In John 16, before His arrest, Jesus prepares His disciples with these puzzling words: “A little while and you will see me no longer, and again a little while and you will see me.”
The disciples, like good Lutherans, ask themselves, “What does this mean?”
Jesus was about to turn everything upside down.
Imagine the profound sorrow awaiting the disciples and the women who followed Him.
They would watch their beloved teacher arrested, tried for crimes He didn’t commit, sentenced to an undeserved death, and executed like a criminal — which He certainly was not.
Yet Jesus promises something remarkable: “Your sorrow will turn into joy” — not just any joy, but one so complete it would make their sorrow disappear.
Jesus uses childbirth as an analogy. A woman endures pain during labor, but once her child is born, that suffering fades in light of new joy.
Similarly, after Jesus’s crucifixion, the disciples hide in fear, locked in an upper room. Then the risen Christ appears, saying, “Peace be with you,” showing them His hands and feet.
In this life, we will experience struggles and sorrows as we await our Savior’s return. But when He comes again, all our earthly sorrows will be forgotten as we join Him in heaven forever. This is Easter’s joy.
Our Lord has overcome sin, death, and the devil, delivering eternal life to us.
Thanks be to God! Hallelujah! Christ has risen. He has risen indeed. Hallelujah!
Contributor Timothy Chase is pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Truman, MN.
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