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John 16 · a question people ask

Jesus says, "none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’" (16:5). Hadn't they asked?

In the text

Earlier, "Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”" (13:36), and "Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”" (14:5). Here Jesus says, "But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’" (16:5), and goes straight on, "But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart" (16:6). These notes quote all three as the WEB has them and don't say how they fit together.

The verses

“Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards.””
John 13:36 · World English Bible
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?””
John 14:5 · World English Bible
“But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart.”
John 16:5-6 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of John 16

John 16: Sorrow turned into joy

"A little while" comes seven times in four verses (16:16-19), as some of his disciples ask one another what he means, and Jesus speaks of a woman giving birth and then says, "you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice" (16:22). In the Greek, the verb of "sorrow has filled your heart" (16:6) is the verb of "that your joy may be made full" (16:24).

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Last reviewed October 2, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions