John 16:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

NIV: In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

NASB: And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.

CSB: "In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

NLT: At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.

KJV: And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

NKJV: “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

Despite the fears and doubts of the disciples (John 16:6, 12), Jesus has predicted that their sorrow will eventually lead to joy (John 16:20–22). In particular, this means the change these men will experience when they see Jesus alive and resurrected several days from now (John 20:19).

A common theme of Jesus' earthly ministry was fielding questions from His closest followers. Much of what Jesus had to teach them would not make sense until after His resurrection (John 2:22; 6:60). They also did not yet have the influence of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). So, in response to His comments and parables, they often posed questions (John 13:6; 14:5; 14:22; 16:19). At times, their reaction to Christ's ministry was open disagreement (Matthew 16:21–23; John 13:36–38). So long as Jesus was there, in person, they could direct those concerns directly to Him.

When Jesus is raised from the dead (Mark 8:31), however, many of these questions will be answered. At that time, the issues which frustrate the disciples will be clear. As a result, they will "ask nothing of" Jesus. What Christ says in the next verses makes it clear this statement is not about prayer requests or material needs (John 16:26). It's an additional promise that what seems blurry or obscure, for now, will soon be gloriously obvious (John 15:26–27).

Jesus also echoes the promise He gave earlier in this discourse: that requests offered in prayer, "in [His] name," would be granted by God (John 14:13–14). The context for those answers is explicitly given—to ask something "in the name of Jesus" means to invoke His authority and His will. That means any request contrary to His will has no hope of being granted. Submission to God and obedience to His Son are the key elements in this promise—not a blanket promise to give us whatever we want.

The ending promise of this verse includes a repetition of the word amēn. This has remained almost unchanged from Aramaic through Greek and into English. Leading a statement with this term, and especially by repeating it, is a claim to first-hand knowledge of infallible truth.

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.