Gospel of John - Upper Room Discourse - "In a Little While..."

       

“In A Little While…”

John 16:16-22

Time is really irrelevant to God, for his Kingdom is eternal and outside the realm of time. Yet while Jesus, the Son of God, was in the world, time was very relevant and clearly employed in the plan and will of God. Let’s begin with the first portion of the text, “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.’ 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’?

Jesus knew the disciples had very little concept that Jesus’ time here was near an end. They were beginning to understand that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem to die (Jn. 13:23-33, Matt. 16:21-28) but they were confused with the “a little while.” they understood a little while is a short time frame, possibly in the near future. But there seemed to be a lot happening, for Jesus was speaking in cryptic sayings that were confusing to them. Jesus used the quip “a little while” six times. As every good disciple or student knows when the master (teacher) repeats a phrase several times it must be important. 

Then Jesus had been telling them, “I’m going to the Father.” He had discussed this earlier at the table with Peter, Thomas, and Philip (Jn. 13:36, 14:5,8) “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later…Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?...Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 

The disciples were still befuddled with the cryptic nature of Jesus' explanations of where he was going and when. They seemed to want a written itinerary from Jesus giving a solid designation and hour by hour timeline, but Jesus was living under God the Father’s timing and to his designation. Jesus’ patience with his disciples was impeccable, for he knew what was bothering them and he knew that the Father’s time was drawing close. He saw that they wanted a clear answer to Jesus’ “in a little while and I’m going to the Father.”

Application - I don’t know about you, but I can get things turned around when I don’t have a definitive understanding of events that I will be taking part in. We already know the outcome of Jesus’ going to the garden at night, his arrest and trial, the crucifiction, burial, and resurrection, and finally the ascension back to the Father in Heaven.

Jesus wasn’t just cryptic with his first disciples about the timing and destination of his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, I believe even today we are befuddled and perplexed when it comes to Jesus’ coming to catching up of his church. Jesus told the disciples and us that his return would be like a thief in the night and only the Father knew the day and the hour. He gave us prophecies, signs to watch for, and told to be ready for when he returns. In order for us to do this, we must live by faith (believing, trusting, and committed) in Jesus' words just as the disciples and all other Christians who waited a little while. Peter gave us God’s view of time: “Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.…” 2 Pet. 3:8-9

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thes.4:13-17) 

Just as the disciples grieved for the loss of Jesus being personally around them, and that they didn’t seem to grasp the timing and destination of God’s timing. We can be sure of this in our own time in the world, God is never wrong, and he does everything well, and he has given us his Holy Spirit as a guide and seal for redemption. “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him…And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Ps.18:30, Rom.8:28)

Lastly, Jesus adds to “a little while” you will not see me then you will see me. Let's look at the next portion of the text, “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.”

Jesus is not playing the adult version of peekaboo, or hide and go seek. He is revealing to them his death, burial, and resurrection. They will grieve because of his death and mourn and weep their loss, while the jewish and Roman world celebrated the crucifixion of Jesus. (“A great number of people followed Him, including women who kept mourning and wailing for Him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”(Lk. 23:27-28) “Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb…(Jn. 20:11).

 But their grief will turn into joy in his return (resurrection) “Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:11, 19–20)). Jesus gives the analogy of a mother giving birth to a child. There will be pain before the time and at the time of birth, but it will be overlooked once she has a child and he/she is placed in her hands, she will rejoice at the beauty and miracle of the life in her hands. 

The time of grief will turn to joyousness and cheerfulness. And no one can take away the rejoicing in the birth of a new child, and we too will rejoice when we see our resurrected Lord in our glorious new body, “It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.” “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.”  (Jn. 20:1-23) (1 Cor. 15:3-7,52). 

Application - I’m reminded of the elected Senate officials of New York and the world cheering, “Many were alarmed and dispirited by footage this week of raucous cheering in the New York State Senate chamber. The “Happy Days Are Here Again” sort of celebration wasn’t for a bill to guarantee health care or repair roads or to reform the government. The applause and laughter was instead for a bill to remove any protections as persons from unborn children at any stage of pregnancy.” When People Cheer Abortion, January 23, 2019, RUSSELL MOORE

The taking of the life of an innocent person was exactly what happened in Jerusalem approximately 2000 years ago, Deja vu.  It seems we are living in the times of the end, and there is much grieving by Christians over the taking of over 60 million innocent lives in America alone. Like the disciples, some went to grieve at Via dela rosa, at the cross, and at the tomb. But God knew the end result of this atrocity, he had a resurrection planned. Many today still grieve for the unborn babies’ deaths. For God the Father knows all those innocent lives have a name before the King of kings and Lord of lords because the kingdom of God was created for children (“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Ps. 139:16, Lk.18:16). 

Just as David weeped and grieved over the death of the child born out of adultery, he knew that God has the little one in his kingdom. “For this reason the son who was born to you will die…“Is the baby dead?”...“Yes, he is dead…Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me.” (2 Sam. 12:14,19,23)

Someday soon, we will rejoice when we see the Lord Jesus Christ and his angels, all who believe will enter into His Kingdom, receive an embrace, a new robe for the new body, and a crown. So though we still grieve in this world, we rejoice because of the hope we have in the promises of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. No one will take that joy away, in fact we will rejoice with all the saints, angels, and living creatures at the throne of our God, our Lord and Savior.

I hope that you have your name in the Lamb’s book of Life by believing in Jesus, asking him to be the Lord and Savior of your lives, for he will cleanse you from all your sins and there will be no more tears or grieving, for He has prepared heaven for us.

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” “But nothing unclean will ever enter it [the New Jerusalem on the New Earth], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Heb. 12:22-23, Rev. 21:27).

 I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. And he wants to empower you with the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I am developing a new webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. I’m adding answers each week to questions that pertain to our time today.  Thank you

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com