Sorrow Turned to Joy

John 16:16-24

INTRODUCTION

The greatest word that could ever be said to a person in sorrow would be the promise that his sorrow will be temporary. From John chapter 13 up to John 16, Jesus comforts His sorrowful disciples on the night before His death. He alleviates their sorrow with promises, wonderful hopes, and the assurance of His presence through the Holy Spirit. He told them they would do greater things than He did (John 14:12), and that they could ask anything in His name and it would be granted (John 14:13-14). In John 15 He said they would have the power to be victorious over the hateful world and that they would be His witnesses. Yet in John 16, the disciples are still sorrowful, so Jesus proceeds to give them the greatest comfort possible: the promise that their sorrow would be temporary.

Jesus told the disciples that He understood their sorrow. Twice in John 14 He said, "Let not your heart be troubled" (vv. 1, 27). In John 16:6 the Lord acknowledged the sorrow that filled the disciples' hearts. He knew they were grieving over the prospect of losing Him. They simply didn't understand much of what Christ was saying about His physical death and departure. So in John 14--16, Jesus turned His thoughts and concerns toward the disciples and endeavored to comfort them. In this lesson, we will look at how He climaxes His message of comfort with the statement that soon, their sorrow would be turned to joy because His departure was only temporary.

LESSON

I've divided John 16:16-24 into four points: the pledge, the perplexity, the parable, and the promise. What's amazing about Christ's actions is that He unselfishly comforted the disciples at a time when He could have been preoccupied with what was going to happen to Him at the cross. He's anticipating what is about to happen to Him, yet pushes aside any thoughts of Himself and condescends to minister to the sorrow of the selfish disciples. He stoops to their weakness because He loves them.

I. THE PLEDGE (v. 16)

"A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father."

A. Clarifying the Pledge

Initially, that statement may seem confusing. It doesn't immediately make sense. Examining the statement piece by piece will help us understand it. First the Lord said, "A little while, and ye shall not see me." That we can understand because it's about two or three hours before the arrest of Jesus and the events that lead to the cross. The disciples would see Him for a little longer, and then He would be out of their midst.

Then Jesus said, "Again, a little while, and ye shall see me." He was ministering in the simplest way to the discouraged disciples. He says, "It's true that I'm going away, but it's only temporary. In a little while, I will be back." He gave them hope, which offered the greatest possible alleviation of sorrow.

Everyone in the church, the body of Christ, should concern themselves with others and not self. Jesus wasn't preoccupied with Himself; He didn't worry about the things that must have been ripping His heart to pieces. He didn't dwell on the anguish He would experience when He bore the sins of the world and endured the hatred that was to come. He stops any thoughts of Himself and considers the sorrow of the undeserving, selfish disciples.

B. Clarifying a Phrase

To fully understand what Jesus was saying in John 16:16, we need to consider the key phrase that appears twice in the verse: "a little while." Jesus had used the phrase before to refer to weeks, days, and hours. In John 7:33 He said, "Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me." At that time, His departure was only weeks away. In John 12:35 He said, "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you." There, the phrase "a little while" refers to days. Then in John 13:33 we read, "Little children, yet a little while I am with you." At that point it was only a matter of hours before Christ's arrest. By the time we get to John 16, Jesus uses the same phrase again to refer to two or three hours. Based on those verses, the phrase "a little while" can refer to any amount of time from a few weeks to a few hours. We use that same phrase today to mean basically the same thing.

1. The first "little while"

The first time Jesus used the phrase "a little while" in John 16:16 referred to the hours before Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was arrested. Some commentators believe that in John 16, Jesus was actually en route to the Garden, having already left the upper room. Regardless, His disciples would be separated from Him in as little as two hours. In fact, they would flee. Then Jesus said, "Again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." When were the disciples going to see Jesus again? What was He referring to?

2. The second "little while"

a) What it is not

(1) The Second Coming

Some people say Christ was talking about His second coming. He would be gone for a while, and then return at the second coming. They support that interpretation by pointing to the New Testament reference that depicts the period prior to Christ's return as being the birth pangs of the coming Kingdom (Matt. 24:8). Since Jesus used the metaphor of birth a little later on in verse 21 to illustrate what He was saying, some people say the second "little while" must refer to the second coming-- that there will be birth pangs experienced during the Tribulation, and then the Kingdom will come.

