Just after the disciples declare that they now understand, Jesus predicts that an hour is coming when they will be scattered, 'every man to his own,' leaving him alone.
Jesus in Context
You Shall Be Scattered, Every Man to His Own
Jesus predicts that the disciples will scatter 'each to his own,' language that evokes retreat to one's own place or concerns as the group collapses under the pressure of his arrest.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
The expression translated 'to his own' uses language that can refer to what belongs to a person—his own home, people, or affairs—without specifying one identical destination for every disciple. The image is social disintegration: the close group that has traveled with Jesus will break apart when danger arrives. The Synoptic Gospels similarly connect the arrest with the scattering of the disciples.
Why It Matters
The idiom makes the prediction concrete. The disciples' confidence at the supper will not survive the immediate crisis.
Yet Jesus says he is not truly alone because the Father is with him, so the collapse of human companionship does not mean abandonment by God.