John 16:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”

NIV: They kept asking, 'What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying.'

NASB: So they were saying, 'What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.'

CSB: They said, "What is this he is saying, 'In a little while'? We don't know what he's talking about."

NLT: And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.'

KJV: They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.

NKJV: They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

When Christ spoke to His closest followers about dying at the hands of His enemies (Mark 8:31), they often responded with confusion or open rejection (Matthew 16:21–23). In the hours just before His arrest (John 18:1–3), Jesus is reassuring His disciples by promising the presence of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8–13). As part of that, He has again referred to leaving them (John 16:7, 10). However, He also noted that He would be seen, once again, after a short time (John 16:16). The second part of that statement seems to be what mostly concerned the disciples in this moment.

Only after Jesus is resurrected (John 20:19) will these men begin to fully understand all that's happening (John 2:22). The work of the Holy Spirit, in fact, will be key to their knowledge (John 15:26–27). For now, they're baffled, and seem to argue about what these words might mean (John 16:17); the Greek words translated as "They were saying" are in a tense which implies an ongoing process, perhaps a debate or an argument. Still, they don't directly ask Christ about it. Jesus will notice this, however, and offer a helpful perspective (John 16:19–20).

John 16:16–24 once again reminds the disciples that Christ must suffer and die for the sins of the world (Mark 8:31). The days ahead will be especially dark and frightening for those who so closely followed Jesus. Yet the outcome will be powerful and world changing. Jesus explains this using the analogy of childbirth. The process of giving birth is painful—but the reward is immeasurably valuable. Afterwards, joy over the new birth far outweighs memories of the painful birth process.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.