Or, In a Little While Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy
Scripture: John 16:16-24
Date: December 15, 2013
Speaker: Sean Higgins
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As we near the end of John 16 the single most pivotal event in time would break in only a few hours. However ready the disciples felt to endure the world’s hate, they were even less prepared for Friday’s sorrows. Jesus’ crucifixion was unexpected, unbearable, and exactly what they needed. Their greatest sorrow would turn into their greatest joy, a storyline God continues to scribble all over history books.
On this final night before His death Jesus modeled love with a towel (13:1-20), He commanded His men to love like Him (13:31-35; 15:12-17), He explained love as fruit of abiding in Him (15:1-11), and He forewarned them about the world’s response to love like His (15:18-16:4). He repeatedly spoke to the disciples about the coming Helper who not only would convict the world of sin but who would also guide them in truth (16:5-15). Now Jesus reminds them that He’s leaving and prepares them for the ride.
There are four parts to this paragraph, one part question from the disciples and three parts reply from Jesus including an announcement, an analogy, and an assurance.
Though John kept the disciples quiet since Judas’ (not Iscariot) question in chapter 14:22, their confusion rippled up their throats into the open.
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “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 am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? (John 16:16–20, ESV)
The phrase little while comes up seven times in four verses. Jesus mentions it twice, the disciples quote Jesus in their questioning, even summarizing their ignorance as “What does he mean by ‘a little while’?” (verse 18). Then Jesus quotes them quoting Him in their questions. Little while, whatever it refers to, refers to something not a little important.
First, a little while and you will see me no longer. This little while belongs with the sorrow, weeping, and lament Jesus refers to in His reply (verses 20-22). This not seeing Him will be no good. It’s so not good that it can’t refer to His ascension (since that leads to the Helper’s coming) but to His murder. Jesus will be dead and gone.
Second, and again a little while and you will see me. This little while leads to the rejoicing and joy that Jesus also describes in His reply (again in verses 20-22). Seeing Him after this interlude will be all good. Likewise, this can’t be a reference to after the ascension (since they wouldn’t see Him when He was back in heaven) but to Sunday morning. Jesus will be raised and walking.
The disciples offer no comprehension as if they were putting together a spilled milk 1000 piece puzzle. So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us?” Their questions tied back to Jesus’ comment (as recent as verse 10) about “going to the Father.” Their own conclusion was that, We do not know that he is talking about. “We have no idea, He’s not making any sense.”
Why doesn’t Jesus just explain the whole thing, giving and hour by hour forecast for the weekend? Even in 16:25-33 when He stops using figures of speech, He still doesn’t tell them about Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Jesus knew that they were itching to ask and He started to scratch.
Moving away from the passing of time Jesus predicts their reactions.
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. (John 16:20, ESV)
Keep in mind that the disciples do not put together that Jesus is describing His death. They would put it together in “a little while” but not yet. By the time John writes and we read everything is clear to us, as hindsight usually is. Yet Jesus’ pre-nnouncement is no less certain beforehand.
Truly, truly, I say to you. With oath-like clarity, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. Weep, lament, sorrow, anguish: it’s bad. This sort of sobbing and wailing usually fit at a funeral. Jesus doesn’t explicitly say He’s going to die, but that is what He’s referring to.
Jesus’ death was no obscure thing. He didn’t die in His sleep in a distant place so that His enemies would be none the wiser. No, they would be wiseacres, taking credit for their righteousness, acting like they won, rubbing spite into the disciples’ wounds. From the disciples’ perspective, what didn’t appear to be defeat? The disciples would no longer have their Master, instead they would have the world’s scorn. Jesus wants them to have faith.
You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. This is the second “little while.” It wouldn’t feel short, not until after it was over. Not knowing how long adds to the foreverness. But here’s the gospel: sorrow turned to joy.
Here’s a reverse example. I remember in the early years of our marriage, I’m sure even back into our engagement days, Mo and I had a recurring conversation about exercise and weight loss. I wasn’t much of a fitness expert and I think I would often talk about turning fat into muscle; more sit ups turn flab into fab. She would faithfully clarify that fat does not turn into muscle. A man could lose fat and gain muscle, but he couldn’t turn one into the other.
