HolyStudy
Bible IndexRead BibleNotesChurchesMissionPrivacyTermsContact
© 2026 HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurchesSign in
HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurches
Sign in

John 16

1

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

2

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

3

And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

4

But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

5

But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

6

But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

1
7

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9

Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10

Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

1
11

Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

1
12

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

15

All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

16

A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

17

Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?

18

They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.

19

Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?

20

Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

21

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

22

And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

23

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

24

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

25

These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

26

At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:

27

For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

28

I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

29

His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.

30

Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

31

Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?

32

Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

33

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

← Previous ChapterNext Chapter →

John 16

Jesus continues instruction about the Paraclete with greater specificity: the Spirit of truth will convict the world of sin (non-belief), righteousness (the vindication of Jesus before the Father), and judgment (the defeat of Satan), reframing the disciples' future witness as participation in the Spirit's cosmic judicial action. The Spirit will guide the disciples into all truth and will declare to them the things that are to come, glorifying Jesus by taking what belongs to Jesus and declaring it to the disciples—establishing that the Spirit's mission is always christological and not self-aggrandizing. Jesus shifts the immediate discourse to the disciples' sorrow and joy: "A little while, and you will see me no more; again a little while, and you will see me," a paradoxical temporal structure that encompasses both the immediate grief of separation and the resurrection appearances. The metaphor of a woman in labor (gyne tikto) illustrates the anguish of the present moment transformed by the joy of what is born, and Jesus promises that their sorrow will turn to joy that no one will take from them. Jesus assures the disciples: "Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full," and promises to speak no more in figures but plainly about the Father, yet acknowledges their continued unpreparedness: "the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and believed that I came from the Father." The chapter concludes with Jesus' climactic assertion: "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (nikao kosmos), grounding the disciples' peace and perseverance in Jesus' cosmic victory already accomplished.

John 16:19

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, 'Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant by saying, "A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me"?' — Jesus' knowledge (ginōskō—to know, perceive) that the disciples wished to ask demonstrates his omniscience; he knows the hidden longings and questions of their hearts. Rather than waiting for them to ask, he anticipates their confusion and begins to interpret his own saying.

John 16:20

Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy — Jesus now interprets the "little while": during the crucifixion, the disciples will weep and mourn (tears of separation, failure, fear), while the world rejoices (those who opposed Jesus celebrate what they perceive as his defeat). Yet this pain (lupē—grief, sorrow) is temporary and transformative; it will turn into joy (chara—gladness, delight). The cross is not the end but the passage; through death comes resurrection.

John 16:21

When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a new being into the world — the analogy of childbirth captures the paradox of the cross: it is painful labor that brings forth new life. The woman's labor pains are real and intense, yet they are not mere suffering but creative pain, pain with purpose. Once the child is born, the pain is not erased from memory but is recontextualized; it becomes the price of joy rather than an isolated trauma. So too the disciples' suffering during the crucifixion becomes the gateway to resurrection joy.

John 16:22

So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you — the promise moves from simile to direct address: the disciples will suffer now, but Jesus will return in resurrection appearances. The joy that flows from seeing the risen Lord is not dependent on external circumstance; it cannot be taken away because it rests not on the world's favor but on Christ's presence. This joy is eschatological: it anticipates the final reunion and participates in resurrection life already.

John 16:23

On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you — the transition from asking Jesus to asking the Father shows the disciples' maturation; they are being weaned from dependence on Jesus' physical presence to learn direct relationship with the Father. Yet the asking is still "in Jesus' name"; the relationship to the Father is mediated through Jesus, grounded in his redemptive work. Prayer in Jesus' name is prayer aligned with his character and purpose.

John 16:24

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete — the disciples have not yet prayed in Jesus' name; their prayer life will be transformed after the resurrection. The promise is generous: ask and you will receive. Yet this is not a blank check but an invitation to ask within the framework of Jesus' redemptive purpose. Full joy comes through prayer answered, desires granted, the experience of being heard by God.

John 16:25

I have said all this to you in figures of speech; the hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father — Jesus acknowledges that his teaching has been metaphorical (en paroimiais—in figures of speech, parables, veiled language). The metaphors of vine and branches, the woman in labor, the little while—these are figures that veil as much as they reveal. Yet the promise is that a time will come when Jesus will speak plainly (parrēsia—openness, bold directness) about the Father. This plainness may refer to the resurrection appearances, to the gift of the Spirit, or to the eschaton when God is seen face to face.

