Grief into Joy

if the Lord’s people would, take
their Bibles and turn to the Gospel of John once again, and
once again, if you would, to Chapter 13 as we did last Lord’s
Day. For our purposes this morning,
we’re not going to remain long in Chapter 13, but that chapter
will serve kind of as our landing spot and orientation point for what lies
ahead. Now, last Lord’s Day, as you
remember, I pointed out a few things about the gospel accounts
of the upper room discourse. And one thing that we noted was
that whereas the synoptic writers provide a very rich and plentiful
detail regarding Christ’s journey from Bethany to Jerusalem, John’s
account, by contrast, is rather sparse. Again, in these what
some would consider transitional chapters where Jesus is traveling,
The synoptic writers record a second temple cleansing, multiple parables,
the Olivet Discourse, the exposure of Judas’s betrayal, and the
institution of the Lord’s Supper. Matthew, as I pointed out last
week, he presents this material over the course of six chapters,
four in Mark and four in Luke. And yet only a smattering of
verses in the Gospel of John on these matters. The comparison
of accounts would almost leave the reader with the sense that
John is in a hurry to get his readers to the upper room. But once there, the approach of the Gospel writers
is flipped, reversed. The synoptic writers, Matthew,
Mark, and Luke, fall suddenly silent, for the
most part, while John opens up five chapters that are nearly
exclusive entirely to him, details that the synoptic writers never
even mention. In John’s first 12 chapters,
He covers three years of our Lord’s ministry. But in chapters
13 through 17, he focuses his reader’s attention on one evening,
the upper room discourse with Christ and his devoted followers. And I count at least 11 separate
sections of John’s account in the upper room. If you’re in
chapter 13, the first section, as we looked at last Lord’s Day,
was the example of Jesus washing his apostles’ feet. The next
section, verses 21 through 30, Jesus predicts his betrayal even
by one of these dear friends in the room. And we know it now
as Judas. This is one of the Upper Room
episodes that the synoptic writers do record. The third distinct
section occurs in verses 31 through 38, ultimately a prediction of
Peter’s denial of Christ. Only Luke briefly mentions this
interaction. The rest of John’s Upper Room
account, chapters 14 through 17, is unique to John’s gospel,
exclusive to him. And so, the fourth subsection,
if you will, he gives a lengthy discussion of the Godhead in
chapter 14. Fifth, in chapter 15, he opens
with a beautiful metaphor of the vine and the branches. He
adds to that an admonition to love one another, practically
speaking, verses 12 through 17, the sixth section. And then he turns quickly, verse
18. In verse 18, he tells his followers
to expect the world’s opposition. The eighth subsection of John’s
upper room account, chapter 16, verses 5 through 15, is his presentation
of the Holy Spirit, a promise of a helper. In the 9th section,
verses 16 through 22, which verses we will consider momentarily,
Jesus teaches about the resurrection. And to fill out these five amazing
chapters, in the 10th section, verses 23 through 33 of 16, Jesus
encourages with the promise of answered prayer. And then finally, in chapter
17, he prays for his beloved friends, what we know of as the
High Priestly Prayer. And so here we are, invited,
nestled in among Jesus’ most ardent followers, Judas accepted,
and in this very wide-ranging section, provided almost exclusively
by the Apostle John, he records Jesus’ very brief teaching on
the resurrection. And for that, if you would, read
along beginning in verse 16, John 16, verse 16. A little while and you will no
longer see me, and again in a little while and you will see me, Some
of his disciples then said to one another, what is this thing
he’s 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’s talking
about. Jesus knew that they wished 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 weep and lament, but the world will
rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief
will be turned to joy. Whenever a woman is in labor,
she has pain because her hour has come. But when she gives
birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because
of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore,
you too have grief now, but I will see you again. Your heart will
rejoice and no one will take your joy away from you. And so here is Jesus. meeting
with his closest followers, conducting what must have been, for these
men, the most intense evening of their entire lives. There have been some pleasant
lessons woven and shared into this, the fabric of this night. There was the encouragement to
abide on the vine, stay with Christ in prayer and communion. There was the comforting news
of the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus would send. But there
were numerous other things that Jesus had told them that still
must have weighed heavy on their hearts and minds. A betrayer
in their midst. And that even Peter himself would
deny Christ. that the world would stand against
them? Heavy things. But now, amid all
the other varied subjects that Jesus had discussed and imparted
to them, Jesus suddenly drops what was, for them, the worst
news of all. He’s leaving, or so it seems. I want to look this morning at
the emotional transformation of Christ’s resurrection. The emotional transformation,
should I say, at Christ’s resurrection. And the first thing that we have
to notice here is the trigger of emotional change. Back in
verse 16, it’s that little phrase, a little while and you will no
longer see me, and again a little while and you will see me. That
triggered a dramatic emotional change. Jesus is speaking once
again of his impending departure. His statement is vague, enigmatic. They do not get it. And it’s
not even the first time that Jesus has made such statements.
