And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
ask.
John 16:19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
John 13:36,37 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards…
John 14:5,22 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? …
Whatsoever.
John 14:13,14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son…
John 15:7,16 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you…
Isaiah 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
you will no longer ask Me anything.
Jesus indicates a shift in how His disciples will communicate with God. Previously, they relied on Jesus' physical presence to ask questions and seek guidance. After His ascension, they will have the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth (John 16:13), and they will pray directly to the Father.
Truly, truly, I tell you,
The double "truly" (amen, amen) emphasizes the certainty and importance of what Jesus is about to say. This phrase is used throughout the Gospels to highlight significant teachings of Jesus, underscoring His authority and the trustworthiness of His words.
whatever you ask the Father in My name,
Praying in Jesus' name signifies praying with His authority and in alignment with His will. It reflects a relationship with God that is mediated by Christ, who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). This concept is rooted in the understanding of Jesus as the High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).
He will give you.
This promise assures believers of God's willingness to respond to prayers that are in accordance with His will. It reflects the generosity and faithfulness of God, as seen throughout Scripture (James 1:5, 1 John 5:14-15). The assurance of answered prayer is contingent upon the alignment with God's purposes and the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life.
• Jesus looks beyond the cross to the era launched by His resurrection and the sending of the Spirit (John 14:20; Acts 2:32-33).
• “In that day” signals a brand-new covenant reality: believers indwelt by the Spirit enjoy direct, confident access to the Father through the finished work of Christ (Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 10:19-20).
• The phrase anchors the promise in real history—after the empty tomb and Pentecost, not in some vague future.
• While the disciples had peppered Jesus with questions (John 16:19), that dependence on His physical presence would shift.
• With the Spirit guiding them into all truth (John 16:13) and Christ serving as the one Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), they could approach the Father themselves.
• The line doesn’t forbid conversation with Jesus; it highlights that prayer now moves through Him to the Father, rather than through face-to-face inquiry as in the Gospels.
• Jesus doubles the “truly” to stamp the promise with absolute certainty (John 5:24; Revelation 3:14).
• He speaks as the incarnate Truth (John 14:6); what follows is guaranteed by the character of God, not the strength of our faith.
• “Whatever” is broad but not blank-check; the context of “in My name” narrows it to requests consistent with His person, purpose, and glory (John 14:13-14; 15:7).
• Praying in His name means:
– Trusting His merit, not ours (Hebrews 4:14-16).
– Seeking His will above our own (Luke 22:42).
– Aligning with His mission of bearing fruit that lasts (John 15:16).
• This clause invites us into partnership, not mere spectator status, in the unfolding plan of God.
• The Father’s generosity mirrors His nature (James 1:17) and His adoption of us as children (Romans 8:15-17).
• Other passages echo the promise: “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7), “whatever we ask we know that we have” (1 John 5:15).
• Answers may come as yes, no, or wait, yet every response flows from perfect wisdom and steadfast love (Psalm 84:11).
Jesus promises that once His saving work is complete and the Spirit is given, believers will enjoy direct access to the Father. Instead of relying on Jesus’ physical presence for answers, we pray through His name, confident that the Father hears and supplies all that serves His will and our good. John 16:23 calls us to Spirit-empowered, Christ-centered, expectant prayer, resting in the Father’s generous heart.
(23) And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.--Comp. Acts 1:6. The time here referred to is, as we have seen (John 16:16), the time of the gift of the Paraclete, who shall fully illumine them, so that they shall not need to ask the meaning of new thoughts and words as they have done hitherto. (Comp., e.g., the certain knowledge of Peter's speech in Acts 2. with the misunderstandings of these last days of the Lord's ministry.)Verily, verily, I say unto you.--Comp. John 1:51. As we have so often found, these words precede a truth of -weighty import.
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.--The more probable reading is, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father, He will give it you in My name. The thought is that the prayer is offered in Christ's name (comp. Note on John 14:13, and in this context John 16:24), and that the answer to every such prayer is in virtue of His name. The fact that we pray in His name makes it certain that the prayer will be answered. The fact that the prayer is answered is proof that it was in Christ's name. . . .
Verse 23. - And in that day - that long and blessed period beginning at the Resurrection with your vision of me, and being ever more and more enhanced in blessedness by your intense conviction that "I am with you" and "see you," though you see me not - in that day ye shall put me no question, as in the old method of confidential intercourse of man with man. That period passes away with this solemn night. Not in this way will the intercourse be carried forward. "That day" started from Easter morning, and it is not yet noon. Perhaps one reason for this statement is that the illumination of the Spirit would render such questioning unnecessary, but a more certain explanation is that they would themselves stand in new relations with the Father through him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever thing ye shall ask (αἰτήσητε) the Father, he will give it you in my Name. The modern editors, by placing the ἐν τῷ ονόματί μου ("in my Name") after δώσει ὑμῖν, or as Tischendorf (8th edit.), in a clause commencing with δώσει, suggest that in this particular clause the Name of Christ is not only the medium by which the disciples approach the Father (which is obvious enough from Ver. 24), but the manifestation and ministry by which not only is the prayer heard, but the gift or answer bestowed. As sentence after sentence follows, the disciples are led up to the heart of the Father himself.