John 16:16-33 - Anticipating the Return of Christ

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Intro

When you’re sad about something… what do you do?

I’d bet that you try to find some way to cheer up.

Nobody really wants to be sad.

That’s why so many people take antidepressants!

How about when you’re confused…

When you’re confused about something… what do you do?

I’d bet that you try to figure it out by looking up answers or asking someone who might know the answers.

Nobody really wants to be confused.

That’s why so many people search google and ask AI about things!

And what about difficulties in life…

When you’re going through difficulties, tribulations, hard times… what do you do?

I’d bet that you try to get out of that situation to the best of your ability.

Nobody really wants to go through times like that.

That’s why there are so many self-help seminars!

We all try to solve these problems on our own.

We all try to alleviate our sorrow, confusion, and tribulation by changing our circumstances or masking the symptoms.

But ultimately we can’t do it on our own because our hope is not found in our circumstances… our hope is found in Christ.

Because we tend to look for hope in our circumstances and come up empty, Jesus has given us true hope in him both now and in the future.

He will give us perfect joy, clarity, and peace when he comes back.

And we can focus on him even now for a measure of those future realities as we face sorrow, confusion, and tribulation in life.

Jesus told his disciples about this in John 16:16-33 as a sort of culmination of all he had said to them in the upper room discourse.

As a final encouragement before his departure he told them to anticipate his return in hope.

Jesus brings up three shifts that his return would bring, and each of those future shifts affects us in the present as we also anticipate his return in hope.

We’re going to look at each shift one at a time.

And first up is the shift from sorrow to joy in verses 16-24.

John 16:16–17 ESV

“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’?”

John 16:18–19 ESV

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 16:20–21 ESV

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. 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.

John 16:22–24 ESV

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. 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.

Here we see that as we anticipate his return in hope…

Jesus Shifts our Sorrow to Joy (16-24)

In verse 16 Jesus makes a statement that continues the thought of comfort and encouragement from the previous section.

Jesus had just told them about the ministry of the Holy Spirit as a comfort in his absence and an encouragement to keep loving like him, loving with his love.

The Holy Spirit would comfort them in their sorrow, advocate for them in their mission, and help them in their hope all by pointing them to Jesus.

And now, he continues that thought by telling his disciples that in a little while they wouldn’t see him anymore, but then a little while after that they would see him.

The Holy Spirit would point them to the sufficiency of Jesus after he was gone from their sight.

But they could also look forward to the time when they wouldn’t have to rely on the Holy Spirit to see Jesus.

They could look forward to seeing him in person again.

Jesus has been saying similar things throughout the upper room discourse.

In John 13:33 he said, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’”

A little while and you will see me no more.

In John 13:36 “Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.””

Again, a little while and you will see me.

In John 14:3 Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

And in John 14:18–19 he said, ““I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

This is a very straightforward concept, but we might get a bit lost in the details.

Specifically the detail of which events Jesus is referring to, and what the timing of “a little while” is.

It’s kind of ironic that most Bible scholars and commentators focus on this detail.

Because it’s the same one that the disciples focussed on in verses 17 and 18.

And Jesus purposefully avoided explaining that detail.

So, why are we still trying to figure it out?

Well, the disciples didn’t have any answers, and I don’t think we’re supposed to try to figure it out either.

What Jesus says here is considered prophecy.

And the thing about prophecy is that no one, not even the one uttering the prophecy, knows WHEN it will take place.

“When,” is not the question we should be asking, but, “How?”

Not “When will this take place?”

But “How should we live in light of that hope?”

That’s what Peter said about the destruction of the world at the end of the age in 2 Peter 3:11 “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?”

And Jesus will go on to explain that living in light of the hope of his return changes our sorrow into joy.

But the disciples were also asking each other about what Jesus meant by him going to the Father.

He just told them in John 16:10 about how he would go to the Father, and his disciples would see him no longer.

What seems straightforward to us was very confusing to the disciples.

Now, in John’s gospel account Jesus had not plainly explained his impending death and resurrection.

But the other gospel accounts reveal that Jesus did explain this to his disciples, but they thought he was speaking metaphorically.

And in John’s account Jesus had alluded to his death and resurrection.

But Jesus’ death didn’t square with their understanding of his statements about eternal life in him.

They assumed that if Jesus’ followers were to enjoy eternal life, then that meant that Jesus could never die.

So they were trying to figure out how Jesus was going to go back to the Father.

And Jesus knows what they are thinking and draws them out of their pointless pondering.

In verse 19 he quotes exactly the question they were asking themselves.

