John 16:18

They said, therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he saith.

Of deep significance is the fact of the apostles' timidity and trepidation as they hesitated to ask a question of the Saviour with whom they had been intimate companions such a long time. This deep reverence and reluctance on their part contrasts with the free and easy familiarity of some whose very prayers seem to be saying, "Look, Old Buddy, Buddy, we want you to bless us."

The question troubling the apostles was the apparently contradictory statements (1) that Jesus would go to the Father, and (2) the declaration that "in a little while" they should see him. It should be observed that the statement of Jesus, "Because I go to the Father," in the previous verse was actually quoted from his words in John 16:10. The proximity of those two seemingly irreconcilable statements added to their doubt as to what Jesus meant.