I don't believe that's the right interpretation because Christ is coming to get us at the rapture, which will happen before the second coming. We won't be on earth until He sets up His Kingdom at the second coming; we will be raptured seven years before that. In John 14:2-3 Jesus said He was going to heaven to prepare a place for us, and that He would come to take us where He is. To say the disciples would next see Him at the second coming would eliminate the pretribulation rapture. It would also give them a false sense of comfort to say, "I'll be leaving you in a couple of hours, but I'll be back in two thousand years. So, be comforted." Finally, it wouldn't be consistent to interpret "a little while" to mean a few hours in one place and two thousand years in another.

(2) The Resurrection

Some people say the second "little while" refers to the resurrection. Now that seems more possible, because three days can be considered a "little while". Jesus used the phrase "a little while" to refer to a few days in John 12:35 when He said, "A little while is the light with you." However, there's a problem with that interpretation: After Christ's resurrection, He was around for only a few weeks before He left the disciples again. That would be to say, "Don't be afraid. I'm going away but I'll be back in three days. Then I'll go away again." That's not a permanent comfort.

What, then, was Jesus saying? Look at the statement at the end of the verse: "A little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." How would they be able to see Him when He left to go to the Father?

b) What it is

(1) The explanation

Jesus said that when He went to the Father, He would send the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 26). According to Romans 8:9, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. So when Christ said the disciples would see Him again, He was saying He would be back not in a physical body, but through the person of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit would dwell in us (John 14:17). In John 16:7 the Lord said, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you." Christ couldn't send His Spirit yet because the Spirit was a reward to Him from the Father for accomplishing the work on the cross (Eph. 1:13-14). When Christ went to heaven having accomplished His work, the Father sent the Spirit, whom Christ sent in His place.

(2) The evidence

In John 14:16 Christ said, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter." There are two Greek words for the word "another": heteros, which means "another of a different kind," and allos, which means "another of the same kind." Christ used allos. The Spirit is one in essence with Him; Christ would be sending back His own Spirit. This is confirmed in John 14:17-18, where Christ said He would send "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you." In verse 17 He said the Spirit would come, then in verse 18 He said He would come. Both verses are talking about the same event; the promised Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ.

Paul said Christ in us is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27), and Christ promised His Spirit would reside in us (John 14:17). And He will reside in us permanently. He didn't tell the disciples He would come back and leave again. Nor did He say He would leave and be back in two thousand years. He said He would leave, then come back and be with us as long as we live and throughout eternity. In Matthew 28:20 He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." He will never leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

(3) The event

The fulfillment of Christ's promise came on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). The Spirit came and dwelt within the disciples, and began to teach them all things concerning Christ, as John 14:26 said He would. Prior to John 16:16, in verses 13-15, Christ detailed the work of the Father. Then in verse 16, He said this work would begin when He goes to the Father.

Summed up, Christ was saying in John 16:16, "I'm going away, and because I'm going to the Father, I'll come to you in the form of My Spirit to dwell within you. That's a wonderful promise every believer has. There's no such thing as a Christian who doesn't possess the indwelling Christ. There are people who think they have to search for the Holy Spirit, but He dwells in every believer. Paul told the Corinthians, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). That's basic knowledge. Christ in us is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

Christ pledged that He would return after His temporary departure. And when He returned, it wouldn't be in His physical body, which could be in only one place at a time. He would be in every believer at all times. Sure enough, within a few weeks of making His pledge, the apostles received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). The phrase "a little while" can be used to refer to weeks, so that interpretation is appropriate. The first "little while" talks of hours, and the second speaks of weeks.

Jesus has already left and sent the Spirit. We now live in the age of the Spirit's indwelling every believer. That's what Christ promised would happen. What is it that the Spirit wants to do within us during this age? Manifest Jesus Christ. Christ said in John 16:14 that the Spirit "shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." The Spirit's ministry is to manifest Christ within us. That's quite a pledge! By the perceptive eye of faith, we know it has been fulfilled. I've never seen the Holy Spirit, but I know He is present in my life. Through the eye of faith, we perceive His working in our lives. We sense His presence.

By the way, when Christ spoke of the disciples seeing Him again, He may also have been referring to the resurrection, ascension, and coming of the Spirit as a unit. The cross, resurrection, ascension, and coming of the Spirit were all one climax that began the age of the Spirit.

