Jesus said, “I’ve told you all this so you won’t fail. They’ll kick you out of the temple. A time is coming when everyone who kills you will think they’re serving God. They’ll do these things without knowing me or the Father. I’m telling you this so that when the time comes, you’ll remember I told you about them. I didn’t tell you this initially because I was here with you. Now I’m returning to my sender and none of you ask me ‘Where are you going?’ You’re feeling sad because I’ve told you all this, but I’m telling you the truth; it’s better for you that I leave because if I don’t leave, the representative won’t come to you. But, if I go, I’ll send him to you.

“He’ll arrive and judge the world for its evil, goodness and judgement. About evil, because they don’t believe me. About goodness, because I’m returning to the Father and you won’t see me anymore. About judgement, because this world’s ruler has been judged. I have more things to tell you, but you can’t accept them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he’ll guide you in everything true because he won’t speak for himself. Whatever he learns, he’ll tell you, and he’ll tell you things that are coming. He’ll praise me because he’ll take from me and tell it to you. Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I said he takes what is mine and will tell it to you. Soon, you won’t see me anymore, and then a little later you will see me.”

Some of his disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘You won’t see me anymore soon and then a little later you will see me’ and ‘I’m returning to the Father’? What does he mean by ‘Soon’? We don’t understand what he’s talking about.”

Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, so he said, “Are you asking each other what I mean when I say ‘Soon you won’t see me, and later you will see me’? I’m honestly telling you that you’ll cry and mourn but the world will celebrate. You’ll become sad, but your sadness will become joy. When a woman is in labour, she has sadness because of the pain, but when the child is born, she doesn’t remember the pain because of the joy of a person being born.

“Just like that, you’re experiencing sadness now, but I’ll see you again and your hearts will celebrate and no one will take your happiness from you. You won’t ask me anything on that day. I’m honestly telling you that whatever you ask from the Father in my name, he’ll give it to you. You haven’t asked for anything in my name until now. Ask for it and you’ll get it so you can have complete joy.

“I’ve said this to you in an abstract way. A time is coming when I won’t speak in abstract ways anymore, but I’ll clearly tell you about the Father. That day, you’ll ask in my name and I won’t ask the Father for you because the Father loves you, because you’ve loved me and believe I came from God. I’ve come from the Father to the world. Again, I’m leaving the world and returning to the Father.”

His disciples said, “Look, you’re speaking clearly now and not telling us abstract things. We now know you know everything and don’t need anyone to ask you things. Because of this, we believe you’ve come from God.”

“You believe now?” Jesus replied. “Look, a time is coming, and has arrived, when you’ll be spread around, back to your homes and you’ll leave me alone. I’m not alone, because the Father is with me. I’ve told you this so that you can find peace in me. You’ll find stress in the world, but be confident that I have defeated the world.”

John Chapter 16 Summary

Jesus continues preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer be with them on earth. He warns them that they will be rejected by people who think they are doing God’s work. Jesus explains that these people act out of ignorance of God and himself. Jesus then talks about the Holy Spirit, who will come after he leaves. This Spirit will guide them, teach them, and remind them of everything Jesus taught. The Spirit will also help the world see what is right and wrong, and reveal God’s judgement. Although the disciples are confused and saddened by Jesus’ words, he reassures them that their sadness will turn to joy. He promises that their prayers will be answered and reminds them that although the world brings trouble, he has already defeated it.

John Chapter 16 Bible Study Questions and Answers

1. How can we prepare ourselves spiritually for difficult times, like Jesus taught his disciples?
Answer: We can stay close to Jesus through prayer, reading the Bible, and listening to the Holy Spirit. When we know what Jesus has taught, we won’t be shaken when trouble comes.

2. What does it mean to trust in the Holy Spirit in everyday life?
Answer: Trusting the Spirit means listening for God’s voice in our decisions, being open to being wrong and needing to change, and living in a way that shows God’s truth, not just our own understanding.

3. How does knowing Jesus has overcome the world give us peace today?
Answer: It reminds us that no matter what we face, Jesus is stronger. Even when life feels like a mess, we know that he has the final say, and he is with us.

4. Why do you think Jesus says it’s better that he goes away so the Spirit can come?
Answer: The Holy Spirit can live inside every believer, guiding and empowering us from within. Jesus, in human form, was limited by time and place, but the Spirit is with us always and everywhere.

5. How can we find joy even in times of sadness, like Jesus promised the disciples?
Answer: We can have hope knowing that pain is temporary and God brings good from every situation. Joy comes from trusting God’s bigger plan, not just our current feelings.

John Chapter 16 Explained

Jesus begins by warning his disciples about the difficulties they will face. He wants to prepare them, not scare them. He tells them they will be rejected and even attacked by people who believe they are doing God’s will. This shows how spiritual ignorance can lead to great harm. But Jesus’ goal is to strengthen their faith by letting them know what’s coming.

Jesus promises that when he goes, the Holy Spirit will come to comfort, guide, and teach them. The Spirit will also help the world understand the difference between right and wrong, and will reveal God’s judgement – especially pointing to the fact that the devil, the “ruler of this world,” has already been judged. This reassures us that evil does not win in the end.

Jesus also addresses the confusion and sadness his disciples feel. They don’t fully understand what he means when he says he will go away and then they’ll see him again. He gently explains that their sorrow will be real, but it won’t last forever. He compares it to childbirth: the pain is real, but it leads to something beautiful. In the same way, the sadness they will feel when Jesus dies will turn into joy when they see him alive again after the resurrection.

Jesus encourages them to ask the Father directly in his name, promising that God will answer because of their love and faith. This new closeness to the Father is one of the great blessings of the Christian life. We don’t need to go through a human priest or someone else—we can go straight to God with our prayers.

Jesus finally tells the disciples that even though they will scatter in fear, he will not be alone—the Father is always with him. He finishes with one of the most comforting promises in the Bible: “You’ll find stress in the world, but be confident that I have defeated the world.” This is a truth for every believer. Trouble is guaranteed, but so is victory. Jesus has already won, and because of that, we can face life’s struggles with peace and courage.

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Continue exploring John 16

If you’d like to read John 16 in other translations, here are a few BibleHub links:
For a translation that aims to be word-for-word, try John 16 in the English Standard Version.
For a translation that aims to be more thought-for-thought, try John 16 in the New International Version.
For a translation that aims to communicate the overall meaning, try John 16 in the Contemporary English Version.

If you prefer to read the Bible in a hard-copy format, here are cheaper versions from Amazon:
[These are Amazon affiliate links which support the production of this blog]
For a translation that aims to be word-for-word, ESV Economy Bible
For a translation that aims to be more thought-for-thought, NIV, Economy Bible, Paperback: Accurate. Readable. Clear.
For a translation that aims to communicate the overall meaning, Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version

If you’d like to explore John in more depth, here are two commentaries I would recommend:
[These are Amazon affiliate links which support the production of this blog]
Easy to access commentaries that include life applications:
The NIV Application Commentary: John
For a commentary that goes into more depth:
The Gospel of John (The New International Commentary on the New Testament)