A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ [of which he speaks]? We do not know what he means.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. 21 When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. 22 So you also are now in anguish. But 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.
Jesus speaks to His disciples as His Passion draws near. He tells them, “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me” (v. 16). The disciples are confused. They repeat His words among themselves because they do not understand what He means (vv. 17-18).
The “little while” points first to the short time before Jesus’ death and then to the short time before His Resurrection. The disciples will no longer see Him when He is taken from them through His death. They will see Him again when He rises from the dead and appears to them. Jesus is preparing them for the sorrow of Good Friday and the joy of Easter.
Jesus knows that they want to ask Him, even before they speak their question aloud. The disciples are troubled, but Jesus does not leave them alone in their confusion. He explains what they are about to experience: “you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy” (v. 20).
The “world” here means those who oppose Jesus and think His death is their victory. They will rejoice when He is condemned and crucified. The disciples will mourn because the Lord they love will be taken from them. Yet Jesus promises that their grief will be changed into joy. His Resurrection will reveal that death has not defeated Him. Through His death and Resurrection, Jesus opens the way to eternal life.
Jesus then gives them the image of a woman in labor (v. 21). Before the child is born, there is anguish because the hour of birth has arrived. After the child is born, joy overtakes the pain because a new life has come into the world. The image is simple and powerful. Suffering is real, but it is not the final word. The anguish of Jesus’ Passion will give way to the joy of His Resurrection.
Jesus tells them, “So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (v. 22). The words “I will see you again” are important. Jesus is not only saying that the disciples will see Him. He says that He will see them. The risen Lord will return to them, gather them again, and make their joy complete (John 15:11).
This complete joy is more than relief after a frightening event. It is the joy of knowing that Jesus is alive, that His words are true, and that His death and Resurrection have opened the way to life with God. This joy cannot be taken away because it rests on Christ’s victory. The disciples will still face hardship, rejection, and suffering, but the Resurrection gives them a joy deeper than changing circumstances.
Jesus then says, “On that day you will not question me about anything” (v. 23). After the Resurrection, the disciples will begin to understand what they could not yet grasp. His Passion, death, Resurrection, and return to the Father will make clear the meaning of His words.
Jesus also teaches them to pray with confidence: “whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you” (v. 23). To ask in Jesus’ name means to pray as disciples who belong to Him, trust His word, and seek what is in harmony with His will. In John’s Gospel, this kind of prayer is joined to remaining in Christ and letting His words remain in the disciple (John 15:7). It is also joined to love expressed through obedience to His commandments (John 14:15; 15:10). The disciples will turn to the Father through the Son, trusting the relationship Jesus has opened for them by His death and Resurrection.
Lord Jesus, strengthen us when we do not understand the trials before us. Help us trust Your words, remain faithful in sorrow, and receive the joy that comes from Your Resurrection. Teach us to pray to the Father in Your name, with confidence, humility, and faith. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. John 16:16-23.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 192-193.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 428.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 977-978, §197.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 1164.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022, 1431.
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