“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” Jesus knew that they were wishing to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will cry and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. Whenever a woman is in labor she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have sorrow now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
John 16:16-22
Introduction
I often feel as though I have only scratched the surface of what there is to know about the Lord and His redemptive plan. As I am approaching the end of an intense study or a very difficult book, it feels like I have climbed a very difficult mountain with the peak just in view. But after reaching that peak, to my dismay, I find that this was only the first hill on my way to the top of the mountain. Before me lies a vast range of continued valleys and ascents that put my most recent accomplishment to shame.
Psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger described this phenomenon in 1999 as “The Dunning-Kruger Effect” wherein a limited study of a subject tends to lead to an over-confidence in that subject. Such has happened to me many times as I have looked into theological subjects previously thought intimidating only ultimately to find out that even those experts know hardly more than the basics.
I wonder if this is what the disciples experienced over supper with the Lord when He told them again that He would be leaving them. They even say to one another, “What is this He is telling us?” They simply do not understand, despite having spent three years in ministry with Him. They do not know why He came in the flesh, and they certainly did not understand that His mission truly and honestly was to die by the hands of sinful men.
There and back again
It is not as though He kept this teaching a secret. Time and time again, Jesus revealed His plan to come and die for His people. He even spoke of His resurrection, but the minds of His listeners were clouded by their sin and hardness of heart. Even the disciples were not privy to the conclusion of His earthly ministry in the defeat of death.
While many stood by and waited for the destruction of their greatest perceived enemy in Rome, none anticipated the Christ would destroy their actual greatest enemy. But the victory He would win did not come from the death on the Cross. That was simply the entrance into the battle.
When I ask my children what Jesus did for them, the most frequent answer I hear is, “Jesus died on the Cross for my sin.” And while that is true, it is only part of the truth. Yes, He died on the Cross for your sin, but more than that, He rose from the grave. In Romans 15, the apostle Paul argues that if it were not for the resurrection of Christ, our faith would be in vain. That is the point of what Jesus tells His disciples when He teaches them that, “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” He was not merely going to leave, but He was to return. And He will return again to complete all that He had begun (Philippians 1:6).
Sorrow to joy
Describing the events following His own crucifixion, the Lord turns to the analogy of childbirth. I have not personally given birth, being a man, but I have witnessed the birth of all 4 of my beautiful children. In each case, my wife did not truly forget the experience she had just endured, but every time it was overshadowed by the joy of the latest addition to our family.
After the resurrection, the disciples felt a similar joy. Their faith was not in vain, and each of them went on to suffer for the sake of his faith. Each of them did this because he knew that what awaited them was so much greater in worthiness than the sacrifice they were making. This life contains many experiences which can be considered harsh and unyielding. The fallen world we live in is filled with sin and suffering which presses in against us and reminds us that our home is not here in this world.
In fact, we are citizens of heaven above, and though there is struggle in this life, that can be endured as temporary with the full knowledge that after we complete the race, we will be welcomed into eternity with the God who loves us. And on that final day, He will return to make all things right, bringing with Him those who have gone before us in the faith to reign with Him for eternity.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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