This is not how Jesus describes sorrow to joy. The very thing that caused weeping will cause joy. The burden of grief itself builds gladness. Sorrow doesn’t subside with time; time is no savior. She may promise joy but she is powerless to produce it. The analogy in the next verse confirms the point.
Jesus paints a realistic and hopeful word picture.
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:21-22, ESV)
Giving birth hurts, or so I’ve heard. Though we live in the most advanced generation of pain-killers, even we cannot remove it all from labor and delivery and recovery. Can you imagine the typical first-century experience? When…her hour has come, when water has broken and contractions are firing, describing the birth pains as “natural” doesn’t seem to fit. God Himself inflicted this judgment before Eve could ever use her perfect birth plan.
But when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for the joy that a human being has been brought into the world. Exhausted, bleeding, hurting, the attitude of moms everywhere (typically) changes to relief and gladness. The bundle of pain has become the bundle of joy with the cutting of the cord.
To say that she no longer remembers does not mean that she contracts cervical amnesia. It means that the intensity shifts. Consuming pain births consuming joy, but history isn’t erased.
Glorified believers will sing over the Lamb standing as though it had been slain. Jesus rose from the dead but He didn’t remove His scars. Heaven will never forget. The crown of thorns, the nails and the cross, the burial are all graven in eternity. The sorrow—the unjust disbelief and mockery and torture and killing of Christ, is what provides our salvation. It is just as much a part of Jesus’ glory. There is no eternal life, no resurrection hope for us without the crucifixion. How else could we call that Friday, “Good”? So the cause of the disciples’ lament would be their very delivery.
How can loss be victory, bitter become sweet, pain blossom into praise? Some of the most amazing things come out of the absolute worst things. It is no more unreasonable than death bringing life.
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you. Jesus tells them, as of first importance, that He will see them again, not just that they would see Him again (another argument that this refers to His resurrection appearances and not His presence with them by Spirit). The phrase, your hearts will rejoice comes from Isaiah 66:14, where verses 7-14 promise peace like a river. No thief will rob this joy.
A significant door will have opened in this “little while” that the disciples will enter through.
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23–24, ESV)
It’s not the first time that Jesus told the disciples about prayer during this discussion. We’ve read, in fact, the sorts of profuse promises that make us uncomfortable (14:13, 14; 15:7, 16): ask anything, ask whatever. “He can’t mean that!” Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. We have trouble believing this sort of open-ended gratuity even with Jesus saying it five times.
Two different verbs are used for “asking” in verse 23. The first (from ἐρωτάω) may indicate an asking for information while the second (from αἰτέω) may indicate asking for help/resources. The disciples won’t ask Jesus to answer any more questions “then” because they’ll know, though they will continue asking the Father for their needs.
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. That is, they prayed like Jesus but not through Jesus. He taught them to pray to the Father, now He Himself brings them to the Father. The resurrection creates access. Once in Heaven He’d be their Advocate with the Father. (That cannot be said of Mary, or any apostle or church leader.)
Ask, and you will receive that your joy may be full. This picks up the abiding fruitfulness that fills us with Jesus joy (15:11). May be full is passive; He fills. Prayer is part of our receiving joyification and so is, in context, sorrow. Sorrow gets turned to joy. The cross is Jesus’ ghastly and glorious crown, both our sorrow and salvation.
Do you know His tune? God writes many of His songs and stories with key changes from sorrow to joy. What the disciples experienced in three days time, weeping to rejoicing, represents centuries of weeping and waiting in Israel that was about to birth in delivery. Though few sat so close to the edge as the disciples, the dawn of redeeming grace was rising for all God’s people.
The cross is the most critical turn of events ever. “Little while”s all over the place, whether three days or three generations or three millennia, God loves us to wait by faith, and He fills our hearts with joy un-steal-able and full of glee.
Can you wait for Him? Sometimes a few days make eternal difference. The “little while” may be a little longer than three days, can you wait anyway? Jesus could tell you exactly what will happen, and then you wouldn’t need to trust Him.
Are you hugging the turns? We will have an eternity to tell our stories of laboring lament and how Jesus turned them all to joy. We won’t forget the weeping, but we won’t whine about it either. We’ll remember the pain the right way, by rejoicing.