John 16:16–24

Sadness and Gladness

¹⁶“In a little while you will not see me any more, and then a little while later you will see me.”

¹⁷Some of his disciples asked among themselves, “What does this mean? He tells us that in a little while we will not see him, and then a little while later we will see him; and he also says, ‘It is because I am going to the Father.’ ¹⁸What does this ‘a little while’ mean? We don’t know what he is talking about!”

¹⁹Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said to them, “I said, ‘In a little while you will not see me, and then a little while later you will see me.’ Is this what you are asking about among yourselves? ²⁰I am telling you the truth: you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness. ²¹When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the world. ²²That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness, the kind of gladness that no one can take away from you.

²³“When that day comes, you will not ask me for anything. I am telling you the truth: the Father will give you whatever you ask him for in my name.^{h 24}Until now you have not asked for anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your happiness may be complete.