In John 7, 33, Jesus told his friends, for a little while longer,
I am with you. Then I go to him who sent me.
In 10, 33, the same thing. Little children, I am with you
a little while longer. Same thing again in 1419. After a little while, the world
will no longer see me. And so his followers know that
at some point they’re no longer going to see him. Is this it?
But here in John 16, Jesus immediately offers a ray of hope with that
dark statement. A little while and you will no
longer see me. And again, a little while and you will see me. There’s
a sense in which this is to be a temporary separation from their
savior. It’s not a permanent arrangement.
He adds that there will indeed be a return. They will see him
again. But this consoling thought is
not enough for these men. They’re stuck. Jesus’ comforting
words are not enough. And they want to know what it
is that he is announcing. We’re able to almost listen in
as they deliberate. Look at verse 17. Some of his
disciples then said to one another, what is this thing he’s 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, Now, I need to point out that that last phrase
of verse 17, because I go to the Father, Jesus did not utter
that on this occasion. And it’s important for us to
note that Jesus did not say that here. Because ultimately, he
is going back to his heavenly Father. But not yet. That clause is included because
the apostles are trying to piece things together. They’re trying
to figure it out. On previous occasions, they had heard Jesus
say such things. John 7, 33, which verse I just
had you listen to for a little while, I’m with you. Then I go
to him who sent me. That is, to his heavenly father
earlier that very evening, he had told them, John 14, 2, in
my father’s house are many dwelling places. I go to prepare a place
for you. And in the immediately preceding
discussion, the one about the Holy Spirit, Jesus told them,
I go to the heavenly father and you no longer see me. John 16,
10. So at least in some measure,
they know that Jesus is going again to be with his heavenly
Father. They just don’t know when. Christ’s
disciples are bewildered at the whole line of thinking here.
And they continue talking among themselves. Look at verse 18.
They were saying, what is this that he says? A little while.
How long is a little while? Their curiosity is intensifying. They’re stupefied as to what
Jesus means by these words. And Jesus allows the tension
to build. He knows that they’re struggling.
He knows that they don’t understand his statement. And so he finally
approaches them over the matter. Look at verse 19. Jesus knew
that they wished 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, a little while you will see me. There are what amounts to two
promises here. A little while and you will not
see me. It’s a promise. And again, a little while and
you will see me, another promise. And some people see this statement
as a reference to the time between Christ’s ascension into heaven
and his second coming. That’s more than a little while.
If his first statement refers to his ascension, then the second
promise has to refer to his second coming. But that would mean that
a little while would refer to what has now been at least some
2,000 years. We can set that explanation for
a little while aside very quickly. Jesus is not speaking about his
ascension and his second coming. When Jesus says, a little while
and you will not see me, that little temporal clause there
at the opening, A little while refers to mere hours now before
the events of the following evening. His arrest, his trial, his crucifixion,
and ultimately his burial. In just a short time from now,
a little while, Jesus is going to be taken from their view.
