Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 16:32

"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and [yet] I am not alone, because the Father is with me." — John 16:32 (ASV)

Jesus is skeptical of the firmness of the disciples’ avowed belief, for he knows about their impending failure (already expressed about Simon Peter in 13:37; cf. Matthew 26:33–35; Mark 14:29–31). “You will leave me all alone” reveals Jesus’ disappointment and emotional tension. The sympathy and support of these men, imperfect as they are, means much to him. Nevertheless, his chief resource is the Father, whose purpose he has come to fulfill and by whose power he is able to execute it.