John 16:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

NIV: "A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

NASB: Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

CSB: Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

NLT: But the time is coming — indeed it’s here now — when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

Earlier in this same conversation, Peter arrogantly declared he would follow Christ anywhere, even to his own death. Jesus responded by predicting Peter wouldn't even remain loyal until sunrise (John 13:36–38). It's not that Peter will never be brave and loyal; he just hasn't arrived at that state, yet. After Christ's resurrection (John 20:19), empowered by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13), Peter will be radically fearless in declaring Christ (Acts 4:13). One day, that faith will indeed lead to martyrdom (John 21:18).

Other gospels record the same prediction Jesus makes here (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27). When crisis arrives (John 18:1–3), every one of these men will abandon Jesus and flee in terror. This is also part of fulfilled prophecy. That Jesus will be left alone is prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 63:5). The phrasing found in Matthew and Mark more clearly implies a prophecy in Zechariah 13:7, referring to sheep scattering from the shepherd.

Despite being abandoned by His earthly friends, Jesus will not be entirely, infinitely alone. His relationship with God the Father will be the cornerstone of Jesus' faith during the upcoming hardship (Matthew 26:39–42).

John 16:25–33 completes Christ's combination of encouragement and warning as He prepares the disciples for His impending arrest (John 18:1–3). This passage summarizes the general message of that discourse: that hardship and persecution will come, but believers should remain faithful, knowing this is all part of God's knowledge and His will. Rather than reacting in panic or doubt, followers of Christ should feel a sense of peace. This confidence is inspired by knowledge that nothing they experience catches God by surprise. The expression "take heart" implies courage: knowing Christ's victory overshadows all those troubles.

Throughout His teaching in the Last Supper (John 13:1–5), Jesus has often brought up the fact that He's giving His followers advance warnings (John 13:19; 14:25). His intent is to provide encouragement—persecution as a result of their faith is inevitable. In keeping with that reassurance, Jesus again promises the coming of the Holy Spirit. He explains that after a time of deep sorrow, His followers will experience great joy and clarity. This concludes with a beloved promise that Christ has "overcome the world."

This completes the teaching portion of Jesus' words during the Last Supper, begun in chapter 13. Christ echoes many of the themes of His earthly ministry. His focus is especially on encouragement: reminding the disciples that the hard times they will experience will end in victory. While they don't clearly understand, the Holy Spirit will lead them in the right direction. This ends with Christ's beloved declaration that He has "overcome the world." That introduces the record of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in chapter 17, immediately before His arrest early in chapter 18.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.