Warning of Persecution
"I have shared all of this with you to keep you from losing your faith when trouble comes. The religious leaders will throw you out of their synagogues and ban you from worship. Even worse, the time is coming when people will murder you, believing they are doing something good for God. They will treat you this way because they have never truly known the Father or me. I am telling you about these future troubles now so that when they happen, you will remember my words and be prepared. I didn't warn you about these things earlier because I was still here with you."
Jesus' Departure and the Coming of the Spirit
Now I am returning to the One who sent me here, but none of you are asking me where I'm going. Instead, your hearts are heavy with sadness because of what I've told you. But I'm telling you the truth—it's actually good for you that I'm leaving. The Helper cannot come to you unless I go away first, but when I do leave, I will send him to you. When the Helper arrives, he will prove to the world that it is wrong about sin, about what is right, and about judgment. He will show that the world is wrong about sin because people don't believe in me. He will show what true righteousness looks like because I am going back to my Father and you won't see me anymore. And he will show that judgment is real because the ruler of this world has already been condemned. I still have so much more to teach you, but right now you're not ready to handle it. But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you step by step into all truth. He won't speak his own ideas—he will only tell you what he hears from the Father, and he will help you understand what's coming in the future. The Spirit will bring honor to me by taking the things that belong to me and explaining them to you. Everything the Father has belongs to me as well. This is why I told you that the Spirit will take what is mine and make it clear to you.
The Disciples' Sorrow Will Turn to Joy
Jesus told his followers, "Soon you won't see me anymore, but then after a short time, you will see me again." Some of his disciples turned to each other, confused. They whispered among themselves, "What does he mean when he says, 'Soon you won't see me, and then after a short time you will see me again'? And what does he mean about going to the Father?" They kept asking each other, "What does he mean by 'a short time'? We don't understand what he's talking about." Jesus knew they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you wondering among yourselves about what I meant when I said, 'Soon you won't see me, and then after a short time you will see me again'? I'm telling you the truth—you will cry and mourn while the world celebrates. You will be filled with grief, but that grief will turn into joy. "When a woman is giving birth, she suffers pain because her time has come. But once her baby is born, she forgets all her suffering because of her joy that a child has come into the world. Right now you have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with joy—a joy that no one can ever take away from you. "When that day comes, you won't need to ask me questions anymore. I'm telling you the truth—whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you haven't asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy will be complete."
Jesus Speaks Plainly About the Father
Jesus continued speaking to his disciples: "I have been teaching you through stories and symbolic language, but a time is coming when I won't need to speak in riddles anymore. I will tell you directly and clearly about the Father. When that day comes, you will pray using my name and authority. I'm not saying I will have to plead with the Father for you, because the Father himself already loves you deeply. He loves you because you have loved me and believed that I truly came from God. I came from the Father into this world, and now I will leave this world and return to the Father." When Jesus finished speaking, his disciples responded with excitement: "Now you're talking plainly! You're not using puzzling stories anymore. Now we can see that you know everything—you don't need anyone to ask you questions because you already understand what's in our hearts. This proves to us that you really did come from God."
Jesus Predicts the Disciples' Desertion
"Do you really believe now?" Jesus asked them. "Listen, the time is coming—in fact, it's already here—when all of you will run away and scatter to your own homes, leaving me completely alone. But I won't truly be alone, because my Father is with me. I'm telling you all this so you can find peace in me. You're going to face trouble and suffering in this world. But don't lose heart—I have defeated the world!"