Reflection on John 16:23-24 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR          

Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name, ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete (John 16:23-24)

Sisters and brothers, whenever you read the above gospel passage, how do you interpret it? What does it mean to you? Should we take it literally? Is Jesus really saying that whatever we ask the Father in his name we will receive, no matter what it is and no matter what we asked? This is one of those passages in the Bible that should not be interpreted literally. It requires a deeper reading and deeper interpretation. When I was growing up in Nigeria, I heard a story of a young man who went to his church, and after listening to his pastor, a Pentecostal pastor preach on the Gospel of Matthew 5:29-30: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and through it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna,” decided to apply the passage literally. When he got home, he attempted to chop off his genital because it was leading him to sin. 

Anyone who applies “…whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you,” literally will be disappointed. If you sit down and think about it, you will realize that there are some things you have asked the Father in the Name of Jesus that did not come to pass. There are things I had prayed for days, weeks, months, and years that the Father has not given me. Having said that, does it mean that Jesus lied to us? Not at all! Because “For however many are the promises of God their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Does it mean that we should stop praying? Not at all! Jesus urges us to pray always and not to lose heart (Luke 18:1). 

What I am about to share with you is how I read, interpret and understand “…whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” There are two ways I look at it. Firstly, in the passage, Jesus seems to display the great deal of trust and confidence he has in his disciples to do the right thing and to ask for the needful. It is the same faith he had in the woman caught in the act of adultery that moved him to say to her, “Go, and do not sin anymore.” Although the woman was considered loose and wayward, Jesus saw she has in her what it would take to fix and mend her life and to live better. So, in the passage, “…whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you” the good Lord appears to be demonstrating his abiding trust and confidence in us that we are not going to exploit his name for selfish purposes. Of course, a true and authentic disciple of Jesus will not exploit the name of Jesus for self-enrichment and self-aggrandizement. 

Secondly, in the passage the Lord seems to be saying: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name that is according to his will for you, he will give you.” How did I arrive at this? At the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed thrice to his Father and pleaded with him to remove and end his impending suffering, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…” but will always add, “yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39-44). In the end, what Jesus asked for was not granted. It was the Father’s will for him that ultimately prevailed. 

In conclusion, not everything you ask the Father in the name of Jesus will be given you. Even when the intention and petition is selfless and good, not every prayer made in the name of Jesus will be presented to you. Eventually, it is the Father’s will and purpose for you and me that will prevail. Bear in mind that the purpose of prayer is not to change the mind of God or to inform him about something he does not know. God is not like President Donald Trump of USA or President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria that we have to persuade to do something for us. God is rather a good and wonderful Father who wants nothing other than the best for us. He wants to give us only what he considers are the best for us. But I must warn you, sometimes what God gives us is not always what we want. The will of God for us is not always a bed of roses. Sometimes his will discomforts us. Learn from Jesus’ own experience. His Father’s will for him did not make him laugh, smile, jump, dance and celebrate. It brought so much pain and anguish on him. But in the end, it is the Father’s will that leads to glory and to the crown. 

If you did not get what you asked for, do not give up. Feel free to lament, complain, cry, grieve, and express your disappointment. Feel free to tell God how you feel. Express your disappointment to him. However, after the season of lamentation, do what Jesus did. Accept your lot and surrender to the Father’s will.