There are three contrasts here: “in me” is contrasted with “in this world”; “you may have” with “you will have”; and “peace” is set against “trouble.”

Note that the whole purpose of Jesus telling them the things He has spoken is not that they might come to a greater knowledge of the doctrine of the Holy Spirt, nor that they would even know His mission more fully; His whole reason for saying these things was for them to have peace after they fall (Eze 34:12). Note that He predicted their desertion of Him in the same saying in which He assured them of the peace He would give them afterward. He knew their failure; He knew that they were going to let Him down just when He needed them the most; and yet He loved them despite their shortcomings. Perhaps even more wonderful than that revelation is that in spite of His complete knowledge of them and the failure they were about to be a part of, He still trusted them! And the same is true of us today! He knows that we will screw up; He knows our failures of the past and the future, and yet He still loves us and trusts us!

Ezekiel 34:12  As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

This is also a lesson for us in how we deal with others. It is often easier to forgive someone than to trust them after they have let us down. But Jesus does that with us and wants us to treat others in the same way.

Jesus was in full knowledge of what lay ahead of Him and yet He did not look upon men’s sin with the view of how much it was going to hurt Him, but, instead, of how much their sin was going to hurt them. If only we could have the same attitude when others sin against us!

“overcome” = nikao = to conquer. This word speaks of the victory of a way or battle and is in the perfect tense which indicates an abiding victory. Morris notes that “This statement, spoken as it is in the shadow of the cross, is audacious. The cross would seem to the outsider to be Christ’s total defeat. He sees it as His complete victory over all that the world is and can do to Him. He goes to the cross not in fear and gloom, but as a conqueror.”

Since Jesus has conquered the world and its evil prince, we are to be of good cheer, even in the face of trials and tribulation (Rom 5:3, 1 Thes 5:18). How does His conquering make this possible? Because His victory is our victory. From our viewpoint it seems that we are a small band going against a vast multitude of an army, but in truth we are in Him and He is the One going against an army that He has aleady defeated and which is now weaponless because of the cross. We are more than conquerors through Him (Rom 8:37) and all we need do in the face of any trial is faithfully rest in Him (1 John 5:4).

Romans 5:3  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

1 Thessalonians 5:18  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

1 John 5:4  for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

The answer of Jesus is more a statement than a question. He is not calling the reality of their faith to question, but directing their attention to its inadequacy. They really do believe, but, as Morris observes, “they do not, as yet, know the quality of faith that stands firm in the face of difficulty and danger.” The disciples think that they now know all there is to know about that of which Jesus is speaking, but they are far lacking in their knowledge. We, too, must be careful that we don’t think that we know and understand the depths of God’s truth. His ways are higher than ours (Isa 55:8-9) and for us to think we know everything about even the smallest aspect of Christianity is at best foolish and at worst prideful.

Isaiah 55:8-9  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The answer of Jesus is more a statement than a question. He is not calling the reality of their faith to question, but directing their attention to its inadequacy. They really do believe, but, as Morris observes, “they do not, as yet, know the quality of faith that stands firm in the face of difficulty and danger.” The disciples think that they now know all there is to know about that of which Jesus is speaking, but they are far lacking in their knowledge. We, too, must be careful that we don’t think that we know and understand the depths of God’s truth. His ways are higher than ours (Isa 55:8-9) and for us to think we know everything about even the smallest aspect of Christianity is at best foolish and at worst prideful.

Isaiah 55:8-9  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

It is significant that they do not say that now they completely understand what He has been saying. Instead they say that they understand that He knows all things. They have full confidence in Him. The basis for this expression of faith is that He answered their questions without them having to ask (16:19).

John 16:19  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’?

Even though they are now starting to find some faith and expess this confession, it is really quite inadequate in the light of what they have seen and heard. Westcott observes that, “This common confession of faith shows how little even yet the disciples had apprehended the nature of Christ. As a body they had not advanced as far as the Baptist.” and Lightfoot notes that “a belief resting on the ground of His knowledge was found at the outset in Nathanael (1:47-50) and in the Samaritan woman (4:29); and a faith which has now seen greater things than these (1:50) should have a deeper basis.”

John 1:47-50  When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you.”  Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”  Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig-tree. You shall see greater things than that.”

John 4:29  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

John 1:50  Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig-tree. You shall see greater things than that.”

However, we should not overlook the fact that their words close with an expression of trust.