John 16:26

On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf — Jesus clarifies that the disciples' direct relationship to the Father does not depend on Jesus' intercession but on their own prayer in Jesus' name. The phrase "I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf" means that mediation is not necessary; the disciples have access to the Father through the Son's redemptive work already accomplished.

John 16:27

for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God — the Father's love of the disciples flows from their response to Jesus; they have loved Jesus and believed in him, and this faith awakens the Father's love toward them. Love and faith are intertwined; to believe that Jesus came from God is to align oneself with the Father's purpose and to become the object of the Father's affection.

John 16:28

I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father — this verse encapsulates Jesus' entire incarnational arc: coming from the Father, entering the world, exiting the world, returning to the Father. It is a summary of the Gospel story in four clauses: origin (Father), entry (world), departure (world), return (Father). The pattern is departure and return, descent and ascent.

John 16:29

His disciples said, 'Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we believe that you came from God' — the disciples perceive that Jesus has finally spoken without metaphor; they confess their faith in Jesus' divine origin in response. Yet there is something premature in their declaration; they believe in the moment, but their faith will shatter at the crucifixion. The plainness of Jesus' speech brings forth confession, yet true understanding will only come through resurrection.

John 16:30

Jesus answered them, 'Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me' — Jesus' question reveals the fragility of the disciples' faith; they claim to believe, yet the coming hour will expose how shallow their faith is. Scattering (diaskorpizō—scatter, disperse) is the fate of the disciples at the crucifixion; they abandon Jesus, each fleeing to his own home. Yet even in this abandonment, Jesus is not alone; the Father remains with him. This is the deepest loneliness and the deepest communion: Jesus abandoned by humans yet held by God.

John 16:31

I have said this to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution; but take courage, I have overcome the world — the circle closes: Jesus' entire discourse has aimed at the disciples' peace even in the midst of tribulation. Peace is not the absence of persecution but the presence of Christ, the knowledge that one is upheld by the one who has conquered the world. The word "overcome" (nikaō—to overcome, be victorious; the perfect tense nikēka suggests decisive past victory with ongoing effect) establishes that Jesus' victory over the world's powers is already accomplished. The disciples inherit this victory through union with him.

John 16:32

I have said all this to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you — this verse repeats the pattern of chapter 16:4, circling back to Jesus' concern that foreknowledge will sustain faith. The discourse has been offered as an act of love: Jesus sees the coming persecution and gives the disciples words to remember, a rope to grasp when they feel themselves falling.

John 16:33

I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution; but take courage, I have overcome the world — the final verse of the Farewell Discourse returns to the opening promise of peace and the closing affirmation of victory. The disciples will face a hostile world, persecution and suffering, yet they are not orphaned or abandoned. They belong to Jesus, who has overcome (nikao—conquered, been victorious) the cosmos and all its opposition to God. This is the final word of the Farewell Discourse: not comfort that denies suffering but courage rooted in the knowledge that the crucified and risen Christ has already defeated the powers that oppose human flourishing. In Jesus, they have peace; in Jesus, they have victory.

John 16:16

A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me — the rhythm of separation and reunion is established in these brief verses. The "little while" (mikron) refers to the time between the cross and the resurrection; after the crucifixion, the disciples will not see Jesus, yet in the resurrection appearances (and ultimately in faith) they will see him again. This pattern anticipates the structure of Christian existence: loss and restoration, darkness and light.

John 16:1

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.

John 16:18

They said, 'What does he mean by this "little while"? We do not know what he is talking about' — the disciples' perplexity is complete; they focus on the temporal phrase "little while" and cannot penetrate its meaning. This is the condition of the disciples before Easter: knowledge remains incomplete, understanding fractured, faith unclear.

John 16:17

Then some of his disciples said to one another, 'What does he mean by saying to us, "A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me"; and "because I am going to the Father"?' — the disciples' confusion shows that they do not grasp the meaning of Jesus' sayings. They repeat his words to one another, seeking interpretation, yet cannot find clarity. The mystery remains opaque until the resurrection illuminates it.

John 16:2

They will put you out of the synagogues; and indeed, the hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God — the persecution Jesus predicts is both social (exclusion from synagogue community) and violent (execution). The tragic irony is that persecutors will believe they are serving God in killing Jesus' disciples; religious zeal becomes the cover for violence. This is the world's fundamental blindness: it mistakes opposition to God's work for service to God.

