Your Sorrow Will Turn to Joy

A befuddled bunch

A little while

You will not see me

You will see me

The confusion

A Messiah who leaves his followers makes no sense

Why would He leave them after all this time?

What would cause Him to leave them?

A Messiah who dies is unthinkable

Wouldn’t He be the conquering king to restore Israel?

Wouldn’t He live in power rather than die in shame?

Proof that they cannot bear it all now

Vv.12-13

He knows what is best for them even when they don’t understand

He does the same for you

Psalm 103:13-14- As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Even when He withholds things for our good, He always gives what we need

What does He mean?

Two interpretations:

His ascension and second coming

“Not see me” would refer to His ascension to heaven

“See me” would refer to His return

He has just referred to the Holy Spirit’s coming

This is the strongest support for this view

His death and resurrection

“Not see me” would refer to His death

“See me” would refer to His post-resurrection time with them

The focus of His discourse has shifted away from the Holy Spirit in verse 16

Verse 32 sheds light on what will happen when they don’t see Him

Verse 20 foretells their sorrow and lament while the world rejoices- this is the crucifixion

This is the preferred interpretation

Weeping turned to joy

Giving birth as a parable

This is common in the OT

Isaiah 26:16-19- Bible

Weeping turns to joy in Christ’s resurrection

He did not stay dead

He came back to life and overcame sin and death

The pain and suffering reaped a harvest of victory and healing

1 Corinthians 15:55-57- “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rejoice in the resurrection!

Weeping turns to joy in Christ’s return

He ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God

Romans 8:34- Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

He will certainly come back for His people to exact judgment, establish righteousness and justice, and to make all things new in glorious fullness

Revelations 21:1-5- Bible

No one will take your joy from you

They can take a lot from you

Social standing

Possessions

Jobs

Freedom

Your life

No one can ever take our joy from us

Take heart, for you have the greatest treasure of all: Jesus Christ

The upside-down joy of the world

The world loved to watch Him die

They continue to love the sin for which He gave His life

They find a superficial and momentary joy in that which is false and fleeting

It is impossible that the world will ever know true joy

Do you know this joy in Jesus?

Everything has changed

In that day

The already-not yet of the Gospel

“That day” is ushered in by Jesus’ death and resurrection

“That day” will not know its fulfillment and conclusion until He comes again

Ask and you will receive

Joy

Joy is meant to permeate the life of every believer

Faithfulness to Jesus is not boring or drudgery

It is the most wonderful experience of soul-satisfying joy in the universe

The dawn of a new day of prayer

In Jesus’ name

2 Corinthians 1:20- For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Ask Him to make your joy full

Ask Him to fill you with the exceeding joy of Jesus

He is lavish in His loving willingness to give it

Walk in the joy that He gives

Look forward to the joy that will be yours forever

Psalm 16:11- You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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Have you ever had a time in your life when you were so confused about something that it felt like you couldn’t make up or down of it? You tried and tried but couldn’t connect the dots, or maybe you simply didn’t have categories in your mind for what you heard or saw. This is the situation that the disciples find themselves in here this morning. Jesus now shifts the focus of the conversation away from the sending of the Holy Spirit after His departure to the departure itself. As He makes this shift, Jesus says something that causes the disciples to become one befuddled bunch.

A befuddled bunch

Jesus says “a little while” two times and it throws them for a loop. First, He says a little while and you will not see me. He has been preparing them for His departure for a while now, but it has been in more indirect ways. Now He tells them something a little different. He not only says that they will soon see Him no longer, but then He says “again a little while and you will see me.” Apparently, He will soon be back after He leaves them. These two “a little while” statements cause the disciples to spin in circles.

The confusion is evident right away in verse 17. They look at each other and say “what is this that He says?” They do not understand or even have the categories in their minds to understand what He is speaking of. A Messiah who leaves his followers makes no sense. Why would He leave them after all this time? What would cause Him to leave them? Is He abandoning them? Not only this, but a Messiah who dies is unthinkable. It seems that they still do not have a real grasp on what Jesus has been teaching them about His death. Wouldn’t He be the conquering king to restore Israel? After all, He did feed 5,000 men miraculously and calm the stormy sea and heal the lame and blind. Wouldn’t He live in power rather than die in shame? A dead Savior makes no sense to them at all. And let’s just step back to recognize that it wouldn’t make sense to us either. We know much more now than they knew at this moment, and we should not project our knowledge of what happened onto them. And, to be honest, even knowing the completed story still doesn’t mean that Jesus’ statement isn’t confusing.

It is worth noting that this is proof that they cannot bear it all now just as Jesus told them in verses 12-13. He knows their capacities and weaknesses. He knows what is best for them even when they don’t understand what He is doing or why. He could have simply sat them down and explained in great direct detail all that was about to happen, but He didn’t because He knew they could not bear it now. He does the same for you in your life. He knows your limits and weaknesses and capacities and acts in compassion toward us just as the Psalmist says in Psalm 103:13-14- As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Even when He withholds things for our good, He always gives what we need. He acts in love toward us and gives us all that we need for life and godliness.

