I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. John 16:28 KJV
I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father. John 16:28 NASB
It is characteristic of God and His Word that He is able to employ a few words to convey an ocean of truth. From time to time, we encounter brief statements in Scripture that encapsulate truth of unfathomable depth. Such a verse is John 16:28. Four terse statements come from the lips of the Lord Jesus, which summarize His life. Yet, as is so often true in approaching John’s writings, no matter how much you might see in a verse, there is the nagging sense that there are depths of truth that still remain to be understood. Paul is linear in his teaching, but John is “layered.”
But before turning our attention to the verse itself, note the response of the disciple. “Now we are sure … we believe that Thou camest forth from God.” This was the goal of the ministry of the Lord Jesus with His own. They would be tested on this truth during the dark days which lay before them, but they had completed the course. His ministry to them had been successful. Did they understand it in its fullness? Do we?
But turning again to our verse, consider what is enjoyed just on the surface from these statements.
His Eternal Sonship
“I came forth from the Father.” An eternity of fellowship is conveyed in this statement. “From the Father” means literally “by the side of the Father.” Sharing co-equality within the Godhead and enjoying unhindered fellowship, He came from the Father. He left the realms of light and came into “a scene of night.”
His Entrance via Incarnation and His Life
“And am come into the world.” His incarnation, virgin birth, spotless life, and service amidst a hostile world are all summarized in this terse expression. Earlier, from His lips had come a chilling word, “If I had not come” (John 15:22). But thank God, He did come. The God Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth (Ps 113:6), He stooped to come into His very creation. The only person Who was able to choose time, place, parents, chose peasants at a time of oppression, and an obscure village known as Nazareth.
He came and experienced life, sin apart, amidst a society that did not know or appreciate Him, a people who gave Him a cross as the compensation for a life of mercy, goodness, and grace.
His Exodus
“Again, I leave the world.” Think of all that meant to His holy and sensitive soul. He was leaving via the cross, a cross of shame, suffering, and sorrow. Even as He spoke those words, His soul was troubled at the thought of all that the cross would mean (John 11:33; 1227; 13:21). It embraced, as well, the tasting of death for everything (Heb 2:9), the burial tomb of Joseph, and His resurrection.
His Ascension and Enthronement
“I go to the Father.” John’s Gospel is the record of the Father and Son moving together. The word “Father” occurs perhaps 120 times in this Gospel, and John 14 has more mentions of the Father than any other chapter in the Bible (23). As the homing pigeon of the Burnt Offering in Leviticus, His heart always turned toward Home.
Short Video – Idioms and Metaphors – Lesson #3 – The Elephant in the Room
Consider:
Are there other truths that you are able to appreciate in this verse? Why did the Lord Jesus utter it here? Was it a type of “final exam” question for the disciples?