What helps them to understand what Jesus is saying is the observance of what must be omniscience on His part in discerning what they were talking about and in revealing to them what their real needs were. How many time over the past 3 years had He told them that He came from God and they now finally believe? And how often have we expressed faith in Him and what He will do for us and yet when we experience His power and His intervention for us, our faith goes up a notch or two?

In James it says that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). It is speaking of our works following our faith, but it could also be said that faith without God’s works will die. Abraham, the man of faith, waited for years for God to keep His promise of a son and then decided to take matters into his own hands because his faith wavered. The faith of the disciples crashed at the cross but came roaring back to life much greater than it had ever been with their view of the resurrected Christ. One of the reasons that God allows bad circumstances into our lives is that they turn abstract faith into a burning reality in our lives when He does come through for us. Though faith based on works alone is not real faith, man has a need in him to see the result of his faith or it will eventually wilt and die like an unwatered plant. One of the ways to water the plant of faith is to constantly remember the times God has proven Himself to us. God taught us that principle when He had the Israelites set up the 12 stones on the shore of the Jordan river after He stopped up the waters so they could cross (Joshua 4:1-7).

James 2:26  As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Joshua 4:1-7  When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,  “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,  and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”  So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,  and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,  to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’  tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel for ever.”

The disciples state that Jesus is no longer using the “dark sayings” but is speaking plainly. They seem to think that their difficulty in understanding has been removed and everything has become clear for them, and they are correct to a certain extent. They do now understand that Jesus came from the Father and is going back to the Father but the process by which this is going to be accomplished is still remote to them even though Jesus has plainly told them several times before. Their problem is not so much the words He uses as it is the situation and time in which they find themselves. It is much easier to understand the need for the crucifixion on this side of the cross than on their side of it.

Salvation involves both the coming of Christ into the world and His going back to heaven. Morris notes that “Christ’s heavenly origin is important, else He could not be the Saviour of men. But His heavenly destination is also important, for it witnesses to the Father’s seal on the Son’s saving work.” In this verse Jesus mentions His origin with the Father, His stay on earth, and His coming departure to return to heaven, all of which were voluntary.

Jesus is the only man who has ever chosen to be born. He could have remained in heaven but chose to become part of that which He created so He could accomplish His Father’s will. In the upper room when He took off His outer garments, wrapped a towel around Himself and washed the feet of those who followed and served Him, He was painting a picture of His incarnation. He Who was Lord and God took off His Deity and His position and became a servant of those over whom He was King.

He also voluntarily gave His life for us. He didn’t have to die, but He chose to do so. He is the One Who gave up His spirit; it wasn’t taken from Him (Luke 23:46). He was Master of giving up His life and He was Master of being resurrected from the dead (John 10:17-18). Everything He did for us, He did of His own free will.

Luke 23:46  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

John 10:17-18  The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life— only to take it up again.  No-one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Christ was also the Lord over His ascension into heaven. “There was no need for Elijah’s chariot of fire. There was no need for a whirlwind to sweep a mortal to the sky. There was no need for any external vehicle or agency whatsoever. No angels bore Him up upon their wings. . . . He ascended by His own inherent power.” (Maclaren)

Jesus is now in heaven exactly where He was before he came to earth. The place is the same but He isn’t. He left as God the Son and returned as God the Son Who has taken on manhood. He has chosen to take our nature so that we can be His brothers and sisters. Our Brother has now been given the throne in heaven with all of its power and fortune. Because Joseph had power and wealth in Egypt due to his elevated position, his whole family were well cared for, even in the face of a devastating drought. How much more do you think that we will be cared for by our Brother Who is Lord of lords and King of kings?

Also note that before Jesus came to earth and then ascended back to the Father, heaven was an unknown and therefore perhaps a scary place for us, but now that our Brother is there ahead of us and is fixing up a place for us, what was fear has now turned into joy and anticipation. He is waiting there for us with open arms.

“love” here is phileo, the warm, friendly love. God’s love for the world (John 3:16) is agape, but for those who love Jesus and believe that He came from the Father it is phileo. Basically, love is fellowship between persons and an act of self-surrender. Phileo best expresses the former while agape best exemplifies the latter. Phileo is the love that cherishes and expresses itself in tender affection or fellowship. Agape is an unselfish love that is ready to serve. Why does God use agape to speak of His love for the world and phileo to express His love for those who love His Son? Note that we are commanded to agape God (Matt 22:37) but not to phileo Him, and yet if we really know Him, is it  possible not to phileo Him?

