All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shew it unto you. (16) A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. (17) Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us? A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? (18) They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. (19) Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? (20) Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (21) A woman, when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And y e now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. (23) And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. (24) Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. (25) These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. (26) At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: (27) For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. (28) I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
In what a full and comprehensive manner the Lord Jesus here speaks, at the opening of this paragraph, in relation to the common interest and property the Father and himself possessed in all things; and which included in it, all the persons of his Church and people. And, Reader! what a sweet thought is it for you, for me, for the whole Church, to keep in everlasting remembrance; that both the persons and the things which Christ takes such interest in, for his Church's present and eternal welfare, are as much the Father's, and in which He takes equal regard with that of his Son; Oh! for grace to know this, and to live in the constant enjoyment of it!
I beg the Reader particularly to notice, what the Lord Jesus hath here said concerning prayer. He first observes, that at that day, ye shall ask me nothing. Not that he meant to discourage their coming to him in prayer, but rather on the contrary, for he soon after adds: Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. But according to my view, it forms a beautiful and an affectionate method of Jesus, to invite them to be very often making their requests known unto him. He had just before said, that he was going away from them; that they should weep and lament, while the world would rejoice. Well! how will the Lord keep up their spirits during these exercises? This shall be the way. At that day you shall ask me nothing, but what I have already outrun your expectations in giving; agreeably to that sweet promise, Isaiah 65:24. It is as if Jesus had said, I shall be so much with you in spirit by the Holy Ghost, whom I am going away to send to you, and he will endite all your petitions for you, in teaching you what your wants are, and my fulness to supply; that I shall be daily expecting to hear from you, and in comparison to what I expect to hear from you, hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; Ask, therefore, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full,
And I pray the Reader to observe yet further, in confirmation, that this was Christ's meaning; that they should be frequent and clamorous at the mercy seat; I say not unto you that I will pray for you, (said Christ), for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. What a tender, blessed method, was here of Jesus, in shewing them how his whole heart was with them, and that he took part in all that concerned them. Jesus did not mean to say, that his office of Intercessor would cease when he got to heaven. So far from it, that it was one of the great purposes for which he was going there. Jesus would bear them unceasingly upon his breast, and upon his heart, as the Jewish high priest bore the names of the twelve tribes, when he went in before the mercy-seat. But saith Jesus, my Father takes such an interest, as well as myself, in all that concerns you, that all your causes and interests must be eternally safe and secure. Reader! put the whole of those words of Jesus together, and look at them in one united view. I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you. I need not say it. You know it. You know my whole heart is with you. Nay, if I leave you, it is on this very account, to carry up everything that concerns you before my Father, and to see the whole of my grand designs for which I came on earth, accomplished for you. And moreover, though I shall unceasingly be thus engaged for you in heaven, in my office of an unchanging priesthood; yet such is my Father's love to you, because ye have loved me, that whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you. So that your persons and your concerns are everlastingly secured, both in my Father's love and mine. And I will send the Holy Ghost, who shall not only act in my place and room, and shew you all your wants and my glory, with my infinite readiness to supply; but He shall endite all the letters and petitions you send me, and such a blessed intercourse shall be kept up between me and you, by reason of these things, that what He teacheth you to pray for upon earth, shall be in exact correspondence to my intercession for you in heaven. Reader! what saith your heart's joy to this view of the subject? Have you so learned Christ, and heard him, and been taught of Him, as the truth is in Jesus? Ephesians 4:20-21.