John 16:25-28 25These things I have spoken to you in a figurative way; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in a figurative way, but I will proclaim to you plainly about the Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. 28I came from the Father and have come into the world; now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
Much of what Jesus said at the supper was confusing to the disciples because they had not yet experienced the power of the cross and resurrection. The word figurative (paroimiais) can mean a proverb, something unclear, or cryptic that requires deeper thought or experience to understand. The opposite is to speak plainly (parrēsia) or openly so people understand and can respond appropriately. For those with faith, what Jesus said makes sense, though it might be challenging to put the pieces together and even more difficult to live out his teachings. The disciples, however, would need to go through their trial of the coming days and then witness the resurrected Jesus. This experience would be solidified even further when the Holy Spirit came on them in power to teach them the meaning of what Jesus said. The cross would not make sense to them until after the resurrection. Jesus’ words about the Father’s plan seem clear to the modern reader, but we read the story back through the cross. The disciples did not have that privilege, and so they struggled to piece it all together.
Verse 26 introduces the new situation for the disciples. Before this, Jesus had been the one praying for them, serving as their representative to the Father. But when that day comes, they could go directly to the Father because they would be praying in the same way Jesus had. Verse 27 gives the reason behind the new situation. It was the Father all along who had shown his love to the disciples. All of this was his plan. These verses do not mean that Jesus never intercedes again but that the disciples would find themselves in a new situation because they would be praying in his name, the exalted name of Jesus, who gave himself as an expression of the Father’s love.
This new situation is available to all who are like the disciples and love and believe in Jesus. By loving Jesus and believing that he is the perfect revelation of God’s love, we position ourselves in alignment with who Jesus is and are then in the right place to ask anything in his name. Without love for Jesus or believing in him, our prayers will not be answered because we are not “in his name.” Verse 28 restates the central confession of faith the disciples must have. This verse gives what to believe. The whole gospel story is about coming and going. Jesus came to reveal God’s love for the world. Everything he did was in accordance with the Father’s will and character. Jesus would also return to the Father, from whom he came, as the exalted Lord, victorious over sin and death. This verse expresses the great parabola of divine love.
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