John 16:23 (DRB)

Passage

And in that day you shall not ask me any thing. Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you.

Nearby Context

John 16:21 A woman, when she is in labour, hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

John 16:22 So also you now indeed have sorrow: but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice. And your joy no man shall take from you.

John 16:23 And in that day you shall not ask me any thing. Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you.

John 16:24 Hitherto, you have not asked any thing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive; that your joy may be full.

John 16:25 These things I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour cometh when I will no longer speak to you in proverbs, but will shew you plainly of the Father.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "So also you now indeed have sorrow..." into verse 24's "Hitherto you have not asked any thing...", so "shall" and "amen" 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 "shall" and "amen" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.