16 1 I have told you all this so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is serving God. 3 They will do this because they have not known the Father or me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes you will remember that I told you about them. I did not say this to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
5 But now I am going to the one who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Instead, because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 But I tell you the truth: it is for your good that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I am going to my Father and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears, and he will tell you the things that are coming. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and tell it to you. 15 All that my Father has is mine; that is why I said he takes what is mine and will tell it to you.
16 In a little while you will see me no longer, and then in a little while you will see me again.
Your Grief Will Turn to Joy
17 So some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by this: 'In a little while you will not see me, and then in a little while you will see me,' and, 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18 So they kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We do not understand what he is talking about."
19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant by saying, 'In a little while you will not see me, and then in a little while you will see me'? 20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she has given birth, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of her joy that a person has been born into the world. 22 So you also have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask my Father in my name, he will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.
25 I have said these things 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 about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask my Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from our Father. a a v27 Jesus tells the disciples the Father himself loves them — not at a distance, not through Jesus as reluctant middleman. Their love for Jesus and faith in his coming from the Father has placed them inside the Father's own affection. 28 I came from my Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to my Father.
29 His disciples said, "Now you are speaking plainly and not using any figure of speech!" 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; because of this we believe that you came from our Father.
31 Jesus replied, "Do you now believe? 32 Look, the hour is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.