Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
What does John 16:24 mean?
Asking of the Father shows a sense of spiritual wants, and a desire of spiritual blessings, with conviction that they are to be had from God only.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside John 16:24-25 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on John 16:24
Hitherto - During his ministry, and while he was with them. Have ye asked ... - From the evangelists, as well as from this declaration, it seems that they had presented their requests for instruction and aid to Jesus himself. If they had prayed to God, it is probable that they had not done it in his name This great truth that we must approach God in the name of the Mediator was reserved for the last that the Saviour was to communicate to them. It was to be presented at the close of his ministry.
Key words
- Hitherto
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Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name,.
- asked
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Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name,.
- nothing
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Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name,.
Context in John 16
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John 16 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as passion, resurrection, and epilogue. John presents Jesus in contemplative, symbolic, and theological richness as the Word, Lamb, Light, Bread, Shepherd, Resurrection, Way, Vine, and Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of incarnation, life, and light in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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A guided collection of passages on God’s love, neighbor-love, steadfast covenant love, and the shape of love in Christian life.
Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on asking, persistence, confession, dependence, and the way prayer shapes Christian life and attention.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.