John 16:3 (KJV)

Passage

And these things will they do unto you, 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 offended.

John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

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

John 16:4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

John 16:5 But now I go my way to 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 told you...", 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.