John 16:23 verse overview

We continue with our look at John 16:22-28.  The entire section overview can be found here.

And the verse overview of John 16:22 can be found here.

John 16:23          

"In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you."  (John 16:23)

Grammatical Considerations

Future tense:  "In that day"-What Jesus is referring to in this verse will happen at a later date from the time He spoke these words to His apostles.  These conditions would not occur until they saw Him again, after His resurrection. (direct context from John 16:22 )  Also see John 20:20, where the apostles do indeed rejoice when they see the risen Christ!

What will happen:  The apostles (and in the future, us!) will now ask nothing of Jesus!  We will now be able to ask the Father!  The day of which Jesus speaks is the day of His resurrection. (again see John 20:20)  And from that day on, those that have already and will eventually, believe on Him have a different relationship with the Father.  (Heb 10:19-23)

Jesus also makes it clear that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus' name we will receive!  And this is a tricky issue!  It could almost be seen as a blank check in the form of prayer! But it is not.  (more on this later)

Important terms

All definitions were culled from the Complete Word Study Dictionary from AMG Publishers and/or

Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary.

 

 

ask:

• E-Sword concordance search-- Mat 6:8  Mat 7:7  Mat 7:11  Mat 21:22  Mar 11:24  Luk 11:9       Joh 14:13-14  Joh 15:7  Joh 15:16  Jas 1:5-6  Jas 4:2-3  1Jn 3:22  1Jn 5:14-16  
• Definition--To request, beseech, sometimes even demand.

give-bestow upon:

• E-Sword concordance search--Luk 12:32  Joh 10:28  Joh 14:27  Rom 8:32
• Definition--anything,anything at all  (or something of consequence)

in My name:

• Definition--Of Christ the Messiah as where His name is said so as to be honored, revered. believed on.  When something is done in His name, meaning in and through Him and through FAITH in Him.  Implying authority...to come or do something in or by the name of someone (in this case Jesus!)  By praying in his name we are acknowledging Jesus' authority and lordship.  
• Also to invoke
• Further cross references:   Many references where the apostles have questions for Jesus.  This verse is Jesus telling them they will not have questions any longer on the day they see Him again (His resurrection).  Isa 65:24  Mat 21:22  Heb 10:19-23  Heb 7:25-26  Col 3:17  Heb 10:19-23     

As mentioned above John 16:23  almost sounds like a blank check!  But it is not!

James 1:5-7  makes it clear that faith is of the utmost importance:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  (James 1:5)

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  (James 1:6)

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  (James 1:7)

he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  (James 1:8)

And if one truly has faith and has accepted Jesus as his or her Savior and Lord then he or she will meet the conditions set forth in James_4:3-4:

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  (James 4:3)

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  (James 4:4)

 
1John 5:15-16 also clarifies that we should ask according to God's will:

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  (1 John 5:14)

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.  (1 John 5:15)

To truly ask in Jesus' name with a sincere and humble spirit is what God wants.  When we ask only for our own gain or as James states-"passions", we are already on the wrong path.  

More cross references on prayer:

Mark 11:24  (faith is important in prayer)    James 4:1-5    James 1:5   (we need to see God as desiring to bless)   John 3:9  (we must know that God is free to respond to persons as He wishes)

Patience and persistence is required in prayer: Luke 18:1-7 

Some prayers are unanswered or denied in light of an eventual greater good.  In 2Co 12:7-9  Paul uses his own example to help teach us this fact.

Prayer should be seen as a dialogue according to the Holman Bible Dictionary.

Summation:  We do not need for Jesus to ask the Father on our behalf any longer  Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and resurrection (and our belief and acceptance of this fact) have made it possible to talk directly to the Father without an intercessor.  The chasm between God and man has been repaired. (See all of Romans for a discussion of this doctrine)  Jesus interceded for us once and for all when He died willingly on the cross and then rose again on the third day.  Now we can ask (and speak to) the Father directly 

Hebrews 10:19-23  Sums this up nicely:     

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,  (Hebrews 10:19)

by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,  (Hebrews 10:20)

and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  (Hebrews 10:21)

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  (Hebrews 10:22)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  (Hebrews 10:23)

Until next time!!

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."