John 16:16-24 Sorrow Will Turn to Joy
“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”
Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me;’ and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”
Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me’? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” Jesus is striding across the Kidron Valley, teaching his disciples as he walks. But the disciples are baffled. Jesus appears to be speaking riddles, and frankly, they are emotionally exhausted, fearful, and in no mood for playing guessing games. If Jesus wants to warn them of something, why doesn’t he just come out and say it plainly, for goodness’ sake?
Jesus speaks in this fashion because he is speaking for two audiences. Jesus wants to inform the disciples; however, Jesus is also speaking for the ages, for all believers who will come after the disciples.
“Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me’? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.”
Jesus knows that the disciples are about to undergo one of the severest tests possible; they are about to witness him being arrested and dragged off to be interrogated, mocked, beaten, and crucified. The disciples are about to have their earthly hopes crushed into smithereens. While the disciples are grieving, the Roman governor and the religious leaders will be rejoicing in the idea that they have summarily eliminated yet another pretentious rebel. The Jewish religious authorities will be sighing with relief that they have succeeded in convincing the Romans that they are peacefully subjugated and pose no threat at all to the mighty Roman Empire. Those acting on behalf of Rome will be relieved that they can maintain their lucrative positions without threats of deposition.
While a woman is in labor, the pains continue to increase in frequency and severity until they become so urgent that the woman must push. But when the woman pushes, the baby is born and the pains cease. When the mother hears her baby crying and knows that all is well, she rejoices in the birth of her child and forgets all her suffering for joy that her baby has been born healthy. Jesus is advising his disciples that although they are about to suffer many things as they watch him die, he will return and nobody will be able to separate him from the disciples.
As Jesus and the disciples continue on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, it’s likely that the disciples have no idea what is about to happen. Buoyed by the successful entry into Jerusalem, the disciples might console themselves with the idea that the crowds will never allow Jesus to be hurt, let alone to be crucified. But the disciples are profoundly in a state of denial. The disciples refuse to realize that the Jewish religious leaders are sneaky and that they will arrest Jesus by night and drag him away secretly while most of those who have supported him are asleep. The disciples also refuse to consider that the Jewish religious leaders might be so desperate that they will conspire with the Roman leaders for the sake of maintaining the status quo. Finally, the disciples remain certain that Jesus as the Son of God can always call down legions of angels to protect him, never realizing that Jesus will refuse to do so.
As Jesus and the disciples continue to walk, let’s consider a few things. We always think that Jesus’ temptations that night only begin once he has entered the Garden of Gethsemane and has begun to pray; however, Jesus knows exactly what’s about to happen. The temptation to call on divine help for deliverance is something with which Jesus has been battling for days, perhaps even weeks. While Jesus knows he must die for the sins of the world, the human part of him doesn’t like suffering any more than any other man would. Then there’s the temptation to be better understood. The disciples are clueless when it comes to facing the reality of Jesus’ upcoming death; they are struggling to avoid thinking about it. The longer Jesus tries to teach the disciples about what’s coming, the more they try to deny it, leaving Jesus increasingly isolated.
Step away from this scene for a moment and consider something: When Jesus tries to show you a difficult truth, do you shy away and try to avoid facing it? If someone whom you have trusted proves false, do you face that fact and intercede for them, or do you attempt to deny the reality of the situation in hopes that it will improve on its own without any effort from you? When God is trying to show you that a situation has changed and that you need to be on your guard, do you argue with the Holy Spirit, insisting that things aren’t as bad as they seem? Do you oppose evil or do you try to compromise?
The Apostle John has faithfully recorded everything that Jesus said that night and everything that happened. But at the time Jesus was saying these things, John might not have understood anything more than any of the other disciples.
The question for us today is this: Are there people or problems for which God wants you to intercede and you have been refusing to do so? Are you complaining about suffering without asking God how He wants you to pray? Are you even part of a problem? May God help us, so that we remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit and intercede when He wants us to do so. May we face unfortunate facts and be willing to trust God to see us through difficult situations!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to listen to Your Holy Spirit as He leads us into all truth. And help us to remain faithful and fearless. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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