John 16:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But they did not understand this. Therefore one may rightly marvel why, after hearing about this many times, they are perplexed as if they had heard nothing of it.

Why, then, did they not understand? Either because of sorrow, as I at least think, since it erased from their memory what had been said, or because of the obscurity of the words themselves.

It seemed to them that He was affirming two contradictory things, though there was no contradiction. “If we shall see You,” they said, “where are You going? But if You are going away, how shall we see You?”

But they did not understand this. Therefore one may even marvel that they did not grasp His words.

Perhaps the sorrow that had taken hold of their souls erased from their memory what had been said. Or perhaps incomprehension came upon them because of the obscurity of the words themselves.

Therefore they thought they saw a certain contradiction in Jesus’ words. If we shall see You, where are You going? But if You are going away, how shall we see You? This seemed to them a riddle.

Not yet understanding what had been said, the divine disciples speak with one another. They wonder what He wished to indicate by the words “a little while” and again “a little while,” and by “you will not see Me.”

This is what troubled them, for He said: "A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me."

Earlier, when He said "a little while" while also saying, "I go to My Father, and you will see Me no more" (Jn 16:10), He seemed to speak quite clearly. They did not question one another about this at all.

What was then incomprehensible to them and soon was revealed to them is now, of course, fully evident to us. For a little later He suffered, and they no longer saw Him. Again, a little while later, He rose, and they saw Him.

As for His saying, "You will see Me no more," by the word "no more" He wanted it to be understood that they would not see Him again in that way.

It seemed to the disciples that Jesus Christ was speaking some parable to them, as we also said in the interpretation of the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 26).

Or perhaps such incomprehension came upon them from great sorrow. Though they had heard this very often, they were so struck as if they had never heard anything of the kind.

The perplexity of the disciples, who tried to grasp the meaning of His words from their sensory point of view, gave occasion for this to be unfolded more fully.

He compared their present sorrow with the pains of a woman that precede birth. After this passing sorrow, a new spiritual birth will be revealed in them.

Now they are seized by sorrow, but He will see them again, and they will be filled with joy. Their joy will be imperishable.

Then they will no longer need His sensory presence in order to ask Him to explain something obscure to them, as they now need to question Him.

For then the Father Himself will give them all that they ask in the name of Jesus Christ. That is, He will give it no longer personally through someone else, but inwardly through the revelation of God.

Before this activity of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is revealed, the disciples face a separation painful to the heart from their beloved Teacher. This separation, however, will not last long. Christ will soon come to them again.

To the disciples' perplexed reflections about what the Lord's words meant, concerning His soon departure from them and coming to them, He answered that their inner state during separation from Jesus Christ would be as difficult as that of a woman giving birth.

For the world, however, this time would be a time of joy. Yet like a woman who has given birth, the disciples will be filled with unceasing joy when, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they see Jesus Christ with a pure, faithful spiritual eye, "because I go to the Father."

But they did not understand this clear indication. Some of them began to speak with one another, wondering what these words meant: “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me,” and “I go to the Father.”

Unable to resolve their perplexities, they ended with the admission: “We do not know what He is saying.”

This speech of the Lord seemed enigmatic to some of His disciples, and they were perplexed about the meaning of the words He had just spoken. The point of misunderstanding for them was the word "a little while" and the saying, "I go to the Father."

Here again one sees the imperfection of their spiritual understanding at that time. The Lord had already explained this to them in the same conversation, but they still did not understand.

Evidently they still held the prejudice concerning the Messiah's earthly kingdom. Some time earlier, in response to a similar saying of the Lord, one of the disciples had expressed this prejudice rather plainly (Jn 14:19-22).

Now some of the disciples express similar perplexity concerning similar words. The same prejudice again lies at its root.

But the Apostles, despite Christ’s repeated explanations of the nature, meaning, and significance of His departure to the Father, did not understand these words of the Savior.

They wished to express their perplexity to Christ, thereby showing how difficult it was even for them to grasp the mystery of mankind’s salvation through the death on the Cross of the Only-begotten Son of God.

Then the Lord Jesus Christ, without waiting for their question, explained more fully His words concerning His death and Resurrection.

If the disciples had firmly held in mind what the Lord had said to them earlier about His ascent and return to God the Father, His words would not have seemed dark to them.

But despite the fact that the Savior had spoken so clearly to them about His imminent death, the thought still came to them that He would not die a shameful death. Along with this, they forgot His prediction of His Resurrection.

"If we see You," they say, "where are You going? If You are going, how shall we see You?" This Jewish preconception of His visible glory was what now prevented them from understanding the Savior's words.

Alas, how many objects of faith and how many rules of evangelical life seem to us unclear or unconvincing only because our passions darken our sight of them.

How many doubts and difficulties are resolved by childlike simplicity of heart and mind.

The Lord lets the disciples understand that the separation from them will be brief, and that afterward He will remain with them continually. The disciples, however, did not understand the Lord's words; cf. Chrysostom, Homily 79 on John.

On this passage compare also Jn 14:19 and the study of that text. Before the Ascension, the Lord abides with the disciples in the flesh. Afterward He abides in the Spirit.

In the following verses, Jn 16:20-23, the Lord comforts the disciples by assuring them that their deep grief will be turned into joy, because the Lord goes to the Father.