II. THE PERPLEXITY (vv. 17-19)

The disciples were frequently perplexed by Christ's statements. They usually said, "What does He mean?" It's interesting that John 16:17 is the first time the disciples break their silence since John 14:22. They responded quizzically to Jesus' leaving and returning in a little while. By now they had resigned themselves to the fact that He was going to die. Then all of a sudden Christ said they would see Him again after a little while. They must have been thinking, "How does a person die for only a little while?" They were confused.

A. The Stirring (v. 17)

"Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again, a little while, and ye shall see me; and, Because I go to the Father?"

The disciples didn't have the courage to ask Jesus what He meant, so they started talking among themselves. They were confused about Him saying He was coming back in a little while because He was going to the Father. Now don't be hard on the disciples because they were confused; if we were in their shoes, we would not have understood what Jesus meant prior to the events that happened at the cross and immediately thereafter. They were struggling with the question of how the Messiah could leave if He was supposed to set up His kingdom. They finally understood that He was going to leave them, but what did He mean by saying He would come back?

B. The Silence (v. 18)

"They said, therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We cannot tell what he saith."

The disciples were confused, and rather than be rebuked for not understanding, they chose to remain silent. That's a shame; there are some people like that in Sunday School classes or Bible study groups. They won't understand what's being said, and are afraid to ask any questions because they are afraid they will appear to be ignorant. But chances are, if they ask the question, the teacher or other people might have the same question! It's possible to fellowship in shared ignorance and stimulate one another to go find the answer. Your ignorance in a sense is the foundation of your understanding and learning. Look for things you are ignorant about, and find the answers to fill the holes in your knowledge. The disciples didn't know the truth, and seldom bothered to ask about it. They sat blindly in their ignorance, afraid to ask questions.

1. Christ's desire to share with the disciples

Jesus wanted the disciples to have answers to their questions. He wanted to share His heart with them. If they had said, "Lord, tell us about Your anguish over the cross. We want to identify with You and pray alongside You. We want to care for You," Jesus probably would have shared volumes of fantastic things with them. But in their selfishness, they couldn't see beyond their own problems. Jesus wanted to tell them that He didn't like the cross, and that He looked beyond the cross to the joy that would be His (Heb. 12:2). The joy wasn't in the cross itself, but in what was accomplished on the cross.

Rather than care for Himself, Jesus accepted the disciples' indifference toward Him and tried to comfort them. His attempt to bring joy to the disciples perhaps helped Him to look past the nails, the thorns, the spear, and the cross to the victory in the coming of the Spirit. Christ would have wanted to look past Calvary as much as possible because it anguished Him. He sweat great drops of blood when He contemplated His death (Luke 22:44).

2. Christ's approach to comforting the disciples

In verses 16-24, you will notice that Christ was more concerned about the disciples' sorrow than their ignorance. He didn't try to deal with them theologically. He dealt with them in love and comfort. He could wait until His resurrection to deal with their ignorance; it was their sorrow that needed immediate attention. Isn't that a beautiful insight into how much He loved them? That's the essence of His care and love, and that's how He deals with us.

I believe Jesus' main concern is to comfort us before He gives us a theological education. He wants us to know peace, joy, and comfort. He didn't worry about the disciples' theological understanding in John 16 because He knew they would soon be theologians without parallel. He knew that ten days after He ascended, on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples would become walking scholars. Because that was inevitable in time, Christ was concerned more about the disciples' sorrow. He is a loving Savior, not an indifferent God. Many people portray God as indifferent and uncaring, but He is concerned with the comfort and care of His beloved children.

In verse 19, we see that Christ reads the disciples' minds like a billboard. In John 2:24-25 we read that Jesus could read what was in the heart of a man. From our perspective, there are positives and negatives about that ability. I'm glad the Lord can read my mind. Peter once said to Christ, "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:27). Aren't you glad the Lord knows you love Him even when you don't act like it? But I'm sure there are times when we may wish the Lord couldn't read our minds. In John 16:19, the Lord knew the disciples were struggling with what He had said in verses 17-18.

C. The Surprise (v. 19)

"Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of what I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?"

The Lord knew the disciples were puzzled, so He asked the question for them. He knew they couldn't figure out what He meant by the phrase "a little while." He asked, "Is what I said confusing you?" You can imagine how quickly the disciples jumped up when they heard that; Jesus had read their minds. Isn't it great to know that the Lord knows our problems before we ever articulate them? He knows exactly what we need before we say a word. In Isaiah 65:24, the Lord said, "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." The disciples hadn't asked their question yet, and the Lord already had an answer for them. To comfort them, Christ shared an illustration with a tremendous spiritual principle.