And he knows that none of them have the answer.

Only he has the answer to their question, but it’s not what they expected.

In verse 20 he gives them the answer to the question they should have been asking.

They were focusing on what he meant by the phrase “a little while.”

But they should have been focusing on what it meant for them to not see Jesus and then to see him again.

Not seeing Jesus would fill their hearts with sorrow just like their hearts were already filled with sorrow over the impending loss of Jesus as he said back in verse 6.

But the world will rejoice at not seeing him anymore.

And when the disciples would see Jesus again, their sorrow would be turned to joy.

Jesus explains this concept in verses 21 and 22 with an analogy of a woman giving birth.

There is dread in the anticipation of the pain of childbirth, and there is sorrow in actually experiencing that pain.

But once the child is born, that sorrow is miraculously forgotten because the joy of that new life overwhelms all the previous sorrow.

Because this is an analogy we need to be careful to not take it too far.

Jesus simply wanted to illustrate the concept of sorrow over something being turned into joy about that very same thing.

Sorrow because Jesus would die and be separated from them, but joy because they would see him again and be with him forever.

And this sorrow and joy are about the very same thing… The Father’s redemption plan.

In this plan Jesus would be taken away and murdered on a cross.

And the disciples would have even more sorrow than they felt at this point.

But then after three days, Jesus would rise from the dead and be with his disciples.

And they would be exceedingly overjoyed to see Jesus again.

But then after 40 days he would go away again back to heaven, back to the Father.

And the disciples would have some sorrow over Jesus leaving them again.

Then a week later the Holy Spirit would be poured out on them and all true believers.

And the Holy Spirit would help us in our hope by pointing us to the sufficiency of Christ, looking forward to being with him forever.

But the disciples wouldn’t really see Jesus again until heaven where they would be with him forever.

And we won’t really be able to see Jesus until we are with him in heaven, too.

Until either we die and our soul goes to immediately be with him in heaven, or until the rapture when all believers both dead and living will be gathered to be with him forever.

Paul explains this in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Those believers who have fallen asleep, who have died, are already with Jesus.

And they will be brought with him to be resurrected into glorified bodies first.

Then those who are left alive will be resurrected into glorified bodies.

And so we will always be with the Lord.

And this is super encouraging.

It turns our sorrow into joy as we anticipate his return.

And our joy in this cannot be taken away by anyone.

Well, Jesus doesn’t leave his explanation of his statement there.

In verses 23 and 24 he ties our future joy to the present as we talk to God in prayer.

Anticipating the return of Christ helps us look forward to that perfect joy in his loving presence.

But we can have joy even now as we ask the Father for things in Jesus’ name and he answers our requests.

Jesus says that in that day his disciples won’t ask him for anything.

That day being when we’re going to be with him forever.

But while we are waiting for that day we can ask the Father for anything in Jesus’ name and he’ll give it to us.

Remember that asking in Jesus’ name is asking in the will and authority of Jesus, asking for things that Jesus would want and with his authority, not ours.

Jesus said the same thing back in John 14:13–14 “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

And in John 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

And again in John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

Jesus told his disciples that up until that point they had asked for nothing, and he commands them and us to ask.

And the result of asking the Father for things that Jesus would want in Jesus’ authority would be receiving those things.

And receiving those things would bring us joy.

Jesus’ joy, full joy, like he said back in John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Joy over sinners repenting, people being reconciled back to God, and the love of Christ given to everyone we encounter in life.

So, when you encounter sorrow in life look to Jesus, look forward to the joy we’re going to have when we’re with him, and ask the Father for the things that bring Jesus joy.

That’s how Jesus shifts our sorrow to joy as we anticipate his return.

And next we’re going to see in verses 25-28 how in that same anticipation Jesus gives us clarity about the Father.

John 16:25–26 ESV

“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;

John 16:27–28 ESV

for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Here we see that as we anticipate his return in hope…

Jesus Shifts our Confusion to Clarity (25-28)

Jesus says in verse 25 that he’s been using figurative language with his disciples throughout the upper room discourse.

Figurative language includes analogies, metaphors, similes, illustrations, parables, and generalities.

And if we look back through all of John chapters 13 through 16 we will see that Jesus has almost exclusively been speaking in figurative language.

The figurative language Jesus has used to explain things about the Father are necessary for now.

Our finite minds cannot fully comprehend the Father.

We can know true things about him, and Jesus has explained a lot of things about him.

But a lot of those things are obscure to our minds, really true, but not fully true.

And Jesus has only conveyed these truths in figurative language because right now that’s the best way for us to understand the truth even if it’s still a bit fuzzy.