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Matthew 22:37  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

“the Father himself” is emphatic. The reason Jesus does not need to intercede for the disciples is that there is no necessity to do so. The Father loves them and does not need to be persuaded to give them grace. We sometimes carry a picture of God being the Judge who is only holding back His wrath from us because Jesus is keeping us protected from Him, but this is not the case. God the Father loves us and His love for us was the motivating factor in Him sending Jesus to earth in the first place! Jesus is telling His disciples that they can go to God on their own for the sole reason that God loves them. As Barclay points out, Jesus “did not die to change God into love; he died to tell us that God is love.”

The reason given here for their acceptance before God is their relationship with Jesus. They have loved Jesus. This does not mean that their love for Jesus earned their acceptance before God; it was a work of God in them that caused them to love Jesus in the first place. But God didn’t bring man to love Jesus so that He could love them. As Augustine notes, “He would not have wrought in us something He could love, were it not that He loved ourselves before He loved it.” God’s motivation in sending His Son to redeem the world was His love for all the people in it (#3:16).

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Note also that a right faith is involved here. God loves all men but He has a special regard for those who have faith in His Son.

“In that day” after the disciples have come into a fuller knowledge of the Father, they will be able to pray in the name of Jesus, as they should. Note that asking in the name of Jesus is not an attempt to illicit His support. It is instead, pleading His work and His Person. The basis of our prayer is the whole essence of who He is and what He has done for our salvation.

Note also that Jesus does indeed pray for His disciples (John 14:16, 17:9), but these prayers were during the earthly ministry of Jesus. After His resurrection things will be different. The intercession of Christ for the believer is spoken of in (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25, 1 John 2:1). Does this contradict with the present passage? No. As Calvin notes, “The blood by which He atoned for our sins, the obedience which He rendered, is a continual intercession for us.” “Our approach to the Father rests firmly on Christ’s priestly work for us.” (Morris) His work is a perpetual intercession on our behalf. It doesn’t need to be supplemented by any additional intervention by Him for us. The interceding words of Christ to the Father are simply, “I died for him. My blood has been applied to his life.” His work on the cross was enough.

John 14:16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever—

John 17:9  I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

Romans 8:34  Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Hebrews 7:25  Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

1 John 2:1  My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

This brings up 2 additional, and rather staggering, points. First, Christ’s sacrificial work was so complete that our prayers to the Father would not be better if they came from Christ Himself! We are not to ask Jesus to pray for us; we are to pray directly to the Father.

Secondly, the thought that Jesus is more merciful or more ready to hear than the Father is completely excluded. We have personal access to the Father, Who is desirous that we should talk directly with Him! Jesus will develop this thought further in the next verse.

“figuratively” (NIV) = “proverbs” (KJV) = paroimia = old word which comes from para (beside) and oimoj (way), a wayside saying or saying by the way. It can mean parables although the word for parable (parabole) is used in the synoptic gospels but not in John. Paroimia is used of a variety of clever sayings such as symbolic or figurative sayings, allegories, or ‘dark sayings’ which shadow forth some hidden truth. The implication of this word is that the meaning remains hidden from the casual listener and must be searched for and pondered before it is found. Jesus is saying that up till now He has spoken figuratively, with the figure not easy to understand, but that a time was coming when He would speak plainly to them about His Father. They understood Him to mean right then, but He apparently meant after His resurrection, when all things would become clear to them.

Up till now the disciples have asked Jesus directly for answers or they had prayed to God for things, but things are about to change, which is highlighted by the fact that Jesus uses a double negative for emphasis (you have asked ou oudeis = you have asked not nothing). Jesus exhorts them to “keep on asking” (present tense) and then they will receive (Matt 7:7-8).

Matthew 7:7-8  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

The purpose of the asking and the receiving is for them to receive full and complete joy. Now, the joy given by God is unknown to the world (1 Cor 2:14), but it is so incredibly powerful that the Christian will experience it even in the face of afflictions and suffering (Acts 5:41, 2 Cor 6:10, 1 Peter 1:6, 8, 4:13). It is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) and is permanent (Php 4:4). From this verse and (1 Thes 5:16-17) we can see that joy is closely related to prayer, but just how do they relate? Jesus was not speaking of asking for joy and yet joy was the result of asking and receiving that which we asked for. Why?

1 Corinthians 2:14  The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Acts 5:41  The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

2 Corinthians 6:10  sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

1 Peter 1:6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

1 Peter 1:8  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

1 Peter 4:13  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-7  Be joyful always;  pray continually;

Perhaps the most important aspect of this verse is that God wants us to have complete joy. He is deeply interested in our wellbeing and happiness and will do all He can to secure them for us!