Jesus has been preparing His disciples for a life that would no longer include Him walking side by side with them on the earth, a grim prospect for His disciples, or so they thought.
Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” John 16: 16-18
The idea of not doing life with Jesus, as they had for the past three years, must have been unimaginable and to hear Him say that He was leaving them appears to have left them perhaps anxious, but also sorrowful.
Jesus then goes on to give an analogy of their grief and pain being like a woman giving birth. They would indeed feel pain and also fear (as every mom experiences a touch of that emotion during labor), but Jesus tells them that they would then forget the pain and grief and experience joy, just like a new mother is euphoric holding her brand new baby. The anxiety of the unknown caused by the pain of labor, which can go on for days, dissipates into utter joy when the baby arrives.
Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16: 19-24
Jesus would be leaving His men and His earthly ministry to go back to His Father, and there would be grief, but He promised that the Holy Spirit would come to live in them, giving them peace and joy that is supernatural. This joy and peace would be evident even in the hardship and pain of this troubled world. In this world we will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome the world.
So what exactly does this peace and joy look like in our daily lives? A.W. Tozer writes:
In a world like this, with conditions being what they are, what should a serious-minded Christian do? The answer is easy to give but hard to follow.
First, accept the truth concerning yourself. You do not go to a doctor to seek consolation but to find out what is wrong and what to do about it. Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Seek through Jesus Christ a right relationship to your fellow man. Set about reverently to amend your doings. Magnify God, mortify the flesh, simplify your life. Take up your cross and learn of Jesus Christ to die to this world that He may raise you up in due time.
If you will do these things in faith and love, you will know peace, but it will be the peace of God that passes all understanding. You will know joy, but it will be the joy of resurrection, not the irresponsible happiness of men who insist on carnal enjoyments. You will know the comfort of the indwelling Spirit which will often spring up like a well of water in the desert, not because you have sought it but have sought rather to do the will of God at any price.
As I have said before, we can afford to suffer now; we’ll have a long eternity to enjoy ourselves. And our enjoyment will be valid and pure, for it will come in the right way at the right time.