But Jesus also says in verse 25 that the time is coming when he will speak plainly or openly about the Father.

Jesus may be referring to the teaching he would give his disciples after his resurrection.

Or it may be referring to the teaching of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost.

Both of those options leave us looking back at what Jesus had taught his disciples, or what the Holy Spirit taught them and they recorded in the New Testament.

It is true that Jesus would teach his disciples more clearly after his resurrection.

And it is true that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things and remind them of what Jesus taught as Jesus said back in 14:26.

And he would guide them into all the truth as Jesus said in 16:13.

But I think we can also look forward to full clarity about the Father when Jesus comes back.

Jesus says in verse 26 that in that day his disciples will ask in his name.

That day is the same as the hour or time when Jesus would teach his disciples more clearly about the Father.

And they would ask Jesus things about the Father.

I think that day is when Jesus comes back because he goes on to say that we will ask but he will not ask the Father on our behalf.

Asking on our behalf is what Jesus is doing now as he intercedes for us with the Father, as he mediates as the bridge between us and the Father.

And in that day he won’t do that anymore because we’ll be glorified and perfected, dwelling with Jesus and the Father in heaven.

We won’t need Jesus to ask on our behalf because we can go straight to the source.

The Father will teach us about himself without relying on Jesus to reveal him to us.

And in verse 27 Jesus tells us the reason the Father is willing to teach us about himself.

The Father does this because he loves us.

He wants to teach us himself, but right now we need Jesus to reveal the Father to us.

The Father loves us now, and especially because we love and believe in Jesus.

Jesus already said something similar back in John 14:21 “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.””

The Father sent Jesus in the first place because of his love for the world as Jesus said to Nicodemus back in John 3:16.

But the Father has a special love for those who also love his only begotten Son by obediently loving each other and who believe that he came from God.

And that special love is the motivation for the Father teaching us about himself when Jesus comes back.

When we experience confusion about the Father, we can look forward to the return of Christ and the clarity we will have then.

But even now there are some things about the Father that we can have clarity on as we anticipate the return of Christ.

Jesus’ statement in verse 28 is a very clear statement of his part in the Father’s redemption plan.

It’s not exhaustive, but it’s very clear.

He says that he came from the Father into the world, and now he is leaving the world and going back to the Father.

You see, we don’t need the details to have clarity.

We just need to zoom out and remember the big picture of our redemption in Christ.

Most of the time our confusion is because we’re zoomed in too far trying to figure out the small details.

When that happens, just zoom out and look forward to when Jesus comes back when those details will be revealed by the Father himself for the rest of eternity.

So, first we saw how as we anticipate Jesus’ return he shifts our sorrow to joy.

And we just saw how in that same anticipation Jesus shifts our confusion to clarity.

Finally, we’re going to see in verses 29-33 how as we anticipate Jesus’ return he gives us peace.

John 16:29–31 ESV

His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?

John 16:32–33 ESV

Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Here we see that as we anticipate his return in hope…

Jesus Shifts our Tribulation to Peace (29-33)

In verses 29 and 30 the disciples pick up on some things that Jesus had said were future realities, but they seem to think that these things were fully realized right then.

Jesus had said back in verse 25 that he had been using figurative language, but the time for plain teaching was yet to come.

And the disciples respond by claiming that Jesus has been speaking plainly to them.

They thought they understood, but they really didn’t understand yet.

And Jesus also said back in verse 26 that him not needing to be questioned or asked about the Father would be a future reality.

And the disciples respond to that by claiming that they already know that Jesus needs no one to question him because he knows everything.

And they believe in him because of this.

Jesus had said back in verse 27 that the Father loves them because they love Jesus and believe that he came from God.

And the disciples reaffirm their belief based on Jesus knowing everything…

He even knew what they were privately questioning each other about back in verses 17-19.

The problem with the disciples’ thinking here is that they were filled with sorrow and confused about the details of the Father’s plan.

They were sorrowful and confused because they were looking at their circumstances and not looking to Jesus.

And they thought that they could fix their problem by manipulating their circumstances.

All they needed to do, in their minds, was to convince Jesus to stay with them and keep teaching them.

That way their sorrow would be gone because Jesus would still be with them, and their confusion would be gone because Jesus would keep teaching them.

They wouldn’t have to wait, they could have all of what Jesus was talking about right then!

But that’s not how we overcome our sorrow and confusion.

We overcome those things by looking to Jesus and trusting him.

