The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little whiled you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”e

17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’f and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”g 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

19 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’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mournh while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.i 21 A woman giving birth to a child has painj because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief,k but I will see you againl and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.m 23 In that dayn you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.o 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,p and your joy will be complete.q

25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively,r a time is comings when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name.t I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved meu and have believed that I came from God.v 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”w

29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.x 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believey that you came from God.”z