John 16:12 kjv
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
John 16:12 nkjv
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
John 16:12 niv
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
John 16:12 esv
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
John 16:12 nlt
"There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now.
John 16 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 16:12 | "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." | Direct statement |
| John 2:12 | "After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples." | Previous misunderstanding |
| John 14:26 | "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." | Promise of future understanding |
| John 15:26 | "“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me." | Role of the Holy Spirit |
| John 16:7 | "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." | Condition for the Spirit's coming |
| 1 Corinthians 3:2 | "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And indeed, you are not ready," | Spiritual immaturity |
| Hebrews 5:12-13 | "For by now you ought to be teachers, you have need again of someone to teach you the basics of the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk, not solid food. For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child." | Analogy of spiritual maturity |
| Acts 1:3 | "He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing over forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." | Continued teaching after resurrection |
| Matthew 13:11 | "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given." | Discernment varies |
| Mark 4:33 | "With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it." | Parables adjusted to capacity |
| Isaiah 28:9-10 | "'Whom will he teach knowledge, and on what day will he make them understand the message? On those just weaned? On those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.'" | Gradual instruction |
| Romans 8:7 | "For the desires of the flesh are hostile to God, for they do not put themselves under God's law, indeed they cannot." | Flesh cannot comprehend divine things |
| 1 Corinthians 2:14 | "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." | Natural man's inability |
| Ephesians 4:11-12 | "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ," | Different roles for building up |
| 1 Peter 2:2 | "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—" | Growth through teaching |
| 2 Timothy 2:15 | "Do your best to present yourself to God as a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." | Proper handling of truth |
| Psalm 78:59-61 | "When God heard this, he was full of wrath and greatly abhorred Israel. So he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had put among the people. He delivered his power into captivity and his glory into the hand of the enemy." | Consequences of spiritual unfaithfulness |
| John 6:60 | "When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”" | Difficulty accepting Jesus' words |
| Luke 24:25 | "And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”" | Difficulty in understanding prophecies |
| Galatians 5:17 | "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these things oppose one another, so that you may not do what you want." | Conflict between flesh and Spirit |
John 16 verses
John 16 12 Meaning
Jesus states that there is much more He could say, but His listeners are currently unable to bear or comprehend it. This points to a limit on their spiritual capacity and understanding at that specific moment.
John 16 12 Context
This verse is spoken by Jesus during His "Farewell Discourse" to His disciples, recorded in the Gospel of John, chapters 13-17. This discourse takes place on the night of His betrayal, as He prepares His followers for His impending departure from them. The disciples are grappling with Jesus' impending death and resurrection, and are still very much focused on earthly matters and His kingdom. They have followed Him, witnessed miracles, and heard His teachings, but their spiritual understanding is not yet fully mature. Jesus is laying the groundwork for their understanding of the Holy Spirit's role after His ascension, but acknowledges their present limitations in comprehending all that He wishes to convey. The disciples are a mixture of belief and incomprehension, struggling to fully grasp the spiritual implications of Jesus' ministry and their future.
John 16 12 Word analysis
- I (ego): Self-reference, highlighting Jesus' authority and personal knowledge.
- still (eti): Indicates continuity of things left unsaid, suggesting more profound truths.
- have (echo): Possession or state of being; Jesus possesses knowledge to impart.
- many (polla): Refers to a significant number of things or teachings.
- things (pragmata): Can refer to matters, affairs, deeds, or abstract concepts; here, likely profound spiritual truths and doctrines.
- to (pros): Indicates direction or towards whom the things are said.
- say (legein): To speak or communicate; implies articulate discourse.
- to (humin): Plural "you," referring to the disciples collectively.
- you (hymas): Object pronoun for "you" (plural).
- cannot (ouk dynasthe): Expresses inability, a lack of capacity or power.
- bear (bastazein): To carry, support, sustain, or endure. It implies an ability to withstand or comprehend.
- them (auta): Refers back to the "many things."
- now (arti): At the present time, indicating their current state of spiritual readiness.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- I still have many things to say to you: This phrase emphasizes the ongoing revelation that Jesus possesses and desires to share. It’s not that Jesus lacks further teaching, but that the delivery is constrained by the recipients' receptivity.
- but you cannot bear them now: This highlights a critical limitation: the disciples' present spiritual capacity. "Bear" suggests an inability to carry the weight or comprehend the depth of the truths Jesus could share. This inability is tied to the specific timing ("now").
John 16 12 Bonus section
This statement sets the stage for the subsequent emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s role. Jesus’ careful progression of teaching acknowledges the organic nature of spiritual growth. The disciples' journey required stages of revelation, moving from milk to solid food as they matured in their faith. This approach by Jesus demonstrates a pedagogical wisdom, respecting the limitations of His audience while also charting a path for their future enlightenment through the indwelling Spirit. His disciples, though gifted with unique access, were still part of humanity subject to limitations of perception and spiritual understanding, waiting for the promised empowerment.
John 16 12 Commentary
Jesus’ words reveal a tender, yet firm, assessment of His disciples' spiritual condition. He desires to share the full depth of heavenly realities, but recognizes their current limited capacity to absorb and understand these profound truths. This is not a condemnation, but a practical recognition of spiritual immaturity, akin to not giving solid food to infants (1 Corinthians 3:2). Their faith is developing, but not yet robust enough to process certain revelations. This inability is temporal, as indicated by "now," suggesting that a future empowerment, specifically the Holy Spirit, would enable them to bear this greater revelation. Jesus Himself demonstrated this approach in His earthly ministry, often using parables when direct teaching would be misunderstood or rejected (Mark 4:33). The promise of the Holy Spirit, the "Spirit of truth," who would guide them into all truth (John 16:13), underpins the hopeful future implication of this verse.