Discovery BoxJohn 4:23 
Context4:23 But a time 1 is coming – and now is here 2 – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks 3 such people to be 4 his worshipers. 5
John 5:25
Context5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, 6 a time 7 is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
John 6:5
Context6:5 Then Jesus, when he looked up 8 and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?”
John 10:12
Context10:12 The hired hand, 9 who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons 10 the sheep and runs away. 11 So the wolf attacks 12 the sheep and scatters them.
John 14:28
Context14:28 You heard me say to you, 13 ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad 14 that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. 15
John 16:25
Context16:25 “I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; 16 a time 17 is coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you 18 plainly 19 about the Father.
John 16:32
Context16:32 Look, a time 20 is coming – and has come – when you will be scattered, each one to his own home, 21 and I will be left alone. 22 Yet 23 I am not alone, because my Father 24 is with me.
1 tn Grk “an hour.”
2 tn “Here” is not in the Greek text but is supplied to conform to contemporary English idiom.
4 tn Or “as.” The object-complement construction implies either “as” or “to be.”
5 tn This is a double accusative construction of object and complement with τοιούτους (toioutous) as the object and the participle προσκυνοῦντας (proskunounta") as the complement.
sn The Father wants such people as his worshipers. Note how the woman has been concerned about where people ought to worship, while Jesus is concerned about who people ought to worship.
6 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
7 tn Grk “an hour.”
8 tn Grk “when he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
9 sn Jesus contrasts the behavior of the shepherd with that of the hired hand. This is a worker who is simply paid to do a job; he has no other interest in the sheep and is certainly not about to risk his life for them. When they are threatened, he simply runs away.
10 tn Grk “leaves.”
11 tn Or “flees.”
12 tn Or “seizes.” The more traditional rendering, “snatches,” has the idea of seizing something by force and carrying it off, which is certainly possible here. However, in the sequence in John 10:12, this action precedes the scattering of the flock of sheep, so “attacks” is preferable.
13 tn Or “You have heard that I said to you.”
14 tn Or “you would rejoice.”
15 sn Jesus’ statement the Father is greater than I am has caused much christological and trinitarian debate. Although the Arians appealed to this text to justify their subordinationist Christology, it seems evident that by the fact Jesus compares himself to the Father, his divine nature is taken for granted. There have been two orthodox interpretations: (1) The Son is eternally generated while the Father is not: Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Hilary, etc. (2) As man the incarnate Son was less than the Father: Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose, Augustine. In the context of the Fourth Gospel the second explanation seems more plausible. But why should the disciples have rejoiced? Because Jesus was on the way to the Father who would glorify him (cf. 17:4-5); his departure now signifies that the work the Father has given him is completed (cf. 19:30). Now Jesus will be glorified with that glory that he had with the Father before the world was (cf. 17:5). This should be a cause of rejoicing to the disciples because when Jesus is glorified he will glorify his disciples as well (17:22).
16 tn Or “in parables”; or “in metaphors.” There is some difficulty in defining παροιμίαις (paroimiai") precisely: A translation like “parables” does not convey accurately the meaning. BDAG 779-80 s.v. παροιμία suggests in general “proverb, saw, maxim,” but for Johannine usage “veiled saying, figure of speech, in which esp. lofty ideas are concealed.” In the preceding context of the Farewell Discourse, Jesus has certainly used obscure language and imagery at times: John 13:8-11; 13:16; 15:1-17; and 16:21 could all be given as examples. In the LXX this word is used to translate the Hebrew mashal which covers a wide range of figurative speech, often containing obscure or enigmatic elements.
17 tn Grk “an hour.”
18 tn Or “inform you.”
19 tn Or “openly.”
20 tn Grk “an hour.”
21 tn Grk “each one to his own”; the word “home” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The phrase “each one to his own” may be completed in a number of different ways: “each one to his own property”; “each one to his own family”; or “each one to his own home.” The last option seems to fit most easily into the context and so is used in the translation.
22 sn The proof of Jesus’ negative evaluation of the disciples’ faith is now given: Jesus foretells their abandonment of him at his arrest, trials, and crucifixion (I will be left alone). This parallels the synoptic accounts in Matt 26:31 and Mark 14:27 when Jesus, after the last supper and on the way to Gethsemane, foretold the desertion of the disciples as a fulfillment of Zech 13:7: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Yet although the disciples would abandon Jesus, he reaffirmed that he was not alone, because the Father was still with him.
23 tn Grk “And” (but with some contrastive force).
24 tn Grk “the Father.”
