, And leave Me alone, He does not mean this to apply to them in their sufferings after His ascension. They were not to desert Him then, butto abide and have peace in Him. Wherefore He adds, Be of good cheer.
