John 16:29-33 NRSVue
29His disciples said, “Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! 30Now we know that you know all things and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” 31Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33I have said this to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world!”
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Reflection on John 16:29-33
Inspiration from 2026-05-18 Daily Prayer
The disciples often found themselves in the firing line and, despite the reassurance they received from Jesus – not to mention the evidence they witnessed by means of his teaching and good works – they frequently displayed a fairly tenuous grasp of the faith they were being taught. Jesus spoke the truth to them plainly, but that did not guarantee acceptance on their part. We know that we, too, are bull-headed and slow to comprehend, but we ask you, Lord, to help us have conviction about what we have heard and to witness to it in the culture in which we operate today.
Further reflection
There is a slightly manic tinge about the disciples' speech. Jesus looks into their hearts and brings them back to the grim realities that he and they face. He knows how they will fail - you will leave me alone - and he loves them as they are, promises them peace, and urges them to courage.
Lord you have no illusions about my fallible heart but you promise peace to me too.
These words of Jesus are the foundation and basis for Christian hope. Our hope in life is based on the victory of Jesus over death, and on his ongoing presence in our lives. His is a saving and energising presence, and it gives the courage and conviction we develop in prayer. He has conquered anything that can make for discouragement and despair.
We are brought back to the events which would result in the crucifixion. To remember this central mystery is life-giving as it gives hope and courage to the disciples in their times of persecution. The conviction that the Father is with Jesus always is shared with all of us - God is always with us, always near, always on our side.
The prospect of being alone was not daunting to Jesus; he knew that his Father was with him. I pray that I may grow in awareness of God's presence to me, of God's indwelling in me.