Sorrow to Joy

A little while and you will see me no longer, and again a little while and you will see me. John 16:16

You have to feel sorry for the disciples at times. They struggled to work through the parables at times, and now Jesus appeared to speak in riddles. We can imagine the puzzled looks as they turn to each other – ‘what is He saying? What does He mean?

It makes me think of a parent explaining to a young child that they must leave for a few days on business. The child’s face falls immediately — all they hear is leaving. So the parent kneels down and as gently but plainly as possible, explains: “I’ll only be gone for a short time and I’ll be back before you know it, I promise. The child may still cry at the door. But somewhere underneath the tears, they hold onto the promise that this isn’t forever.

Jesus knew He could never fully prepare His disciples for what was coming. They understood, perhaps, that He wouldn’t walk with them forever, but not that His departure was so near. He had already told them, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” Now He laid it out more plainly:

You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy… your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. John 16:20,22

Jesus wanted to assure His followers that the sadness that lay ahead was only for a season. Joy would follow.

There is so much about this passage that I love, especially the words, no one will take your joy from you. The joy of the Lord is a living experience within every believer. There will be seasons when we don’t feel joyful — that’s simply the weight of earthly circumstance pressing on us. But the joy of the Lord doesn’t leave in those seasons; it waits, like an underground stream, ready to rise the moment there’s a crack in the surface that it can flow through.

The sorrows that we experience will last for a time, but the joy of the Lord will last forever.