Study inJohn’s Gospel

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Joy in the MorningChap 16v16-22

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IntroductionAre you one of those people who always wake up in the morning with a cheery smile on your face? Do you think it is possible to experience joy in the midst of sadness or, put another way, can real joy come out of profound sadness? The key verse in our passage is v20: “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”

To what does Jesus refer? The first part of this passage speaks about “a little while” when the disciples will not see him and then, “again, a little while” after which they will see Him.

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IntroductionClearly the disciples struggled to place Jesus words in context and so ask v18, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."

And that might be your response too. Could there be intentional ambiguity in Jesus’ words? Here Jesus is talking about ‘a little while’, when he will not be seen, a time marked by sorrow, and then after that space of time, another time in which he will be seen again and which will therefore be joyful. How are we to understand this text?

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Death and ResurrectionFirst, these verses refer to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is trying to comfort his disciples on the eve of his arrest and separation from them. They are going to experience sorrow, but he wants to show that soon, following his resurrection, they will again be joyful.

You see Jesus was their friend and their love for him had grown out of his intense love for them. Yet despite all of this preparation in anticipation of his death, when he was suddenly taken from them and crucified, they were plunged into despondency and near disillusionment.

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Death and ResurrectionThere were many reasons for their sorrow. First, their loss was profoundly personal. Following Jesus was not simply one of several hobbies they had enjoyed. They had left everything to follow him! He had become the very centre of their lives and to lose that left an unimaginable vacuum within. It is similar to the kind of sorrow we have at the death of a loved one; yet even more intense. Why? Because their relationship with Jesus the Lord of Glory, transcended all mere human relationships.

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Death and ResurrectionSecondly, they would sorrow because of the world's attitude to Christ's crucifixion. Jesus alludes to this in v20, “you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices”. The disciples sorrow would be intensified because the world rejoiced because Jesus was no longer around to bother them.

The scribes and Pharisees, representing the spirit of the world, were actually rubbing their hands in glee. They would say, “At last we're rid of him; he won’t be exposing our faults anymore. Things will get back to normal now.” The sorrow of the disciples was intensified because of that.

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Death and ResurrectionThirdly, their sorrow would be made more acute because of disappointment. Think of the downcast disciples whom Jesus approached on the Emmaus Road. They utter one of the most poignant lines in Scripture, "but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" Luke 24v21. Their hopes for the future had been completely and comprehensively crushed.

The disciples experienced acute sorrow because of their loss, the joy of the world, and their personaldisappointments. Then came the resurrection, and their sorrow was changed into joy. Joy did not simply follow sorrow. No, the sorrow was itself changed into joy so that what had been the cause of their sorrow before was now in equal measure joyous.

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Death and ResurrectionBefore the resurrection, the death of Christ appeared to be a total tragedy. It was meaningless to the disciples because they did not understand that this was God's means of atonement for the sin of the world.

They were operating with tunnel vision. They looked at the cross and all they saw was the death of one they deeply loved. But when Jesus rose from the dead then they understood that the cross was not a tragedy but a triumph.

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Death and ResurrectionHave you noticed that whenever the disciples write about the cross of Christ from a post resurrection standpoint it is never referred to in a spirit of sadness or sorrow? Paul even speaks of the cross as his "glory" Gal. 6v14. And so should we!

If there were nothing but the crucifixion, then evil would have triumphed and we would think God outmanoeuvred, or powerless, or perverse or all three. But the resurrection brings a fresh understanding. We rejoice because the cross is now seen as a place of glorious triumph!

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Death and ResurrectionThis incidentally, is why Lent should not have the extraordinary and exaggerated character that it is given in some circles. For some it becomes a kind of mock funeral for Jesus in which they try to work themselves into a depressed state leading up to a funereal Good Friday. That is all artificial. There is nothing genuine about it.

For Jesus is living, not dead; and although we must of course remember the cross and its awful agony, we remember it too as that great act that procured our salvation, and we rejoice in it. And this should be equally true as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

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Spiritual SightSecondly, the text, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,” may refer to Pentecost. Jesus has been talking about the Holy Spirit’s convicting work in v7-11 and again in v12-15 it is the Holy Spirit who enables the apostles accurately to remember, understand, interpret, and record what Jesus had done.

This is the immediate context into which Jesus speaks. In other words, in the church age, the Holy Spirit will make the Lord Jesus visible to Christian people, not physically but spiritually. And he will do so primarily through the pages of scripture.

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Spiritual SightSomeone may say, “But I don’t see Jesus even in a spiritual way. I would like to see him, to feel him close, but he seems far away locked into a previous age of history.” If that’s your response, then you must alter your approach. The only way Jesus can be found in this age is through a study of scripture. This is the burden of this passage.

Moreover, it is not enough to study scripture as a mere academic discipline. We need to be prepared for a personal interaction with Jesus, which brings us face to face with his holiness and causes us to turn from our sinful selfish ways in order that we might go his way.

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Spiritual SightThis is what the author of Hebrews had in mind when he writes about “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” Heb.12.2. You see if being aware of Jesus can turn sorrow into joy in the present age, it must be based, first, upon our study of Scripture, and secondly, upon a deliberate rejection of anything that would hinder our discipleship.

This is extremely practical. If my sorrow is not being transformed into joy, then I must ask, “Am I seeking the Spirit’s help to find Jesus in scripture”, and secondly, “Am I prepared to obey scripture’s instruction even if that means letting go of the sin which has become a ball and chain around my ankle”.

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Spiritual SightPeter, writing to a church that had come through a variety of griefs, hardships and trials sums up their present experience in the following way, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy”. 1Pet.1v8

Interestingly, the verb “filled” is written in the present continuous tense indicating that this is not a once in a lifetime experience but an on-going one that flows from love which produces obedience and faith that lays hold of the truths of God’s Word.

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Our Blessed HopeFinally, our key text can also apply to the second coming of Jesus. Despite the glimpses of Jesus that the Holy Spirit brings to us through God’s Word there is still great cause for sorrow, because of disappointments, personal loss and sin that keep us from God. But that is not permanent! When Jesus returns our sorrow will be turned into eternal joy.

We tend to think that the return of Jesus has been prolonged - because we are locked in time! That is why the phrase "a little while" is so important. It reminds us that our present state is only temporary. It is short, and after it is over all present sorrows will be turned into joy.

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ConclusionThere is an obvious progression here of the revelation of Jesus Christ. First, the experience of the early disciples after the resurrection, - turning sorrow into joy - a revelation that went beyond anything that the disciples had previously known.

Secondly, there is the revelation of Jesus to his people during the church age. This is even better. Jesus said, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you”.

Jesus, by his Spirit is always with his people having made their hearts his permanent dwelling place!

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ConclusionFinally, there is that perfect revelation of Jesus when he returns in his glory at the end of time. What a day that will be! Sorrow will be a thing of the past and unending joy our certain future.

We should be preparing ourselves for that day. Our own personal relationship to and knowledge of Jesus should be growing. We should know him better this year than we did last year, and better next year than this year. That is what we should long for. Jesus experienced what he promised as he went to the cross. Grief, sorrow and suffering were for him transformed into great joy. Cf. Heb.12v2

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