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See Ya Later! Text:
John 16:16-22 The Word of God before us today is to give us the patience of faith to endure times of suffering and sorrow. It does that, first, by admitting that our lives in this world will be afflicted with suffering and sorrow. There is no relief where there is no awareness of pain. There is no forgiveness for those who do not first admit and confess that they have sinned. There is no deliverance from sorrow or trouble if we decide to just give in and wallow in it, and accept it as inevitable and even try to learn to like it. This is how many people deal with death. They try to deny its threat by making death into a friend! The word “euthanasia” literally means “good death” and is promoted by some (you remember Jack Kavorkian, “Dr. Death”!) promoted as a merciful and good thing to actively end someone's life to deliver them from suffering. But what good is the deliverance if you're no longer around to enjoy it? Murder in all its forms (homicide, abortion, euthanasia, suicide) is sinful primarily because we are playing God Whose right alone it is to determine the span of our years. Yet such is the madness of the devil to cause all manner of destruction of souls.
So God's Word first speaks reality admitting that, because of the root problem of sin, the cause of all suffering and death, there will always be trouble, sorrow and suffering in this world, in the lives of all. But then the Word gives the patience of faith to endure when it holds before us God's own promised mighty deliverance. Because of His promised deliverance and salvation, faith in that promise is enabled to see beyond the suffering and consider our present sufferings and trials as what our Lord describes in today's Gospel as lasting only “a little while.”
Count how many times that phrase, “a little while,” is repeated. Jesus says to his disciples, “ A little while , and you will see me no longer; and again a little while , and you will see me.” The disciples repeat his words to one another wondering what he means, “ A little while , and you will not see me, and again a little while , and you will see me.” Again they repeated, “What does he mean by ‘ a little while '?” Then Jesus comes back at them repeating again and asking 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'?” That's where the questioning ends, but would we be surprised if it continued, the disciples answering Jesus saying, “Yes, yes! That's what we are wondering, what you mean by ‘ a little while .'” And even then Jesus could have begun to answer by repeating the phrase again. Let's see. “A little while”—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven times! Why all this repetition? So that faith might learn to repeat that phrase, “a little while, a little while,” whenever we encounter suffering, trouble or sorrow. It's what keeps faith alive, faith that knows, believes and trusts in God's promised deliverance, help and salvation.
This is the Upper Room, just hours before he would be betrayed, taken captive, mocked, scourged and, finally, crucified. He was speaking about his approaching suffering and death. By saying, “A little while, and you will see me no longer,” he meant that in just a matter of hours he would be arrested! Then by saying, “Again a little while, and you will see me,” he meant that in a matter of just three days he would rise from death and appear to them again, glorified, risen. He says “a little while” so that they will remember and hang in there in faith through the troubling days ahead. For what if he would be gone a long while, if he were to remain in the grave four days, a week, a month, a year before he would rise again? Surely the disciples' faith would grow weaker and weaker, they would give up hope, repent of their ever following him and return to the temple, the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees.
As it was, the disciples were overwhelmed with fear. They all fled the scene of the crucifixion. Did their minds even recall these words of Jesus, “a little while”? No suffering is pleasant while it is happening. Suffering, by definition, prevents happiness, interferes with progress, causes fear and pain. Only pillars of faith seem to be able to be brave and steadfast in suffering. But these are words for faith to learn. And even when the disciples were fleeing and fearing for their lives, underneath faith remembers the words of Christ, the Holy Spirit interceding even when we do not know what to pray for. Faith keeps holding on to the promise and prays almost in syncopation with the heartbeat, “a little while, a little while, a little while.”
Their faith was not disappointed, of course—pleasantly surprised maybe, but not disappointed when after the “little while” of only three days they saw him again—behind locked doors, on the road to Emmaus, on the seashore and, finally, at his Ascension into heaven. The second part of our text is about the disciples' emotional experience in the life of faith. He says, “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.” Now, this is no mere “power of positive thinking” as promoted by a Joel Osteen or a Robert H. Schuller. For they promote only looking inside yourself for some supposed power within yourself. No, this is all about faith that, while it is in you, is always looking outward, looking to the Word, to the promises of God.
“You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.” This was so true at the crucifixion. Women wept and the disciples thought all their hopes were ended. On the other hand, the world of the chief priests and elders and even the Roman occupying forces went on rejoicing at finally eliminating this Troubler of Israel. And so also is our experience. Our days are filled with grief and fear, with weeping and suffering while it seems that the world around us remains relatively happy. It is the ancient complaint of God's people, “why do the heathen prosper?” Martin Luther said Christians are the most mournful people on earth because we alone know the real problem, the true cause of suffering and death, namely sin.
So what are we to do? Some try to overcome trouble by simply putting on a happy face. This is what Luther called the theology of glory. Many today serve up what some have called a “happy clappy” religion, a so-called worship service that avoids the negative and eliminates or at least covers up crosses. The theology of glory, however, is not only deceptive but even unbiblical. There never was a hymn called “In the be happy attitudes I glory.” It is, rather, this: “In the Cross of Christ I Glory.” God-given, Biblical faith is more real, faces up to the real issues and pins its hopes on the Theology of the Cross, with the constant prayer, “a little while, a little while.”
“You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful,” but then our Lord adds, “your sorrow will turn into joy.” It was only a little while before we read, “then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord” when he appeared to them after his resurrection and showed them his hands and his side [John 20:20 (ESV)]. Then follow the thread of faith through the New Testament. When the disciples were persecuted for preaching the Gospel of Jesus, they rejoiced, “that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” [Acts 5:41 (ESV)]. For all the trials and persecutions that the Apostle Paul endured still he could write words like these: “Through [Christ] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance” [Romans 5:2-3 (ESV)]. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” [Romans 12:12 (ESV)]. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” [Philip. 4:4 (ESV)]. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” [Col. 1:24 (ESV)].
And St. Peter would write about the living hope in the resurrection of Christ, saying, “in this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” [1 Peter 1:6 (ESV)], and, a little later, “but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” [1 Peter 4:13 (ESV)]. I think we can say with confidence that you will rarely if ever hear these sorts of words from Joel Osteen or the purveyors of positive thinking.
Jesus uses the illustration of a woman giving birth. “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. 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.” As this was true for those disciples through that “little while” between Good Friday and Easter, so is it true for us now. Though it has been more than three days the promise still holds true, “Behold, I am coming soon” [Rev. 22:12 (ESV)]. Faith hears that divine Word and promise and hangs in there with the hope, “a little while, a little while.”
Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me.
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes, Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies; Heav'n's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. [LW 490: 3, 5]____________________
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