John 16:3 (ASV)

Passage

And these things will they do, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Nearby Context

John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be caused to stumble.

John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you shall think that he offereth service unto God.

John 16:3 And these things will they do, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

John 16:4 But these things have I spoken unto you, that when their hour is come, ye may remember them, how that I told you. And these things I said not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you.

John 16:5 But now I go unto him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "things", "known", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "things" and "known", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "They shall put you out of the..." into verse 4's "But these things have I spoken unto...", so "things" and "known" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "things" and "known" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.