They will not be able to physically see him. He is undoubtedly referring
to his impending death and burial. From the moment of his burial,
he would no longer be visible to them. Jesus is going to depart. They will not be able to see
him, not with their physical eyes. And it clearly refers to
the period of time involving Christ’s death and burial. These
events would begin this very same night and end with his death
on the next night. They would no longer see Christ.
And that means that the second promise, again a little while
and you will see me, points to his resurrection and to the fulfillment
of his second promise. That second little while would
refer to the troubling days in which he was in the grave. But
those days are concluded by his resurrection from the dead. And
then his friends would see him again. After his departure and
death comes his return in resurrection. That’s the only real plausible
answer to this puzzle. The resurrection was enough for
his followers. They saw him and seeing him with
their very eyes resurrected from the dead, repeatedly visiting
them over a period of 40 days. It was enough to stop their weeping. It was enough to stop their mourning
and their grief. It was enough to instill in them
perpetual, unending joy. It was proof enough that Christ
had vanquished death. It was definitively an affirmation
of God’s almighty power. Power over even death itself.
It would unquestionably declare Christ’s deity, and it would
powerfully exhibit the Father’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice
for sinners. And it would assure believers
of their justification before God because they were in Christ’s
righteousness. And all of this, not only for
these 11 friends in the upper room, But for all who believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, they would be enabled to enjoy resurrection
life for eternity. Amazing. So the resurrection
was enough. They saw him. There’s a very
subtle but important thing that I have to point out here. Jesus
uses two different words for seeing here. And all three times,
the pattern is exactly the same. You will no longer see me, theoreo,
and you will see me, horao, all three times. Verse 16, verse
17, verse 19, same exact pattern. What Jesus seems to be saying
is that by his first statement, they will no longer see, referring
to literal sight, they will no longer be able to see him with
their physical eyes. Jesus will be dead and buried
out of physical sight. But the second phrase refers
to a different kind of sight, seeing with a spiritual understanding. When they do see Jesus again,
after his resurrection, they will see him with a new and different
understanding. And seeing him with their very
eyes resurrected from the dead, it would be enough to stop their
weeping, their mourning, their grief. They would now see him
with a new understanding, with a deeper spiritual insight as
to who he really was and to what he actually accomplished through
that death on the cross. His death and resurrection verified
to them that death itself had been conquered, that they could
have absolute confidence in Christ as their Savior. It was enough
to instill in them a perpetual and unending joy. It was proof
enough that Christ had vanquished death and that not only these
11 friends, but all believers would know resurrection life. Jesus knows, Jesus knows that
emotions are running high. You could have cut the tension
in that room of the night, but he forecasts a change in these
emotions. Would you glance at verse 20?
