“These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.”
I have said all this to you to keep you from stumbling — Jesus' extended teaching in chapters 14-15 is offered as a safeguard (hina mē skandalisthēte—that you may not be scandalized, offended, caused to fall away). The word "stumbling" (skandalizō) suggests spiritual shipwreck; persecution and the cross threaten to overturn the disciples' faith unless they are prepared. Jesus has given them advance warning so that when tribulation comes, they will remember his words and hold fast.
Church Fathers on John 16:1
After the promise of the Holy Spirit, to inspire them with strength to give witness; He well adds, These things have I spoken to you, that you should not be offended. For when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us (Romans 5:5), then great peace have they that love God’s law, and they are not offended at it (Psalms 118). What they were about to suffer follows next: They shall put you out of the synagogues.
For the Jews had already agreed, if any confessed that He was Christ, that he should be put out of the synagogue.
Read all 8 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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