John 16:25 (KJV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

John 16:23 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.

John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

John 16:25 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.

John 16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:

John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "things", "spoken", "proverbs", "time", "cometh", "shall", and "speak". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "things" and "spoken", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my..." into verse 26's "At that day ye shall ask in...", so "things" and "spoken" 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 "spoken" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.