We’re looking at the emotional transformation at Christ’s resurrection,
not only the trigger of emotional change, this news that Jesus
brought, but look secondly at the forecast of emotional change. Verse 20, truly, truly, I say
to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief
will be turned into joy. Jesus begins here in verse 20
by expressing yet another one of his solemn sayings. Truly,
truly, this is a feature of Christ’s speech. It must have been a pattern
for Christ that especially captured John’s attention. The other gospel writers do record
Jesus using this word singularly, truly. Only John cites this double
affirmation of what he’s about to say. It’s Jesus’ way of highlighting
the element of teaching, and John captures it nearly two dozen
times. Here he acknowledges that truly,
truly, absolutely, they will weep, they will lament, they
will grieve. Jesus, their Savior and friend,
does not want them to be caught off guard, and so he tells them
that these emotions are to be expected. Weeping is a very general
word here for sadness, which could include tears, probably
quiet sobbing and sniffling. Lamenting is a much more demonstrative
expression of grief. Loud wailing, Together, this
weeping and lamenting just points to an observable sadness. Anyone
seeing such a person would know that they were in mourning. The
third word that Jesus uses to describe this impending emotion
is that of grief. This describes the overall sentiment,
internal, a description of the way that they were feeling. Their emotion will soon be one
of great grief. These three words combine to
describe utter anguish that they are about to experience. Soon, Jesus will be arrested,
falsely accused, falsely tried, condemned, and ultimately crucified
on a Roman cross. And so such emotions are to be
expected. This is their would-be Savior,
their dear friend. Jesus tells them that these next
72 hours are going to be excruciating. They will know, if not witness,
not only Christ’s shameful treatment at the hands of sinful men, but
ultimately His painful death on the cross for sinners. An
intense expression of sorrow is totally understandable. Peter, Peter would soon experience
these emotions. In Mark 1472, pardon me, Mark
1472, when the rooster crowed a third time, Peter recalled
Jesus’ own forecast of his denials. And Mark records that Peter began
to weep. Mary Magdalene, a devoted follower
of Christ, would soon experience these motions. After Christ’s
death, she went to his tomb to mourn. And John records that
she was standing outside the tomb, weeping. And Mary was not
alone in her grief, Luke records, 23-27, that a large crowd of
the people and of women were mourning and lamenting him. And
so Jesus tells his friends what to expect. They will weep and
lament and grieve at Christ’s crucifixion, his death, his burial. But in the context of this atmosphere
of sadness, Jesus tells them of a shockingly different, a
contrasting emotion. He says the world will rejoice. Keep in mind, the context is
no different. The occasion is still Christ’s
crucifixion, death, and burial. And yet, Jesus tells his friends
that while they are mourning, The people of this world will
be rejoicing. This is almost too horrible for
them to fathom. But it’s exactly what took place.
Those who hated Jesus, falsely accused him, oversaw his condemnation,
took great joy at his destruction. They were thrilled at the prospect
of being rid of the one whose message and teaching they hated.
They would be happy, elated that he was gone. And this rejoicing
began almost as soon as they had Jesus in custody. Matthew
chapter 26, 62 and following. I grabbed just a portion of it.
The chief priests and scribes and the elders spat in his face
and beat him with their fists. Others slapped him and said,
prophesy to us, you Christ. Who is the one who hit you? They turned this horrific scene
into their own personal amusement. It was funny to them. Luke, likewise,
records that Jesus’ arrest was something of a game to his captors. Luke 22, 63, the men who were
holding Jesus’ custody were mocking Him and beating Him. And they
blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, Prophesy! Who is
the one who hit you? And we can easily imagine soldiers
chuckling among themselves at such behavior. Later, they would
mockingly hail him as king as they slapped him in the face.
John 19. Eventually, they would gleefully
even rip his clothes to shreds, but their fun at Jesus’ expense
still wasn’t complete. In Mark 15, they dressed him
up in purple. After twisting a crown of thorns,
they put it on him and began to acclaim him, Hail, King of
the Jews. They kept beating his head with
a reed and spitting on him and kneeling and bowing before him.
