<p>16:1 <em>These things have I spoken to you, so that you should not be made to stumble</em>- The context goes on to speak of excommunication from the synagogue. The Lord perceived that religious excommunication created a strong possibility of stumbling; and so it is to this day. He says this in the context of His promise of the Comforter, His presence amongst and within the believers. His argument is that if that is felt and experienced by believers, then being disfellowshipped from some human group will not at all affect them. The wonder of His abiding presence will be far greater than the trauma of being excluded from some human group or society. And that truth remains wonderfully true today, the ultimate comfort through all church politics and exclusions performed by those who thereby proclaim that they do not have the Spirit.</p><p>The discourse in the upper room was intended by the Lord &quot;to prevent your faith from being shaken&quot; or, literally, 'scandalized' (Jn. 16:1). And yet He uses the same word to predict how &quot;This night you will all be scandalized because of me&quot; (Mt. 26:31). He knew they would stumble, or be 'scandalized'. Yet He hoped against hoped that they would not be; so positive was His hope of them. And exactly because He was like this, the pain of their desertion and stumbling would have been so much the greater. And the Lord who is the same today as yesterday goes through just the same with us, hour by hour.&nbsp;</p>