I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. 23 On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
25 “I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. 26 On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. 27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” 29 His disciples said, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. 30 Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? 32 Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
In John 16:1-22a, Jesus prepares His disciples for the coming trials. He warns them of persecution and tells them some will be expelled from the synagogues or even killed by who believe they are offering worship to God. He promises the Holy Spirit will come after His departure to guide them into truth. Though sorrow will fill their hearts when He departs, He assures them their grief will turn to joy when they see Him again.
In John 16:22b-33, Jesus deepens His reassurance. He tells the disciples that after His resurrection, they will no longer need to ask Him anything, for they will be able to pray directly to the Father in His name (vv. 23–24). This reflects the new intimacy they will have with God through Christ’s mediation—a decisive moment in the unfolding of salvation history. As St. Paul later affirms, “Through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18).
Jesus explains that He has spoken in figures of speech (v. 25)—using parables, symbols, and layered language—because the full meaning of His mission could only be grasped after His Passion and Resurrection. But the time is coming (indeed has already begun) when He will speak plainly of the Father, because their understanding will be enlightened by the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:12-13).
In verse 29, the disciples claim they now understand clearly, perhaps because Jesus finally speaks directly of His return to the Father and their access to Him through prayer. Yet Jesus gently warns them that their professed understanding will soon be tested. Though they say they believe, they will soon be scattered (v. 32), leaving Him alone. Yet He is not truly alone—for the Father is always with Him.
Finally, Jesus offers a word of hope: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (v. 33). This anticipates His triumph on the Cross and the definitive victory over sin and death—a victory prefigured in Isaiah 53 and fulfilled in Revelation 5:5, where the Lamb is hailed as victorious.
Lord Jesus, in You our sorrow is turned to joy. Open our hearts to trust in Your victory over the world, and teach us to pray in confidence to the Father, through Your holy name. Amen.
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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