"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."

John 16:20-21

Jesus here doesn’t meet the disciples’ bewilderment with rational explanations and thoughtful answers. Instead, he tells them how they are going to feel. He speaks not of where he is going and when, but of the grief they will have when he goes. Then, in alluding to his return, he doesn’t give any details, but instead focuses on the joy they will experience. He describes these dual feelings at some length, even illustrating the change using a story of childbirth.

Jesus helped them to be prepared to experience grief and to have a clear picture of the joy that will come when they see him again. Jesus says that then ‘you will no longer ask me anything’ (v. 23). This doesn’t imply that it’s wrong to ask questions—but rather that there will come a time when questions are no longer relevant or needed because God will be ‘all in all’ (1 Cor 15:28). For us, that time is yet to come; and so, the questions remain.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, when I am anxious, when I doubt, help me to trust you, the One who holds the future in your hands and provides everything I need for today, tomorrow, and forever (edited from Encounter with God).