Your Sorrow Will Turn to Joy - John 16:16-24

Introduction

Aslan - Lucy and Susan - (Only Aslan Knew)

There is a certain well beloved movie adapted from an even more beloved book series called the Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

And for those who have watched the movie or read the book - you will be familiar with a scene in which Susan and Lucy are struggling to get to sleep in the middle of a twilight lit night.

They noticed that Aslan had been sad, and in the books it gives this detail that

that very evening - Aslan had one last meal with his followers at his camp and then ordered the camp to move location.

Now Susan and Lucy didn’t know why he ordered such a move, they didnt understand why Aslan was doing what he was doing and they didn’t understand why Aslan seemed downcast and burdened.

And so they went searching for him in the middle of this twilight night and it is at that point they find Aslan and notice the great Lion is entirely by himself and walking into the woods.

And so they follow him. And when they catch up with this great majestic Lion they ask can they join him.

Aslan says he would be glad of the company and so Lucy and Susan walk with Aslan for a little while.

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Now Susan and Lucy didn’t understand at all what was going on.

They were especially concerned with Aslan’s command that they would only be able to walk with him a little while

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because where Aslan was going they could not come with him.

After a while in the blissful calm of Aslan’s presence - The great Lion tells them the time has come for him to go on ahead by himself. And after a sad goodbye the girls got to a place out of sight in the woods to watch where Aslan would go.

Well - to their dismay their great leader, this beautiful majestic Lion - Aslan willingly walked into the midst of hundreds of evil creatures.

And - in what was the most difficult and heart-wrenching scene they have ever experienced - they watched in absolute horror and disbelief -

As the Great Aslan was humiliated and mocked as they shaved his majestic mane - he was bound up with no protest coming from him not even so much as a word.

He was cruelly dragged against the crude edges of the stone table and there lying upon that table

- Jadis the evil witch mocked the great lion one last time saying

“you fool - you have given me Narnia forever, you have lost your own life and you have not saved his. In that knowledge despair and die.”

and plunged the dagger into his heart.

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How could this be - no - no - no - this is all wrong - the hero of the story cant die.

How is this better - why didn’t he just consume these evil creatures?

Why did he lie still and silent as they shaved his beautiful mane and bound him with ropes.

Why didn’t he silence their jeers and mocking threats?

Susan and Lucy knew he could in an instant if he wanted to but he didn’t.

Why - there on the top of the hill on this stone table did Aslan sacrifice himself.

The girls had no idea. The enemy thought they knew what he was doing - they were so wrong - But Aslan knew all along exactly what he was doing.

To the girls and the evil Jadis and her minions - There on the stone table - It looked like evil had won.

But this would not be the case.

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Now heres why have I shared that story with you -

I want to use that (hopefully familiar) story as a visual guide for what is going on in John chapter 16.

This particulal section of John’s Gospel we find ourselves in begins in John 13 earlier that evening - where Jesus and his disciples share one last meal -

we know that meal as the Last Supper.

And as the evening progressed into night Jesus says so many things to the disciples that they just do not understand.

He tells them His hour has come

He emphasises to them over and over that He is going to be leaving them very soon and where he was going they could not follow.

He tells them that what he is doing now they would not understand but soon they would understand.

And he tells them one of them is going to betray him that will set all these events in motion that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.

This person being Judas who after Jesus identifies him - gets up and leaves to go and betray Jesus.

The end of John 13 tells us after that night fell and Jesus spends the entirety of chapter 14 in this upper room with his disciples

- and again he tells them these strange words that caused the disciples - much like Susan and Lucy - to sorrow and not understand.

He says again in John 14 that he was going to prepare a place from them and that he would come back to get them.

Now the disciples they did not want to hear these words. They did not want Jesus to leave them - they were troubled at this but Jesus

- who was absolutely sure of everything that lay ahead says to them “let not your hearts be troubled. That he was going to His Fathers house to prepare a place for them and that he would come back and take them to himself.”

