There Is a Principle to Understand (John 16:16–22)

There Is a Principle to Understand (16:16–22)

The principle is this: God brings joy to our lives, not by substitution but by transformation. In His illustration of the woman giving birth, this principle is made clear. The same baby who brought the joy also brought the pain. In birth, God does not replace anything else to ease the mother's pain. No, He takes what’s already there; He changes it.

Every parent knows what it is to have an unhappy child because of a broken toy or a playmate who has gone home. The parent can either replace the broken toy or the missing friend or turn the situation into a new experience for the unhappy child. If a mother always replaces a new toy every time a toy is broken, that child will grow up expecting every problem to be solved by substitution. If Mother always calls another playmate and invites him or her over, the child will grow up expecting people to rescue him when there is a crisis. Either way, the result is a rotten child who cannot cope with reality.

The way of solving problems by substitution is the way of immaturity. The path of transformation is the path of faith and growth. If someone is constantly replacing our broken toys, we can never grow up emotionally or spiritually.

Jesus did not say that the sorrow (pain) of the mother was replaced by joy but that the sorrow was transformed into joy. The same baby that caused the pain also caused the joy! And so it is in Christian life; God takes what seems impossible, adds the miracle of His grace, and turns trial into triumph and sorrow into joy. “The Lord thy God hath changed the curse into a blessing” (Deut. 23:5; cp. Neh. 13:2).

Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave, and Potiphar locked him in prison as a criminal. But God took that hopeless condition of defeat and turned it into victory. The more Egypt persecuted Israel, the more they multiplied and prospered. King Saul’s murderous pursuit of David only made him more a man of God and helped produce the psalms that encourage our hearts today. Even Jesus took the cross, a symbol of defeat and shame, and made it a symbol of victory and glory.

Knowing this principle now, we are in a better position to understand the problems and questions of the disciples.

In John 16.16 Jesus said, “A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me." It was a purposely confusing statement (John 16:25); Jesus spoke in proverbs ("dark sayings"). The disciples didn’t understand. This also encourages me when I read my Bible and find statements I cannot understand. Even the disciples had their times of spiritual ignorance!

What did Jesus mean? He was probably thinking of the things that would soon happen, which had to do with His death and resurrection. They would not see Him for a little while after His burial, but He would rise from the dead and they would see Him again. He had told them before that He would rise from the dead after three days, but His words did not sink into their minds and hearts.

I believe Jesus was speaking primarily of His return to the Father (“Because I go to the Father”—John 16:16). This agrees with John 16:10—“Because I go to my Father, and ye see Me no more.” The disciples did not live to see the return of Christ, but they died and saw Him when they arrived in glory. Moreover, the church has been waiting for the return of the Lord for only “a little while” compared with eternity (see 2 Cor. 4:16-18). The term “a little while” is employed in this very sense in Hebrews 10:37—“For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”

Rather than asking Jesus to explain His words, the men began discussing among themselves, as if they were embarrassed to admit their ignorance. But you don't make it very far in exchanging your ignorance! When we come to the Lord and ask for His assistance, we learn the important lessons of life.

Egypt was glad when Israel left (Ps. 105:38), and the world was glad when Jesus Christ left the scene. The religious and political leaders of those days thought that the early believers would die out and that the “Christian movement” would disappear, but that did not happen. Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to His church, and the church is carrying the Word of His grace to the ends of the earth. The early believers even rejoiced in persecution (Acts 5:41).

To a mother in the throes of labor, every minute may feel like an hour. Our feelings alter our perception of time. It can take 30 minutes in a dentist’s chair to feel like hours, while hours spent fishing or dining with friends can seem like a very short time. The mother thinks the birth is taking a long time, when in fact it may be only “a little while.” When the baby is born, she forgets the pain, her heart full of joy.

The world today does not want Jesus Christ or His church. While we are suffering, the world rejoices, waiting for our Lord to return. All of creation is, in fact, groaning in “birth pangs” because of sin and waiting for His return (Rom. 8:22). While the bridegroom is away, the bride mourns (Matt. 9.15). But He is coming again “in a little while,” and we shall go with Him to heaven to enjoy the Father’s house.

The immediate application may have been to the sorrowful hearts of the disciples, but the ultimate application is to all of God’s people as they await the coming of Jesus Christ. It feels like a long wait to us, but God does not measure time as we do (see 2 Peter 3). But while we wait, we must face our trials and hurts with transformation rather than substitution to grow in the Christian life.