Jesus next turned the disciples' attention from the Spirit's future ministries to His own reappearance.
16:16 As the following verses show, Jesus was referring here to His imminent departure in death and His return to the disciples shortly after His resurrection. The first "little while"was only a few hours in duration, and the second "little while"was only a few days. Other returns that Jesus had mentioned in this discourse included His return in the person of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and His bodily return at the Rapture.
16:17-19 This announcement prompted the disciples to voice their confusion again (cf. 13:36; 14:5, 8, 22), though this time they kept quizzing (Gr. imperfect tense) one another rather than Jesus. They still did not understand what He meant by His departure (cf. v. 12). Evidently they did grasp that Jesus had been talking about returning to His Father (14:28), but how could He do that and then reappear in a little while?
Jesus' references to "a little while"especially perplexed them (v. 18). The fact that John recorded the repetition of "a little while"five times in these three verses shows that he regarded it as very significant.
16:20 Again Jesus did not answer the disciples' question directly because they would not have been able to understand Him if He had (v. 12). What He did say was very important, however, as His introductory asseveration indicated.
Jesus' departure would mean great sorrow for His disciples but great joy for the world. This was the condition when Jesus died on the cross. Later the disciples' sorrow would turn to joy. This was the result of Jesus' resurrection (20:20). Some commentators viewed the second part of this verse as referring to the Lord's return at the end of the age. However what Jesus said about the disciples being essentially joyful during the inter-advent period argues against this view (15:11).
16:21 Jesus compared how the disciples would feel to the feelings of a pregnant woman at her delivery. This was an Old Testament illustration of how God's people would feel when Messiah appeared (cf. Isa. 22:2-3; 26:16-21; 66:7-14; Jer. 13:21; Mic. 4:9-10). Jesus again used the word "hour"(Gr. hora, 2:4; et al.) to focus the critical time of both painful experiences, His death and the woman's delivery. What issues from the painful experience is so wonderful, in both cases, that the resulting joy replaces the former sorrow.
16:22 Jesus applied the illustration to His disciples. Their sorrow had already begun with the news of His departure. Yet He would return to them. Jesus again stressed that the initiative rested with Him. The joy that that reunion would kindle within them would remain in them in spite of the persecution that Jesus had predicted they would encounter (cf. Isa. 66:14).
16:23 The context indicates that the day in view is the time when the disciples' joy would have become full. That would be after Jesus' resurrection and ascension. The disciples would ask Him no questions then because He would be bodily absent from them. They would have to request answers to their questions from the Father in prayer.
Jesus encouraged the disciples to ask the Father for whatever they needed, however. He did this by repeating His promise that the Father would grant petitions that they would offer "in Jesus' name"(cf. 14:13-14; 15:16).
Some commentators made much of the two different Greek words for asking in this verse. The first one that occurs, erotao, usually means to ask a question, whereas the second one, aiteo, means to ask for something. However, John often used erotaoto describe asking for something (4:31, 40, 47; 14:16; 16:26; 17:9). Consequently we should probably not make too much of this difference. John frequently used synonyms.
16:24 The disciples had not appealed to the Father in Jesus' name before now. As Old Testament believers, they had undoubtedly grounded their petitions on God's promises in the Old Testament. However the entrance that Jesus now gave them with the Father would assure an even warmer response to their prayers than Old Testament saints received.
Jesus urged His disciples again to ask the Father. The verb in the Greek text is a present imperative (aiteite, from aiteo). He also gave them assurance that they would receive what they requested "in His name"(cf. 1 John 5:14-15). The consequence of answered prayer would be fullness of joy for them (cf. 15:11; 16:22).
Jesus brought many of the themes of chapter 15 together in this concluding promise: loving obedience, asking, receiving, joy, and fruit-bearing.