He also says at multiple points throughout these chapters that he is telling them this detail now - so that when they happen they will believe.

After he speaks these things to them - he says at the end of chapter 14 - I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, Rise, let us go from here.

And so they leave the setting of the upper room And begin a walking towards the garden of Gethsemane and that night time walk is the setting chapters 15 and 16.

We see such stark similarities between the story of Susan and Lucy walking with Aslan through the twilight lit forest and the walk that Jesus and his disciples are now taking since leaving the upper room.

Here in John 16 Jesus and The 11 Disciples are walking through the quiet, dark, abandoned streets of Jerusalem and it is in that setting Jesus is quietly imparting some final words to his disciples.

Knowing that what lay ahead was his suffering, death and resurrection from the dead - which would ultimately provide the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and everlasting life to all who would believe in him for salvation.

And much like Susan and Lucy - who were confused by Aslan’s words and sorrowful at how - sad and distressed Aslan is - Here the disciples are sad - we know that from Jesus continual words of reassurance and comfort that he has been giving to them throughout the last few chapters,

And again much like Susan and Lucy - we see in this chapter the confusion of the disciples regarding what is actually happening.

They may not at this point even know that Jesus is walking down the ascent of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane -

and they certainly had no idea that this would become the longest and most dreadful 24 hour period of their lives.

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But heres the thing - one of the main take aways from our sermon this morning is that Jesus did.

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Jesus not only knew that he was walking to the garden of Gethsemane where he would be betrayed by Judas.

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He not only knew that his disciples were going to scatter and leave him alone.

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Jesus not only knew that he is going to be tried in the presence of the Jewish court and the high priest as well as the Roman court.

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But he know that all of this is going to result in Him ascending the hill of Golgotha. Where he would be nailed to a crude Roman cross for 6 hours in what would be the most agonising physical, spiritual and emotional experience that anyone could ever endure.

And Hebrews 12 tells us that Jesus endured the agony of this suffering and death - for the joy that was set before him.

Jesus clearly knows that what he is about to do - his suffering, death and resurrection from the dead - is ultimately for His glory and joy - but also - it will ultimately work out for the joy of the disciples and ofcourse the entire Christian Church.

John 16:16

Verse 16: “A little while and you will see me no more, and again a little while and you will see me.” - (change to ESV)

And I think that reality - that Jesus “knew exactly what was going to occur” is a good compass to navigate this passage with.

Lets look again to verse 16 (read)

Here Jesus in the first half of this sentence - is telling his disciples - as he has been doing for hours now - that “In a little while, you will see me no longer.”

What Jesus means is that very soon he would be dead. Very soon they would watch as the night unfolded before them and turned to sunrise and mid-day and after noon - that Jesus would be separated from them.

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Not just spacially - he wouldnt just be imprisoned by the guards in the garden of Gethsemane and taken away to be tried, mocked, and severely beaten.

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But very soon they would witness to their horror their Lord - their Great Leader nailed to a cross between two criminals and there they would hear him say

“It is finished”

Before breathing his final breath.

Very soon they would have to suffer the indignity and terror of not even being able to approach Jesus because he would be taken away and sealed in a tomb that would be placed under Roman Praetorian Guards and there

They would see him no more.

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But thank God there is more to this verse.

Jesus continues -

“And again a little while, and you will see me.”

Jesus knew - the little while would be three days. Because thats how long his lifeless body would lie in the tomb of Joseph of Aramathea.

But just as they would no longer see him in a little while. Jesus promises them that they would see him again in a little while after that.

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When preaching and teaching the Word of God - it is always important to ask the question of the text. What doctrine are we being taught here.

It’s more than just narrative - every verse of the Bible needs to be examined and we need to ask the question what can this verse tell me.

What can it tell me about God, about life, about myself, about purpose, about society, about the world, about the universe.

Because where the Bible speaks it speaks authoritatively and perfectly about something.

So what does this verse tell us? Well it tells us something about Jesus.

