John 16:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

NIV: but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

NASB: But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’

CSB: But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

NLT: But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going.

KJV: But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

NKJV: “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’

Over the course of His ministry, Jesus has planted seeds of understanding that will take time to grow (John 2:22). He has spoken about His destiny, which is to be crucified and resurrected (John 12:31–32). However, most of those following Him have not fully understood this idea—they won't until later (John 16:4). The hardest part of this process for the disciples will be adjusting to life without Jesus, in person, to be seen with their own eyes. After His resurrection, Jesus will ascend to heaven (Acts 1:8–9), and the disciples will be charged with establishing the early church (Matthew 28:19).

As Jesus continues, He will explain how His absence on earth allows for the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7–11).

In the short term, the disciples are too focused on their own fears to think clearly about what is happening. They aren't even thinking about what all of this means for Jesus. Earlier, they had asked about Jesus leaving (John 13:36; 14:5). The real meaning of their question, however, was along the lines of "why are you leaving me? What will happen to me?" They have not asked because they want to know what will happen to Jesus (John 16:6).

The words are the same, but the meaning of these two phrases, in their respective contexts, is different. This, in fact, is the common understanding of the phrase "where are you going" in modern English. The person asking most typically means "why are you leaving?" and is not really asking about a destination. The disciples are worried about the fact that Christ plans to leave, not the destination to which He's heading.

John 16:5–15 resumes an explanation of the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus began to discuss this topic in John 15:26–27, before returning to the subject of persecution (John 16:1–4). Christ must leave the world, so His followers will learn to depend on the influence of the Holy Spirit. That Spirit will guide, judge, and speak in order to bring glory to God.

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.