Digging Deeper: Grief to Joy

Jesus says to his disciples after their last meal together:

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine.” 

Jesus says to his disciples that he has many more things he wants to tell them about, but they are not ready to hear them because they do not yet have the Spirit living inside of them. But one day, he says, they will. And when the Spirit comes to live inside of them, they will learn that the things the Spirit says to them are the very things that Jesus has been wanting to tell them this whole time. The words of the Spirit are the same as the words of Jesus. Those who know the Spirit, know Jesus.

Jesus again says that in a little while the disciples won’t see him anymore, but the disciples are still confused as to what Jesus is talking about, so Jesus tells them that very soon the world will rejoice while they mourn. 

He tells them that they will grieve, but they will see him again and they will rejoice when they see him and the joy they will receive is not something that the world is able to take away from them. 

He also tells them that one day he will no longer speak to them figuratively about the Father, but will speak plainly about Him – and not only because Jesus has an in with the Father, but because they love and know Jesus, they also have an in with the Father… because they have met him in Jesus. 

The disciples are like, “Finally! You’re not speaking in metaphors anymore! Now we know that you know all things! You know our questions before we ask them!” 

Jesus is like, “So you believe me now, do you? We’ll see about that. Pretty soon all of you will be scattered and leave me all alone… but I’m not alone… because my Father is with me.”

And he adds:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The Apostle Paul, a man who knew what it was like to face troubles in this world, had this to say about the work of Jesus in our lives and in the world:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

-- Romans 8:37-39