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“The Power of Joy and Thanksgiving” No. 3 by Rev. Toru Asai
In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me (John 16:16).
These were the words Jesus spoke to the disciples the night before he was crucified. Pay attention to the word “see me.”
Joy comes from God, and it is in the presence of him. This joy, we come to have by seeing him, and lose it when we stop seeing him. At the time Jesus spoke these words, the disciples did not understand what he meant. He went on to explain:
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. 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 (vv. 20-22).
Later, when Jesus was captured and taken to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest, Peter, too, went there. And as he entered the gate of the house, the girl who was there on duty asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He replied, “I am not.” Later as he was warming himself at a fire, he was asked the same question again, and he answered the same way. He was lost in the darkness because he saw Jesus no more. He went and wept bitterly. Then:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (21:19-20).
It was by seeing Jesus that the disciples were overjoyed. This meant that they had no joy when they could not see him: instead of joy, they were in the midst of fear and desolation mixed with sense of guilt. They ended up in that dark room with doors locked, and were busy meditating upon themselves—their mistakes, disappointments, and miseries. But everything changed when Jesus appeared and showed his hands and side. They saw him and were overjoyed!
Jesus is the source of our joy. If you ever make any mistake and start feeling miserable, look to Jesus, who died and was raised from the dead, not to yourself. Jesus said:
I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me (John 14:30).
He was the fourth man whom the three young Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego followed in the blazing furnace. Nothing harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Psalm 21 says:
Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed (Ps 21:11).
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By Davar Kingdom of GodIn a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me (John 16:16).
These were the words Jesus spoke to the disciples the night before he was crucified. Pay attention to the word “see me.”
Joy comes from God, and it is in the presence of him. This joy, we come to have by seeing him, and lose it when we stop seeing him. At the time Jesus spoke these words, the disciples did not understand what he meant. He went on to explain:
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. 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 (vv. 20-22).
Later, when Jesus was captured and taken to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest, Peter, too, went there. And as he entered the gate of the house, the girl who was there on duty asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He replied, “I am not.” Later as he was warming himself at a fire, he was asked the same question again, and he answered the same way. He was lost in the darkness because he saw Jesus no more. He went and wept bitterly. Then:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (21:19-20).
It was by seeing Jesus that the disciples were overjoyed. This meant that they had no joy when they could not see him: instead of joy, they were in the midst of fear and desolation mixed with sense of guilt. They ended up in that dark room with doors locked, and were busy meditating upon themselves—their mistakes, disappointments, and miseries. But everything changed when Jesus appeared and showed his hands and side. They saw him and were overjoyed!
Jesus is the source of our joy. If you ever make any mistake and start feeling miserable, look to Jesus, who died and was raised from the dead, not to yourself. Jesus said:
I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me (John 14:30).
He was the fourth man whom the three young Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego followed in the blazing furnace. Nothing harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Psalm 21 says:
Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed (Ps 21:11).