I believe this whole narrative - from Chapter 13 right through to 19 just screams “Jesus Christ the Risen Saviour is Omniscient.”

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Omniscience - is the property of having complete - or maximal knowledge.

Look how certain Jesus has been all along from chapter 13 until now

“My hour has come - I’m leaving you, but I will be back - you dont understand now but you will - I am telling you this so that when it happens you believe.”

Jesus knows what will happen and he knows it perfectly.

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Now another important question we ought to ask ourselves when we read our Bible and read passages of Scripture is this.

How does the truth - of what’s being said in here apply - or shape my life as a follower of Jesus.

But before I answer that lets progress quickly to verses 17-18

John 16:17-18

“So some of his disciples said to one another, what is this that he is saying 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 away to the Father?

So they kept on saying, what is this that he is saying, ‘a little while?’ we do not understand what he is speaking about!

I want to bunch these verses in before we answer the question how does the truth of these verses shape our lives as followers of Jesus

because it tells us something about the disciples that could not be more to the opposite of the character of Jesus.

The disciples here clearly just do not understand

- they are basically saying: “what is Jesus talking about?”

What was that whole thing with Judas leaving?

Why do you keep telling us your going to leave us and go to the Father and then come back to us?

They just didn’t understand - and as we learn from their abandonment of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and Peter’s denial of Jesus three times.

They didn’t entirely trust what he was saying or see how it fitted into their idea of what a Christ should be.

I think of Matthew chapter 16:21-22 let me read them to you.

Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, God forbid, Lord! This will never happen to you!” But he turned around and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!”

Peter tried to take Jesus aside and say - wow Jesus hold on a second here - thats not how this needs to happen - God forbid you should die.

And Jesus - says get behind me Satan.

What does this passage display - they didn’t understand.

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Here is a distinct difference between Jesus and his disciples.

Jesus knows literally everything about everything.

They don’t even know what the next hour will bring.

Jesus literally knows what it is like to be outside of time - to know the beginning from the end. To know the past and the future.

They don’t know what the next minute will bring.

And finally we will see as our text progresses -

the disciples had no idea why the events which would unfold throughout the next 24-72 hours would work out for their ultimate joy and satisfaction.

Jesus did.

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So what is the application for our lives?

We learn that:

1. We are just like the disciples. We don’t know what the next minute will bring. We might have a good idea - we might be right some of the time - but we are only ever guessing. We are only presuming.

And if we are Biblical we are only ever trusting it to God.

2. We can rejoice that as we are confronted by that reality from the text that reminds us we are finite, frail creatures with limited knowledge.

That we can trust the one who knows all things. That has all knowledge.

And 3. We can rejoice that our lives are in the hands of a Good and all-knowing saviour.

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Could you imagine the terror of our lives being in our hands? We would have no assurance that anythng will ultimately workout for good.

But because we are entrusted to Jesus we can lay hold and grasp the truth of what Jesus is about to say to his followers.

Which is this: Despite what the situation might look like now and in what lies ahead.

What awaits us as his followers - will inevitably work for our ultimate joy and ultimate satisfaction.

We need to trust whatever comes is ultimately best. Even if what comes is the heart wrenching agony of watching your saviour hang on the cross surrounded by cheering crowds as it was for the disciples.

Even if what comes for us is pain so great that there is no possible way to even understand why God would allow this to happen.

Its so hard - for us to truly trust in those moments - yet the sweet -

peculiar relief when we fall at his feet and simply let go of trying to understnad why and say Lord I trust you.

I think of the hymn - what e’er my God ordains is right.

There is a line in that song that has comforted me inummerable times when life throws indescribable pain through circumstances I have found myself in - It reads:

He is my God; though dark my road, he holds me that I shall not fall: wherefore to him I leave it all.

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Jerry Bridges once wrote

“God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good.

God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son.”

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Do we always understand that at the time? No - Can I explain that to you or explain all of the things that have happened in my life which caused me pain? Absolutely not that is what makes it so hard.