And his plan includes some sorrow and confusion now, which will be dampened as we look forward to the perfect joy and clarity we will have when Jesus comes back.

Well, Jesus takes their foolish statement and reveals another difficulty they would have to endure for now

And this difficulty will also be perfectly remedied when Jesus comes back and dampened as we look forward to his return.

They said that they believe that Jesus came from God, but Jesus reveals to them how weak their faith really is.

He asks a sort of rhetorical question in verse 31, “Do you now believe?”

This is sort of tongue-in-cheek, like Jesus is saying, “Oh really? You think you believe now?”

Then in verse 32 he reveals to his disciples exactly how strong their faith is.

Just like he told Peter back in 13:38, their faith would not even last through the night.

They would be scattered and abandon Jesus.

And we know if we read ahead that this would happen that very night in the garden of Gethsemane in chapter 18.

They would be scattered away from each other, and they would be scattered away from Jesus.

But Jesus gives them a small consolation in this embarrassing glimpse into their future.

He says that even as they leave him alone, he is not alone because the Father is always with him.

Now, if I were told that my faith was so weak that I would shortly abandon Jesus… I would be a bit worried about the circumstances that would bring about that abandonment.

Remember that the disciples had abandoned their homes, their lives, everything to follow Jesus, and now after three years of devoutly following him he says that they are about to be scattered and abandon him.

But Jesus tells them in verse 33 that the reason he told them these things was so that they would find their peace in him and not in their circumstances.

The thing that would cause them to scatter and abandon Jesus would be the greatest tribulation any of them would ever face.

But they can have peace in the midst of that tribulation by looking to Jesus.

Yes they would abandon him, but he already promised them that he would come back for them regardless of their abandonment.

Then Jesus explains WHY the disciples and all of us can have his peace amidst our tribulations in the world.

He affirms the truth that in the world we will have tribulation like he already told them back in 15:18-19 about the hate of the world.

But then he says that we can have peace in him, we can have courage to endure those tribulations, because he has overcome the world.

He’s about to go to the cross to defeat sin and rise from the dead to defeat death.

Both of those things are the weapons the enemy wields.

Satan accuses us of our sin and tempts us to sin through his lies, and he keeps us in the fear and sorrow of death because he’s been a murderer and a liar from the beginning.

But Jesus disarmed Satan at the cross by taking the punishment for our sin and granting us eternal life with him.

Without his weapons, Satan is a defeated foe, the world is overcome, and Jesus has the victory.

That knowledge gives us peace when we experience tribulation in the world.

It may seem like the world is overcoming us, but we just have to remember that Jesus has already overcome the world.

That is how our tribulation gets shifted to peace.

We look forward to the perfect peace we will have when Jesus comes back.

And in looking forward to that future reality we are reminded that Jesus has already overcome the world, and we can endure our tribulation with Jesus’ peace.

Conclusion

Now, if you do not yet believe in Jesus, then please believe now.

Without faith in him there is no hope for any of these shifts.

Your sorrow won’t shift to joy, your confusion won’t shift to clarity, and your tribulation won’t shift to peace.

Those things are only found in Jesus, and without faith in him you’ll be stuck in sin and headed straight for God’s wrath for eternity.

Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Believe that he is God and that he came from God.

But don’t just say you believe.

You have to really mean it, your faith must work itself out in love.

That’s why Jesus said in verse 27 that the Father loves those who love Jesus and believe that he came from God.

Just believing the truth is not enough, that faith must result in repenting of your sin and loving Jesus.

And loving Jesus means obeying his commands, specifically his command to love each other.

Those of us who believe in Jesus get to look forward to his return in perfect joy, clarity, and peace.

And when we look forward to the perfection of those things when he returns, we get a measure of those things even now.

Our sorrow is a bit less potent as we experience Jesus’ joy when we love each other, when sinners repent, and when people are reconciled back to God.

Our confusion is a bit less fuzzy as we zoom out and focus on the big picture of God’s redemption plan in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and glory and our faith in him.

And our tribulation is a bit less worrying as we remember that Jesus has already overcome the world, he’s already defeated sin and death by his death and resurrection.

So, when you experience sorrow, confusion, and tribulation in life, and you will, look to Jesus for your hope and not in changing your circumstances.

He is your hope in the midst of your difficult circumstances.

Look forward to his return in glory when he will give you perfect joy so that in your sorrow you can experience some of his joy even now.

Look forward to his return in glory when he will give you perfect clarity so that in your confusion you can experience some of his clarity even now.

And look forward to his return in glory when he will give you perfect peace so that in your tribulation you can experience some of his peace even now.

Pray