III. THE PARABLE (vv. 20-22)

A. The Instruction (v. 20)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."

1. The prediction

The use of the word "verily" twice indicates that Christ was making a critical, solemn statement. He made a great promise to the sorrowing disciples: Your sorrow is going to turn into joy. Notice that Jesus depicted the depth of their sorrow with the phrase "weep and lament." He did that so their future joy might look all the more beautiful. He painted a black backdrop, and injected the statement about joy in the end of the verse: "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy."

2. The principle

a) In relation to the disciples

Christ was telling the disciples that the very event causing their grief would be the same event that would bring them joy. He wasn't saying He would replace sorrowful events with happy ones. The point is, whatever brings you sorrow now will bring you joy later on (Psalm 30:5). It's not a matter of saying, "Such-and-such was bad and it caused me grief, so I'll put it in my grief box. This was good; I'll put it in my happy box." The Lord takes our sorrow over a particular event and turns it into joy. Whatever plunges you into grief will lift you into joy.

What was it that was about to give the disciples great sorrow? The cross. But after Christ's death and resurrection, the cross became the source of their joy. Paul said, "God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14). Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles happily praised God and preached the message about the cross. Unbelievers may wonder how anyone could be happy over the crucifixion of his leader. What looks like a sorrowful event to them is a joyful event for Christians.

b) In relation to us

The disciples had to wait until after the cross for their sorrow to turn into joy. That's how God wants to work in our lives: He wants to take our sorrows and make them joys; it's not that He balances all the sad events in our lives with happy ones. In Romans 8:28 Paul said, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." The Lord turns sorrow into joy, just as He turned water into wine (John 2:7-9). He didn't replace the water with wine. The disciples had their sorrow turned to joy when the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. The source of their grief, which was the cross, became the source of their greatest joy.What Is the Source of Our Joy?

The cross is the source of our joy, not circumstances. If you concern yourself with circumstances, you will find problems. The cross was the foundation of the disciples' joy, and the same is true for us. In John 20:20, we read that the disciples were glad when they saw the risen Lord. When Jesus appeared to two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, they became happy. They felt their hearts burn within them as they walked with the resurrected Christ (v. 32). We see in the book of Acts that the people in the early church were a happy bunch. They were happy over the cross.

God wants to take the sorrow in your life and turn it to joy. If you never experienced sorrow and had only joy, the joy would be neutral. Trust that God wants to change your sorrows into joy--He will do so if you can wait long enough.

Sorrow comes into our lives mainly for two reasons. One reason is the testing of our faith. If you endure the test and become stronger as a result of it, that's cause for joy. Another time we will experience sorrow is when God chastises us. But when God punishes us so that we won't disobey Him again, that's cause for joy. In everything that happens in your life, try to find the glimmer of joy that's beginning to break from your sorrow. Even if you are in a disastrous situation, God can take that disaster and turn it into joy.

In 2 Corinthians 6:10 Paul said he was "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." He had many problems. He had great heaviness in his heart (Rom. 9:2). But he also said, "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). How can we be sorrowful and always rejoicing? We can rejoice because of the cross and because we know God will turn the water of sorrow into the wine of rejoicing. Jesus told the disciples in John 15:11, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." He said their sorrow would turn to joy, and it did. They were the happiest group of men on earth after the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost.

B. The Illustration (v. 21)

1. Initial sorrow (v. 21a)

"A woman, when she is in travail [childbirth], hath sorrow, because her hour is come."

Experiencing pain and sorrow is a part of the curse from when Eve sinned. She brought upon women the pain of childbirth (Gen. 3:16). When a woman is about to have a child, she has great pain. My wife once said she hopes I understand what she goes through during childbirth; yet only mothers fully understand what it's like.

2. Inevitable joy (v. 21b)

"But as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world."

This illustration shows an event that started out in grief and anguish yet ended up in joy--not a sorrowful event replaced by a joyful event. The sorrow and pain of the mother is completely washed out when the baby is born. When you see that precious little life, you don't remember the anguish anymore.

Jesus was telling the disciples, "When I die and am no longer with you, you'll be lonely and experience sorrow. But trust Me that out of your sorrow will come the greatest possible joy." Ask any woman with children what is the greatest joy she's ever had, and she will most likely say the birth of her children. Jesus used the greatest example of human joy to illustrate that God can turn our sorrow to joy.

C. The Insurance (v. 22)

"And ye now, therefore, have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."