So, back to Jesus’ confusing “a little while” statements. What does He mean? There are two interpretations of what He means. The first interpretation is that He is referring to His ascension and second coming. In this view, “not see me” would refer to His ascension to heaven. “See me,” then, would refer to His return at the second coming. Probably the best support for this view is that He has just referred to the Holy Spirit’s coming, and He made clear that this will not happen until after He returns to the Father. The second interpretation is that He is speaking of His death and resurrection. In this view, “not see me” would refer to His death and His 3 days in the tomb. This means that “see me” would refer to His post-resurrection time with them. I think that this second interpretation is probably best for two reasons. Verse 16 subtly accounts for a shift in the focus of His discourse away from the Holy Spirit to His departure. The departure played a supporting role in the previous passages, but now it has become the central focus. Also, the strongest evidence for this view is that Verse 32 sheds light on what will happen when they don’t see Him- they will be scattered. This is undoubtedly speaking of their scattering after His arrest. And finally, He says in verse 20 that they will weep but the world will rejoice. This also is almost certainly speaking of His death. But after He has been raised from the dead, they will rejoice with great joy.

Weeping turned to joy

To expound on this weeping and lamenting that will be turned to joy, He uses the picture of birth as a parable. This is very common in the Old Testament. For example, the clearest parallel to our passage is Isaiah 26:16-19, which says- O Lord, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them. Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord; we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen. Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Weeping turns to joy in Christ’s resurrection because He did not stay dead. Yes, to be sure there was weeping and mourning and lament. In fact, the day Christ died was the darkest day in history filled with the greatest sin ever committed. However, the darkness of that day did not have the last say. He came back to life and overcame sin and death. He accomplished that for which He came and gave us exactly what we needed most- life. Suffering gave way to newness of life just as the pain of childbirth gives way to new life. The pain and suffering reaped a harvest of victory and healing. Victory over death and healing from the sin which causes death just as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57- “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoice in the resurrection! How could we ever stay silent about such wonders? May we be passionate and clear about what Christ accomplished by His death and resurrection.

Weeping also turns to joy in Christ’s return. He ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God. Romans 8:34- Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. He ascended as the victorious Savior, the reigning Lord of creation, the faithful intercessor, and the loving redeemer. But this is not all. He will certainly come back for His people to exact judgment, establish righteousness and justice, and to make all things new in glorious fullness. Listen to what John says in Revelations 21:1-5- Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” There is incredibly great joy for you as you ponder the Second Coming of Jesus and all that it will mean for you.

Do you want to know one of the best parts of this joy? No one will take it from you. They can take a lot from you. They can take social standing, possessions, jobs, freedom, and even your life. Christians around the world and over the centuries have lost much because of their faith in Christ, but no one can ever take our joy from us. Take heart, for you have the greatest treasure of all: Jesus Christ.

This joy is over against the upside-down joy of the world. Jesus tells the disciples that the world will rejoice. The world loved to watch Him die. They mocked Him and spat upon Him out of hate and disgust. So today to world cares nothing for the cross and what Christ did on it. They continue to love the sin for which He gave His life. They find a superficial and momentary joy in that which is false and fleeting. It is impossible that the world will ever know true joy. Do you know the true joy of Jesus? Or have you been duped into the 30-second joy of the world which leaves only death in its wake?

Everything has changed

Now, everything has changed because of Jesus. He says “in that day.” This is the already-not-yet of the Gospel. “That day” is ushered in by Jesus’ death and resurrection. “That day” will not know its fulfillment and conclusion until He returns. But until the full realization of our relationship with God through Christ comes, you live in the confidence that if you ask, then you will receive. We must be careful at this point not to twist Jesus’ words into a prosperity teaching. We must ask “what will He give if I ask?” The answer is joy and all that if required to live a life of joy in Jesus. Joy is meant to permeate the life of every believer. It is not peripheral or secondary. Joy is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. A Christian without joy in Christ is as fitting as an eagle without wings. Faithfulness to Jesus is not boring or drudgery. It is not burdensome law-keeping or license to live in the fleeting pleasure of sin. It is deeply rooted joy that is so pervasive that it flows through every part of the believer’s life because they are satisfied by the One who is supremely satisfying. To be a Christian is meant to be the most wonderful experience of soul-satisfying joy in the universe.

The dawn of a new day of prayer has come. This is the segway into our passage next week but for now, know that as we ask in Jesus’ name, we have confidence. Not because it is some magical phrase or a ticket to get whatever we desire. Rather, it is because Christ purchased for us all of the promises of God who has promised to care for us and provide for us. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says- For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Therefore, Ask Him to make your joy full. Ask Him to fill you with the exceeding joy of Jesus. He is lavish in His loving willingness to give it. Then, walk in the joy that He gives. Don’t ask for joy in Jesus and then live as though you are trying to find joy in other places. Finally, look forward to the joy that will be yours forever. Fix your eyes on Jesus and know that the Psalmist is right when He says in Psalm 16:11- You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.