Read: John 16:16-24
Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (v. 24)
Nearly a third of John’s gospel is devoted to “the Farewell Discourse”: Jesus’s final words to the disciples before he goes to the cross. In the Farewell Discourse, Jesus prepares the disciples to continue his ministry in the absence of his physical presence. Jesus is also preparing them to witness his death on the cross. Jesus knows that the disciples are about to experience unimaginable pain and loss. And yet, in chapter 16, what does Jesus talk about? Joy.
Jesus does not guarantee those who believe in him a pain-free life. To the contrary, Jesus makes it clear that his disciples will face hardship precisely because of their faith in him (John 15:18-20). This was essential encouragement to his first disciples, as they would face extraordinary persecution. It’s easy to assume that the clearest sign of God’s favor is good times. It’s equally easy to assume that if times are bad, God must have abandoned us. Jesus reassures all disciples that they’ll not be abandoned, and he promises his greatest gift yet: the ongoing indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
But Jesus promises more: he promises that his disciples’ earthly pain will give way to eternal joy. These two promises apply to believers in every time and place. If you trust in Jesus, you have already received the gift of the Holy Spirit, by whose power we have saving faith. And you have this abiding reassurance to carry you through the rest of your life: your every sorrow will one day give way to immeasurable joy.
As you pray, offer Jesus your sorrows and ask for his joy.
Ben Van Arragon is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, he now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
