Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 16:25-27

"These things have I spoken unto you in dark sayings: the hour cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in dark sayings, but shall tell you plainly of the Father. In that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father." — John 16:25-27 (ASV)

But the time comes, when I will no longer speak to you in proverbs, but I will show you plainly of the Father. At that day you will ask in my name: and I do not say to you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

That is a very precious truth. While Jesus does pray to the Father for us, we are not to view that as if Christ's prayer made the Father love us. No. Not only is it not Christ's prayer that makes the Father love us, it is not even Christ's death that makes the Father love us. We often repeat that verse: –

"'Twas not to make the Father's love
Towards his people flame,
That Jesus, from the realms above,
On the kind errand came.
'Twas not the pangs that he endured,
Nor all the woes he bore,
That God's eternal love procured,
For God was love before."

It is an exposition and display of the Father's love; and the prayer of Christ, though blessedly useful, does not make the Father love us, or willing to grant the request. For the Father himself loves you. Notice the blessed condescension of Christ that he should mention his people's virtues. He says to these men who had been with him, who really did not seem to have loved him very much, and certainly were not very strong in faith, but were often in such a state of unbelief that he had to say, "Where is your faith?"

Yet he says, The Father himself loves you because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.