The civil authorities also reveled at Christ’s expense. Herod, Herod
took the occasion to meet and mock Jesus. Luke 23, Herod was
very glad when he saw Jesus, for he had wanted to see Him
for a long time, and because he had been hearing about Him
and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And then a
few verses later, Herod with his soldiers, after treating
him with contempt and mocking him, dressed him in a gorgeous
robe and sent him back to Pilate. And get this, Herod and Pilate
became friends with one another that very day. This is just great
fun. For before they had been enemies
with one another. The Jewish leaders, Even the
random civilians of the city joined in on the mistreatment
of Christ. Mark records that as Jesus was
dying on the cross, they were passing by and hurling abuse
at Jesus, all in good fun. They were rejoicing. And in one last act of mockery,
Pilate, who, remember, tried to wash his hands of this guilt,
had a sign placed above Jesus’ head. This is the King of the
Jews. But after Jesus was crucified,
the upbeat mood reached an entirely new level. It was a near celebration
in and around Jerusalem. The people of Jesus’ day were
really just representative, however, of all the people of the world
in their hostility toward Christ. They hate him because he stands
against their evil practices. And so the people of the world
really are still rejoicing in what they think was the end of
Christ at his death on the cross. So all the while, the Jesus friends
would be grieving, the world would be rejoicing. But Jesus
forecasts a change here. Those opposing sentiments will
not be maintained for very long. Look there at the end of verse
20, where Jesus encourages, you will grieve, but your grief will
be turned to joy. It doesn’t say that joy will
be added to grief, nor even that grief will be replaced by joy. What he says is that grief will
become joy. Whereas Jesus’ death and burial
was initially seen to be a grievous thing. Now his followers looked and
saw with new eyes and held it to be the cause of their rejoicing,
that in Christ’s death on the cross, their redemption was accomplished,
that had Jesus not gone to the cross, there would have been
no forgiveness of sin. The very horrible thing that
it induced their sorrow, Jesus’ crucifixion and death, now becomes
their cause of great joy. They would see Christ’s death
in a new and wonderful way. And we can surely empathize with
the apostles’ grief, but we can also understand their joy. Can
we not? Their grief would vanish with
this advent of joy. It’s an astounding transformation. So great was this change that
Jesus seeks to illustrate. Would you glance at verse 21? in this emotional transformation
at Christ’s resurrection, not only the trigger of emotional
change and the forecast of emotional change, but the illustration
of emotional change. Verse 21, whenever a woman is
in labor, she has pain because her hour has come. But when she
gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish
because of the joy that has been born into the world. Every time I’ve quoted or alluded
to this passage, I get myself in trouble every time. I’m just
reading what’s there. Jesus illustrates this wild swing
of emotions from agony to elation, from weeping and lamenting to
everlasting joy. Speaking of his soon departure
and the effects of that upon his friends, Jesus cites a very
understandable and well-known illustration. In a sense, it’s
a parable. He likens the agony which they
will soon experience to the pain of childbirth. This was an image
with which any person, even men, would be familiar because it’s
so common to the human condition. That reality stems from God’s
curse on Adam and Eve for their sin. To Eve, Genesis 3.16, I
will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. And any Jew would
be thoroughly familiar because it’s frequently a recurring metaphor
in the Old Testament. Think of this. God gives Isaiah
this image in response to coming judgments. In Isaiah 21.3, he
says, my loins are full of anguish. Pains have seized me like the
pains of a woman in labor. We get it. Again, to describe
Israel’s troubles in 26.17 of Isaiah, as the pregnant woman
approaches the time to give birth, she writhes and cries out in
her labor pains. We get it. Prophet Micah, likewise,
uses the illustration to challenge his nation’s morose demeanor. When he says, agony has gripped
you like a woman in childbirth, Micah 4, 9. And so the prophets,
when they wanted to speak of an almost unbearable pain, they
employ the imagery of childbirth. But even agony this deep, is
not long lasting. Would you glance down again at
verse 21? Whenever a woman is in pain,
labor, she has pain, but because her hour has come, but when she
gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish.
