And there was Joy (John 16:16-33)

And there was Joy (16:16-33)

This section of John 16 (John 16:16–33) is the conclusion of the Upper Room Discourse and is concerned primarily with the emotions of the disciples. They were sad and confused about some of Jesus’ teaching, and they were afraid. It's an encouragement to me to know that the disciples were real men, with real problems, yet the Lord was able to use them. Occasionally we have the false impression that these men were different from us, especially endowed with spiritual knowledge and courage. This was not the case. They were human!

One of the recurring themes of this section is joy (John 16:20–22, 24, 33). The Eleven weren’t having much joy that night; that was for sure! But what Jesus ended up saying to them, as it can make a difference in our lives today, made a difference in their lives. Tenderly and patiently our Lord explained how His people can have joy in their lives.

We will divide the remainder of this chapter into three parts:
+ There is a principle to understand (16:16-22)
+ There is a promise to trust (16:23-28)
+ There is a place to claim (16:29-33)

When we allow God to turn sorrow into singing, there is joy . . . ; when God answers our prayers, there is joy  . . . ; when we overcome the world, there is joy. "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation" (Psalm 95:1).