Question

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1. Read verses 16-23. Why was the puzzle of “a little while” repeated? What is the meaning of this? What would the grief and joy of the disciples be like? 2. Read verses 24-27. What promise does Jesus give his disciples? How is this promise repeated? Why has Jesus been talking about this promise again and again in the upper room dialogue (14:13,14; 15:7,16)? 3. Read verses 28-33. What made Jesus’ disciples believe that Jesus came from God? How did Jesus respond to it? Why is it so important to believe that Jesus came from God? How should the disciples live in the world?

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Message

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In chapter 16, after talking about the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus speaks of his resurrection figuratively to his disciples and reiterates the privilege of prayer to God in his name. This right of prayer would be given through his resurrection, his rising from the dead. Jesus wanted his disciples to use this prayer right and experience God’s answering their prayers and have the joy of answered prayers. May God help us to deeply realize the privilege of prayer and newly desire to pray until we have the complete joy of God’s answering our prayers. First, the puzzle of Jesus’ resurrection (16-23). Look at verse 16. “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” It seemed that Jesus was playing a guessing game with his disciples. This puzzled them. So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” If Jesus were going to the Father, they would not see him. But Jesus said, “…after a little while, you will see me.” The words, “a little while,” seemed to give hope. But at this they were really puzzled and kept asking, “What does he man by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” The disciples would probably have understood it better if Jesus had said, “After a long time, you will see me,” meaning they will see Jesus at the end of the age. The phrase, “a little while,” bothered them and greatly baffled them. Jesus saw their confusion and said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?” Then Jesus spoke allegorically, “I tell you the truth, 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.” Now Jesus compared “a little while” riddle to a woman’s childbirth. They say that a woman’s birth-pain is the greatest pain. And I believe that a woman’s child-birth is the greatest joy to her. The disciples would have such a pain and grief and then such a joy. Their grief would turn to joy. Jesus said, “So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” In this way Jesus explained figuratively about his resurrection. Still he did not directly say, “I will rise again.” We know that Jesus’ way of teaching is the best. Sometimes he used parables to speak most effectively. This time he used the puzzling method to explain about resurrection. We know that puzzles are good for children’s mental growth. Puzzling is needed to think and question and understand step by step and then truly understand. It is especially effective to understand something new and sensational. Resurrection of man is the most sensational and revolutionary to mortal mankind. The greatest question of the age is, “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14a) The resurrection of Jesus Christ is revolutionary and too good and too shocking for human beings to believe. So Jesus used the figure of speech method to help his disciples’ faith in his resurrection. In other gospels Jesus spoke to them of his resurrection directly again and again. Yet, they seemed to have no interest in it. Jesus made every effort to help his disciples to have spiritual understanding of his resurrection and believe it and have the joy as much as they had grief and pain. In our lives there are times of puzzling and questioning. There are times of grief and pain. Without the time of pain and grief, there would be no time of true joy. The greater the pain, the greater the joy will be. All the times of puzzling and grief can lead us to learn resurrection faith that gives us real joy. Practical resurrection faith cannot be obtained at a single time. It is a step by step process and constant faith battle. We need to be reminded of his rising from the dead time after time and newly put our faith in his resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is written in the Four Gospels. It is written in Acts and in many of the epistles in the New Testament. There is even resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15. The resurrection of Jesus is also written in Revelation. When John in the Spirit saw Jesus in shining glory on the island of Patmos, John fell at his feet as though dead. Then Jesus placed his right hand on John and said, “…I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Rev 1:18). St. Paul’s experiencing resurrection was great. Once in the course of preaching the gospel he was stoned. People though he was dead. But he rose and went back to the place he was stoned and finished the day’s mission there. He said in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I die every day.” He did so to experience the resurrection every day. In his old age St. Paul still said, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.” We newly thank and praise God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. In him we truly believe that if a man dies, he will live again.” May God help us to obtain practical resurrection faith through all the times of puzzling and pain and grow deeper into the joy of his resurrection. Second, the privilege of prayer (24-27). Look at verses 