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16:21 Jesus again comforts his disciples. He compares his passion and death to the birthpangs of a pregnant woman, who forgets her agony and rejoices in her newborn child. Jesus tells his disciples to rejoice, for this death brings life.
i. [16:16]
j. [16:20]
k. [16:21]
7:33; 14:19.
Ps 126:6.
Is 26:17–18; Jer 31:13;
14:19; 15:11; 20:20. 14:13.
Mt 13:34–35. 14:13.
1:1.
Mi 4:9. l. [16:22]
m. [16:23]
n. [16:25]
o. [16:26]
p. [16:28]
q. [16:32]
8:29; Zec 13:7; Mt 26:31; Mk 14:27.
r. [16:33] 14:27.
JOHN 
declare to you the things that are coming. 14He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
16“A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.”i 17So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ [of which he speaks]? We do not know what he means.” 19Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.j 21When a woman is
in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.k 22So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.l 23On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.m 24Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
25* n “I have told you this in gures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in gures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. 26On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.o 27For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”p 29His disciples said, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any gure of speech. 30Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.”* 31Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? 32Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered* to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.q 33I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”r
* [16:25] See note on Jn 10:6. Here, possibly a reference to Jn 15:1–16 or Jn 16:21.
* [16:30] The reference is seemingly to the fact that Jesus could anticipate their question in Jn 16:19. The disciples naively think they have the full understanding that is the climax of “the hour” of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension (Jn 16:25), but the only part of the
hour that is at hand for them is their share in the passion (Jn 16:32).
* [16:32] You will be scattered: cf. Mk 14:27 and Mt 26:31, where both cite Zec 13:7 about
the sheep being dispersed.