John 16:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’?

NIV: Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, 'Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'?

NASB: Jesus knew that they wanted to question Him, and He said to them, 'Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you are not going to see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?

CSB: Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them, "Are you asking one another about what I said, 'In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me'?

NLT: Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, 'Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again.

KJV: Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?

NKJV: Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’?

The disciples don't yet have the benefit of hindsight. As they listen to Jesus speaking at the Last Supper (John 13:1–5), they have not yet witnessed His arrest (John 18:1–3), crucifixion (John 19:18), and resurrection (John 20:19). They don't yet have the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7, 13). They certainly don't have the extensive resources which we, as modern believers, can access (Luke 1:1–4). So, when Jesus makes an obscure reference to being unseen, then seen, they are understandably confused (John 16:16–18).

Even though the disciples are debating with each other, and not Christ, He still knows exactly what they are struggling with (John 2:24–25; Luke 6:8). What Jesus explains in the next few verses doesn't fully answer their question. However, it does provide more reassurance through perspective. The gist of His response is that these difficult experiences will be relatively brief, and joy over what is gained will vastly outweigh the suffering which was required (John 16:20–22).

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.