23,24. “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” Here Jesus related his resurrection to the disciples’ prayer. Through his resurrection, his disciples would have the privilege of praying to the Father God in the Son Jesus’ name. Those who have resurrection faith pray. Jesus really wanted them to know that they would have the privilege of prayer, and emphatically and repeatedly told them the truth, “My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Ask and you will receive.” What a privilege and power it is to pray to God in Jesus’ name! We remember that in the upper room dialogue Jesus really stressed the privilege and effect of prayer to his disciples. He said in 14:13,14, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name…You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” He said in 15:7, “If…my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you,” and in 15:17, “…Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” As we surveyed, these words are repeated in 16:23, “…my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” And he gives a short and unambiguous promise, “Ask and you will receive.” Still he had to say more in verses 26, “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.” In Jesus teaching of prayer in the upper room dialogue, praying in Jesus’ name is very much stressed. When we read the Old Testament, the Israelites were to pray in Jerusalem temple or to pray looking toward the temple when they were far away. We remember that Daniel, when he was in exile in Babylon, prayed in his upstairs room, where the windows were open toward Jerusalem (Da 6:10). At the dedication ceremony of the temple at Jerusalem, Solomon prayed, “May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive” (1 Kings 8:29-30). Then God responded to this prayer of Solomon, saying, “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (1 Kings 9:3). It was God’s promise to hear the prayers offered in the Jerusalem temple or toward the temple. In the New Testament it changed to prayer in Jesus’ name, for through his death and resurrection Jesus himself became the temple. And as we learned, Jesus is the way (Jn 14:6). In the light of the whole Bible to pray in Jesus’ name is of paramount importance and it is the greatest privilege of Jesus’ people. In the Old Testament we see that God heard the prayers offered earnestly and in God’s way. He heard the prayer of Hannah. She prayed at the Lord’s temple for a son, pouring out her soul to God in her great anguish and grief. Then God gave her a son, Samuel (no ordinary son). God heard the prayer of Daniel for the liberation from the exile in Babylon. He heard the prayer of Nehemiah to restore the wall of Jerusalem city. Then how much more God will hear the prayers offered in Jesus’ name, which is like Jesus’ asking on our behalf. In Revelation the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God (Rev 8:4). It shows that God answers all our prayers given in Jesus’ name, as the smoke of the incense goes up. In view of this how important it is to have crystal clear, unfading prayer topics and pray always never giving up (Lk 18:1). Some prayers are answered quickly. Some other prayers need enormous patience and heart-devotion. We must pray with undying spirit. Zechariah prayed even for his whole life-time. Then he could hear God’s message, “Your payer has been heard.” May we be faithful and persistent prayer servant until God’s will be done in our mission field. When our prayers are answered, there is true joy. Hannah, her heart rejoiced in God and sang a son when her prayer was answered. Having a son Isaac, meaning, “he laughs,” Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (Ge 21:6). God hearing our prayers is his expression of love. So Jesus said in verses 26,27, “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” God is willing to answer our prayers because he loves us. When our prayers are indeed answered, our love relationship with God will grow deeper. Third, faith in Jesus’ coming from God (28-33). Look at verse 28. “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” God’s Son came into this world and now would go back to the Father through the process of his death on the cross and resurrection. In this world no one definitely knew where he came from and where he would be going after death. Nobody knew the origin and the destiny of mankind, even a hint of them. But Jesus knew where he came from and where he was going back. He indeed came from God and lived in this world for a while and was going back to the Father. At this time the disciples responded, saying, “…This makes us believe that you came from God.” Jesus was happy with their confession and said, “You believe at last!” Jesus’ constant and labourous teaching finally bore fruit, the fruit of faith in the hearts of the disciples. To believe that Jesus came from God is the basis of faith in Jesus. His coming from God makes all the difference. It is related to Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. Jesus’ coming from God makes his death meaningful as the atoning death of the unblemished Lamb of God for our sins, his resurrection as the evidence of God’s power, and his ascension as the glory of God. Although the disciples were weak and had trouble in this world, Jesus wanted them to take courage and overcome the world as he had done. Thank God for the resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ and the privilege of prayer given us through it. May we know the value of this privilege, the value of praying in the name of Jesus and engage in prayer all the more until all our grief and pain turns into joy and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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