But Romans 8:28 tells me a truth that is beyond my understand about my God who knows all things and has all power.

“That in all things he works for the good of those who love him.”

The Christian life is a miraculous thing - In times of deep pain - God’s gives his people what Charles Spurgeon calls - a peculiar comfort

David demonstrates this peculair comfort time and time again in the Psalms - One verse in Psalm 119 I think of is verse 50

“This is my comfort in affliction, thy Word hath quickened me.”

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I don’t think we could ever fully grasp the unimaginable pain of the next 24 hours that would unfold in the lives of the 11 disciples.

Jesus - their master and their friend - silouhetted to by the beams of the rising sun and eventually the overshadowed by the darkness that covered the whole land - gasping for breath.

Just like Susan and Lucy as they watched Aslan they must have thought - why doesn’t he do something.

Why isn’t he able to stop this. This can’t be how it ends. But there they stood - and they watched those who remained - in despair as Jesus

Says “It is finished.” And he breaths his last.

Can you imagine the pain - seeing Jesus lifeless, blood soaked body fixed to this Roman cross in the most cruel of fashion, as crowds of jeerers and mockers watch on with joy.

To them it looked as though evil had triumphed - that darkness once again claimed the day and that the light which came into the world in John Chapter one had been extinguished.

But if they had only listened more carefully. If only their eyes would be opened to what really was occuring they would realise it would not be so.

John 16:19-22

Because look what Jesus promised them these in verses 19-22

19 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’?

20 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.

21 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.

22 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.

Here we see that Jesus who knows all things and knows what is about to unfold

- obviously knows what his disciples are thinking and he cares that they are concerned, and confused

- So he reassures them again that everything will ultimately work out for their joy - they just need to trust him.

He says they will weep as the world rejoices.

He’s talking about the cross. Jesus knew that as he hung there his friends and disciples would be weeping. They would be completely distraught.

And all around them - the most wicked scene possible would be unfolding - the crowds who cried out crucify him - crucify him - would be cheering at the very same scene.

Could you imagine how you would feel in that situation? That the world around you rejoices in wickedness as you weep?

I am sure you can think of times now in your mind when that has been the case particularly when it comes to abortion.

The world rejoiced - as we wept for the babies who would die as a result of such wickedness.

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But Jesus promised His disciples more than just sorrow whilst the world rejoices.

He promisaed that in a little while their grief would turn to joy. in verse 20.

And he uses this illustration of a woman going through the pains of labour and childbirth and how

The scene of seeing their babies face turns their pain into joy - so will it be for His followers in a little while.

He says in verse 22

You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

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Jesus knew - evil would not win. Death would not hold him. Jesus knew the scenes of elation - of bliss - of unimaginable joy that would be bursting from the hearts of his disciples in three days.

I think of the joy of Mary and Martha accounted in Matthews Gospel. They turn up to the tomb weary and heart broken and all of a sudden they are confronted by an Angel who says:

5 “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

And as they depart to tell the disciples this unbelievable knews they meet the risen Christ - who says “Greetings.”

Could you imagine the joy?

I think of John’s account where Peter and John race to the tomb to find it empty and in that account was the eureka moment for John - it says in John 20:8-9

8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Now it all made sense - your sorrow would be turned to joy - because they would see the resurrected Jesus, the Jesus who is victorious over death, the perfect spotless sacrifice for their sins of all who would believe in him and the one who would grant them everlasting life.

Their sorrow turned to joy.

The resurrection of Christ brought joy that could never be taken away from them.

Psalm 30:5 “weeping may last for the night - but joy comes in the morning.

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So again what does this passage and all we know about what happened in the Gospels from John 16 onwards mean to us. How do we apply it to our lives?

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Well lets bring back our first observation and pair it together with this observation.

Heres what I want us to grasp.

Because of the all knowing - Resurrected Jesus.

We are in an already/not yet state.

What do I mean by that?

I mean this -

we have the greatest reason to be joyful this morning because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his promise that we will one day join in that resurrection - So in this sense - we are already a joyful people.