1. The promise of joy

The disciples were experiencing birth pains because they anticipated Christ's departure and their loneliness. But imagine how thrilled they were to hear that they would see Jesus again, and even more surprised when the Lord said, "Your joy no man taketh from you."

2. The permanence of joy

The joy we have as a result of Christ's work on the cross is an eternal joy. Your life might fall apart, you might lose the joy that comes from your circumstances, and you might not be able to believe God can bring joy out of sadness; but the cross can be a constant source of joy for you. No man can ever undo the work of grace that God did in your life through the cross. Someone might put you in difficult circumstances or bring you grief, or you might bring sorrow upon yourself. But no matter what happens, no one can violate the perfect work Christ did on the cross in your behalf. The joy Christ promised the disciples in John 16 was the joy that would come from Calvary. No man can take from you the absolute security you have as a believer. The work on the cross cannot be reversed, and the joy from it is permanently ours.

Since Christ is talking about a permanent joy, we know that the joy the disciples experience during the second "little while" in verse 16 has to go beyond the resurrection. It's an eternal joy that will never pass away. That's why Paul was able to rejoice always even in the midst of the sorrows in his life. He couldn't always understand every circumstance, but he believed that God could bring joy out of every circumstance. He didn't care about getting beaten up or put in jail; he was mature enough to see that joy could come from grief. I'm sure there were times when Paul failed to look for joy in a circumstance because he was discouraged. But the one joy no once could ever take from him was the joy he had in the cross. That's always the source of every believer's joy.

IV. THE PROMISE (vv. 23-24)

A. Of Full Understanding (v. 23a)

"And in that day ye shall ask me nothing."

What day was Christ referring to? The day He spoke of in verse 22: the day the Spirit would come. That would be the day when their sorrow would turn to joy, and the Lord would come back to dwell within the disciples.

The word day can be used to refer to an era. For example, the biblical phrase "the day of the Lord" basically refers to a period of time. Frequently we use the word day to speak of an era when we say, "This is the day of science." So in that day or age of the Spirit, beginning at Pentecost, the disciples would no longer ask Jesus questions.

Why wouldn't the disciples ask the Lord anything? For one thing, Christ would no longer be physically present with them. Also, Christ told the disciples that when the Spirit came, He would teach them all things, and remind them of what Christ said to them (John 14:26). The Spirit would lead them into all truth and make them scholars. Because of that, the disciples wouldn't need Christ around to answer their questions. But the Lord knew the disciples would still have needs. That's what He addressed next in John 16:23.

B. Of Provision (v. 23b)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you."

Christ was saying, "You're about to enter into a new age. No longer will I be here to answer your questions and care for you. From now on, you will be able to pray to the Father in My name, and receive your resources from Him." He said the same thing in John 14:13-14: "Whatever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." In John 15:16 we read that whatever we ask of the Father in Christ's name, He will give it to us. So He has said that to the disciples a few times already. Whatever we ask in the name of Jesus, God will give it to us.What Does It Mean to Pray in Jesus' Name?

Can you just make a request to God, then say, "In Jesus' name I pray, amen"? Will that guarantee you'll get what you requested? No; to ask in Jesus' name means to ask for something in behalf of Christ. You are saying, "Father, I want this because Christ wants it." Saying that should help keep you from making any selfish prayer requests. We are to pray for what Jesus would want. In fact, the Bible doesn't discuss at length the need to pray for ourselves. We might ask God to give us wisdom or guidance, but we don't really need to ask Him for many things. Some people ask God for guidance, but God is saying, "I'm trying to guide you; why don't you follow?" We need to pray for what we know to be Jesus' will, such as growing in wisdom and studying God's Word. That's Christ's will for us, and God will answer such requests. We can ask the Father in behalf of Christ for the salvation of a person, because the Bible says the Lord is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. 3:9).

C. Of a New Age (v. 24a)

"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name."

Christ was saying that up to that time, the disciples' hadn't prayed in His name. They were about to enter into a new age when they could do that. Some commentators believe Christ was rebuking the disciples for not asking for anything in His name. But that's not what He was doing; He was simply explaining to them the character of the new age.

D. Of Joy Through Answered Prayer (v. 24b)

"Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

There are three categories Christians can fit into in terms of joy: those who have no joy, those whose joy is found through the cross, and those who have full joy. How can we have full joy? Jesus gave the answer in John 16:24: "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." So how can we know full joy? By asking God for things and receiving them. We can know full joy through answered prayer.