John 16:3

And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me — the root of persecution is ignorance (ou ginōskousin—do not know) of the Father and Jesus. Those who know God truly cannot kill those who bear his image; those who kill the righteous do so because they do not know the one they claim to serve. The ignorance is culpable; they have had opportunity to know but have chosen not to.

John 16:4

But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you — Jesus offers foreknowledge as a gift to sustain faith when persecution arrives. The disciples will not be able to say, "This came without warning; Jesus did not prepare us." Rather, they will recall his words and know that he saw their suffering before it came and thought it important enough to warn them. The restriction "I did not say these things to you from the beginning" acknowledges that in the earlier period of ministry, Jesus' presence made direct threat unnecessary; but now as the end approaches, the disciples must face the reality of what lies ahead.

John 16:5

But now I am going to him who sent me; and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' — the fact that none of the disciples ask reveals their shock and sorrow; they are paralyzed by the announcement of Jesus' departure. Even Peter, who asked in chapter 13, has fallen silent. The sorrow has silenced their questions; they cannot think beyond their pain to the deeper meaning of his going.

John 16:6

But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts — Jesus acknowledges the emotional reality of the moment: the disciples are grieving. The announcement of his departure has filled their hearts with sorrow (lupē—grief, sadness, distress). This is not pathology but appropriate human response to imminent loss; Jesus does not rebuke the disciples for their sorrow but validates it.

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 Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you — this is counterintuitive: Jesus' departure is actually advantageous (sympherei—profitable, beneficial) to the disciples. His physical presence, bound to space and time, limits his accessibility; once he ascends, he can be universally present through the Spirit. The sending of the Paraclete depends on Jesus' departure; resurrection and ascension make Pentecost possible. The loss of Christ's physical presence is the condition for gaining his universal presence through the Spirit.

John 16:8

And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment — the Spirit's work is judicial (elegchō—convict, convince, prove wrong). The Spirit convicts the world concerning three fundamental realities that the world misunderstands: sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit operates like a lawyer at trial, exposing the world's false understanding of these categories and establishing the true nature of each.

John 16:9

concerning sin, because they do not believe in me — the fundamental sin is disbelief (pisteuō—believe, trust) in Jesus. All other sins flow from this primary refusal; to reject Jesus is to reject God and thus to position oneself in absolute opposition to the divine will. The Spirit convicts the world of this foundational sin.

John 16:10

concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer — the world judges righteousness by visible, earthly success and power; yet Jesus' righteousness is manifested in his willingness to leave all power behind and submit to death. His righteousness is revealed in his departure, not in his triumph. The Spirit convicts the world that true righteousness is not what the world sees but what faith perceives: Jesus' self-gift on behalf of the world.

John 16:11

concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged — the Spirit convicts the world that judgment has already happened: Satan, the ruler of this world, stands condemned. His apparent victory in Jesus' arrest and crucifixion is actually his defeat; the cross exposes and judges the principalities and powers, strips them of their authority. The world thinks itself free under Satan's rule; the Spirit reveals that judgment has already fallen on the world's ruler.

John 16:12

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now — Jesus acknowledges the limitations of the disciples' present capacity to receive truth. The human mind, shaped by the world's logic and values, cannot yet grasp the deepest truths Jesus would reveal. This is not failure but reality: growth requires time and the Holy Spirit's illumination.

John 16:13

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come — the Spirit's function is to lead progressively into truth (hodos—way, path; guiding into all truth is a journey, not instantaneous). The Spirit does not originate new doctrines but speaks what he hears from the Father; he is a faithful interpreter of the Word Jesus has spoken. The Spirit guides the disciples not into abstract truth but into living understanding of Jesus Christ, the Truth incarnate. The promise that the Spirit will declare things to come (ta erchomena—the things coming) suggests prophetic illumination and interpretation of Scripture.

John 16:14

He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you — the Spirit's essential work is Christocentric: to glorify Jesus by taking from Jesus' fullness and revealing it to the disciples. The Spirit does not draw attention to himself but to Jesus; he is the selfless revealer of Christ's glory. This is the heart of pneumatology: the Spirit's purpose is to make Christ known.

John 16:15

All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you — the Son's identification with the Father's possessions shows the intimacy of the Trinity; all that the Father has, the Son possesses. The Spirit's work of taking from Jesus and declaring to the disciples is the means by which divine fullness becomes accessible to human hearts. The economy of salvation moves from Father to Son to Spirit to disciples: an infinite circulation of God's self-gift.