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But we also have great reason to be sorrowful this morning. We look out in our world and see tyrants who think they have ultimate power abuse the lives of helpless civilians,

we see hatred and division in our world and sin manifesting itself in all manner of wicknedness.

And we struggle with personal pain and heart ache of a level that we feel at times we cannot bear.

Thats the not yet part.

-But here is the good news. Jesus in this passage tells his followers that their pain and sorrow would be for a little while as they awaited Jesus return.

But when he returned their sorrow would turn to joy that no one could take away from them.

Well the truth of that passage transcends the story here in John 16 right up until our modern day lives.

We may sorrow many times in our lives - we have done, we will do as we await the return of Jesus our Lord.

But he has promised that he is coming back. And so we have full assurance that

One day the not yet part will be eradicated.

One day - your present sorrow will turn to ultimate joy and ultimate satisfaction believer and it is for the same reason. The Resurrected Christ.

Let me give you a little phrase from a book my wife and I are going through with Willow our daughter - reading helps their cognitive development and reading her books now is a good way as parents for us to vet - and audit what books we will allow her to read as she grows.

We just finished one by a Christian Author S.D Smith - I highly recommend it for your children - called “The Green Ember”, recommended by a friend of mine Tom Boyer.

Its a story about Rabbits, who lived in a great wood called Natalia - This once, great and beautiful wood, the blissful home of the rabbits becomes corrpted by an invasion of wolves and hawks led by Morbin Blackhawk.

The Rabbits document this time in their history as the after terrors which scattered the rabbits into hiding.

But it is in this hiding the rabbits arm themselves and build secret underground communities. All united with a common hope that

And heres the phrase:

“I will not be so in the mended wood.”

The Rabbits, had been through unimaginable hardship, had lost so many love ones - but they had a great hope that one day their King would come, lead them to victory in battle over the wolves and hawks and establish the mended wood.

Well - I wont spoil the story.

But I will take the phrase -

We are that hopeful people.

We are the people who can truly say - It will not be so in the mended wood. Because Jesus our King will come and eradicate sin once and for all and establish His Kingdom forever - and we will be a part of that Kingdom - Because we too will rise from the dead if we follow him.

And so if you are not a follower of Jesus this morning - before I close with the final two verses and I promise it will be less than two minutes.

I want to lovingly confront you with the Risen Jesus. And I want to challenge you - can you say with full assurance that one day your sorrow will turn to joy?

Well - let me remove any doubt - outside of Christ you can’t - because you will one day die and if Jesus has not taken upon himself the punishment for your sins then you will bear that punishment.

But it doesn’t have to be. Your sorrow can be turned to joy - you can have a great hope residing in your soul this morning of everlasting life, of reconciliation and a relationship with God and the forgiveness of sins - heres how the gospel says that is possible.

Believe in Jesus - Believe.

If you need help understanding that speak to the elders here and they would be so thrilled to show you the greatest saviour and the greatest hope and the source of ultiamte joy and satisfaction this morning.

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Now as i said we do not have time to deal with verses 23-24 this morning and for that I apologise for mismanaging my time.

But let me graft these verses in and allow me 2 minutes just for a closing summary of our passage this morning.

John 16:23-24

23 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.

24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Let us rejoice this morning at the truth found in verses 16-24 of John’s Gospel that tell us

1. That even though we don’t understand everything happening in our lives right now. We know that Jesus does.

2. That Jesus the resurrected Christ inevitably provides his believers ultimate joy and satisfaction - that can never be taken away and will last forever.

And lastly,

3. Let us rejoice this morning - that if we know Jesus - one day every question will be answered and we will ask nothing of him.

Our joy will be full because just like Jesus and because of Jesus - we will rise from the dead also and live eternally with him on this renewed earth in a state of ultimate joy and ultimate satisfaction.

All of this was possible because of Jesus - who for the joy set before him - endured the cross. (Hebrews 12)

Let’s pray.