Do you get excited when God answers your prayers? Scripture talks about joy in prayer. First Thessalonians 5:16 says, "Rejoice evermore." How? The next verse says, "Pray without ceasing." Philippians 4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.... Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God" (vv. 4, 6). Full joy comes from answered prayer. When you tap into God's resources and see God at work in your life, that's cause for joy! Christians who go around gripping and being cynical do so because they haven't activated the power of God on their behalf. They aren't basking in a prayer-without- ceasing kind of life where God is working in their lives in a way that brings joy. If you want joy, you'll find it on your knees in deep communion with God. Pray and talk to Him. It's a joy just to be in His presence! And your cup of joy will overflow as you behold God's grace and love and see Him answer your prayers.

CONCLUSION

In responding to the disciples' sorrow, Jesus didn't tell them they would understand everything later on. He didn't discuss theology. Instead, He told them they were going to have joy. Not only joy as a result of the cross, but full joy from constant communion with the Father. We can all receive joy as a result of Christ's work on the cross. We can even receive a certain extent of joy from circumstances. But full joy comes from praying without ceasing. In everything, we should make our requests known by prayer and supplication.

Everything Jesus said to the disciples in John 16:16-24 should have made them glad. He said that the separation between them would be brief, and that their sorrow would turn to joy after the cross. He also said the joy they would receive would be permanent--no one could ever take it away from them. Finally, He said they could make their joy more full by staying in constant communion with God, asking and receiving things in His name.

Again, we can't help but see the beauty and magnificence of the Person of Jesus Christ. What a Savior! He knew the cross was coming; He could already see with His mind's eye the nails tearing into His limbs, the thorns puncturing His brow, the spear into His internal organs, the jeers of the mocking people, and the spit and laughter of His killers. He could already feel the loneliness of being separated from God, the the pain of bearing every sin of mankind. But even when He anticipated all that, He wanted most of all to make the disciples happy. That tells me He really cares for us. In the midst of all that He must be doing to uphold the universe, He cares that we have joy. Christ did everything right up to His death on the cross to assure us full joy. He provided a glorious prayer fellowship with the Father, and He sent His Holy Spirit to live within us--all because He wants us to have joy. It must break the Lord's heart when a Christian becomes bitter or cynical and doesn't take hold of the joy he could have. God forgive us if we are not overwhelmed with the sweet joy that is ours because of the cross and the way He can turn sorrow into joy.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What is one of the greatest ways to comfort a person in sorrow?

2. What had Jesus used the phrase "a little while" to refer to in John 7:33, 12:35, and 13:33?

3. How do we know that the second "little while" in John 16:16 does not refer to the second coming and the resurrection?

4. When Jesus told the disciples they would see Him again after He departed, what was He talking about?

5. What evidence in John 14:16-18 and Matthew 28:20 supports the answer in the previous question?

6. When was Christ's promise that the disciples would see Him again fulfilled?

7. Why were the disciples silent in John 16:18? Should we follow their example in similar situations? Explain your answer.

8. What might Christ's attempt to bring joy to His disciples have helped Him to do?

9. What was Christ most concerned about in relation to His disciples in John 16:16-24, and why?

10. How did the Lord surprise the disciples in John 16:19?

11. Our sorrow will be _____ into joy, not _____ by joy.

12. What is the source of our joy? What are two main reasons for sorrow coming into our lives?

13. What was Christ trying to explain through the illustration about childbirth in John 16:21?

14. According to John 16:22, what is true about the joy we have from what Christ did on the cross?

15. What did Christ promise to the disciples in John 16:23-24?

16. Explain how joy and prayer are related.

Pondering the Principles

1. When the disciples were sorrowful, Jesus knew the best thing to do was comfort them. He didn't try to clear up their understanding with theological explanations. That serves as a good example for whenever you are with someone who is brokenhearted or depressed. Such a person needs a listening ear before you give him counsel. Work on being a sympathetic listener in addition to being a biblically sound counselor.

2. The best way to see the joy that comes from answered prayer is to keep a record of your prayer requests. As time goes along and you see prayers answered, you will notice how God is working in your life. To make your own prayer log, write down your daily prayer requests and the date you made the requests. Then whenever a specific request is answered, put a checkmark by it. Not only does a prayer log make you more aware of God's answers to your prayers, it also serves as a constant reminder of what God has done for you in the past. That can be a source of comfort when the future looks uncertain.