And so in like manner, just as do the prophets, Jesus uses this
common illustration to speak not only of the suddenness and
the extremeness of the pain, but also of its brevity for his
friends. It will not last forever. A woman
in labor goes from one extreme to the other, from extreme pain
to extreme joy. And yes, I have been in that
room. What is agony for even many hours
immediately gives way to joy. Let’s note first that Jesus isn’t
talking about his own pain. He’s not talking about his own
personal pain and suffering on the cross. He’s talking about
his beloved friend’s pain, the pain of their seeming loss of
their savior and friend. Jesus makes the comparison that
the disciples grieving will quickly give way to rejoicing. Like a
new mother quickly forgets the pain of childbirth for the joy
of a child. They would weep and lament and
grieve, but those emotions would vanish, replaced by joy once
they came to know of Christ’s resurrection. So Jesus declares, that his resurrection
from the dead is going to produce a tremendous emotional change. And in closing, he only seeks
to assure his followers of this truth. Would you look at verse
22? This emotional transformation
at Christ’s resurrection, not only the trigger of emotional
change, a forecast of emotional change, a great illustration
of emotional change, and finally the assurance of emotional change. Verse 22, therefore you too have
grief now, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice
and no one will take your joy away from you. It’s fascinating
here that Jesus doesn’t look past their grief. He acknowledges
it. It’s a necessary step to the
joy that they will soon experience. And the time has already begun
to grieve. Jesus’ arrest is imminent. His
crucifixion only an evening away. Soon Jesus will follow his trial
together with the soldiers’ abusive treatment, culminating in his
crucifixion and death. Jesus doesn’t discount that they
have cause for sadness. He says it again, you too, just
like that woman in labor, have grief now. He acknowledges that such grief
is appropriate. Jesus is explaining the deep
inner emotions that have already become to manifest itself among
his friends. They will grieve. But in a real sense, they’re
already grieving Christ’s departure. This idea of separation from
him, the uncertainty of the whole thing. But then, There in the rest of
verse 22, Jesus brings their emotions full circle. Therefore you have grief now,
but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and no
one will take your joy away from you. Jesus doesn’t provide them
details here, only that he would see them again. And we know now
in hindsight that what he’s referring to is the resurrection. His burial
at death would last only a few days, but he would soon see them
again. And just like that woman in verse
21, there is eventual joy. These simple men had seen God’s
promises fulfilled in Christ. He had accomplished their redemption. and to all believers as well.
They knew that his sacrifice on the cross was accepted in
full because he did rise again three days later, just as he
had promised. And the realization of all of
that made joy flood their hearts,
a joy that would never fade. And if their sadness was largely
caused by Christ’s crucifixion, crucifixion for their sin, then
his resurrection would be cause for immeasurable and unending
rejoicing. As only the inimitable Charles
Spurgeon could say it, he should rise again On the third day,
it would all be over. A few hours of bitter grief,
a night of bloody sweat, a night and a morning of mockery, a direful
afternoon of deadly anguish on the cross. And then the bowing
of the head, a little rest in the grave. And on the third day,
the light would break upon mankind. For the Son of Righteousness
would arise with healing in His wings. If our Lord’s record ended
at the cross, it should drive us to despair. But He is declared to be the
Son of God with power by His resurrection from the dead. that
he was raised from the dead makes us to see the merit, the power,
the great reward of his death. This is our Lord Jesus Christ,
one whose death is the source of our salvation and whose resurrection
and eternal glory are the guarantee and foretaste of our eternal
bliss. Would you humble yourself before
him? Our merciful King, we do humble
ourselves before you and thank you for this account provided by the Apostle John,
eyewitness to what took place, not only there in the upper room,
Father, but in the days that followed, the trial, the arrests, condemnation, crucifixion itself,
even Christ’s death, but ultimately Christ’s resurrection from the
dead. Lord, we rejoice. We rejoice
along with these apostles who were so grieved. And Lord, there
is a measure of that that we feel. To know that the Lord Jesus
Christ went to the cross because of my sin, each one of us should
grieve. Lord, we know that he did. We
know that Jesus Christ went to the cross for sinners and that
that should bring us unending joy, a joy that can never be
taken away from us. Father, for those of us who know
Christ, we know this emotion, we know this grief, sadness over
what they did to our Savior, but joy because we know that
He took it for us. Lord, if there are any here who
do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, it’s not about what we do, it’s
what He did, suffering on the cross for sinners. All that is
ours is to put our faith in that finished work of what Jesus accomplished
in redeeming us, redeeming sinners by his death on that cross. Lord,
we thank you. We count it all joy. We pray
these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.