5th Sunday of Easter
Text: John 16:12-22
Vicar Gary Schultz
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus said to them… “You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
We do not know what he is talking about. Here Jesus’ disciples don’t convey much hope or confidence for us. They’ve been with Him daily, hearing Him as He teaches and seeing the works that He does. But when Jesus tells them: A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me, they are confused. If His own disciples didn’t get it, how are we, who didn’t get to walk and talk with Jesus, going to understand?
St. John records these words of Our Lord not long before the betrayal and arrest of Jesus in the garden. In effect, Jesus says: A little while, and you will not see me as I die on the cross and leave this world. A little while, and you will not see me as my body rests in the tomb and I descend into hell.
There was great disappointment and sorrow among the disciples and other followers of Jesus at His death. They thought that all was lost. Their hopes for Jesus to establish a great earthly kingdom and restore the nation of Israel were over. But after a little while, on the third day, Jesus brought joy to them all as He rose triumphant to stand before them to bring peace and comfort in His new creation. After a little while, a three day rest in the tomb, they saw Him again.
A little while longer, and Jesus would ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. A little while longer, and He would be seen again as He poured out His Spirit upon the apostles at Pentecost. The joy Christ speaks about in today’s Gospel is reflected in the early church as Peter reports of the glorifying of God because He has granted to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life. Christ’s presence through the church led to joy that no one could take away. After a little while more, Jesus promised to return again to the earth to judge the living and the dead at the Last Day.
We are in the time of the little while of not seeing Him. To us, this “little while,” going on 2000 years, seems like a lot more than a little. But Our Lord is working on His time, not ours, and He has things under control in ways that we cannot see.
Jesus says: “So also you have sorrow now.” There is sorrow now in this life on earth. There is war throughout the world. There is violence in our communities. There is unexpected murder of 32 students on a college campus. There is sickness and injury among ourselves, our friends, and our family members. There is depression and sadness. Jesus expressed that there will be sorrow now, during the little while that He is not seen. That’s the result of Satan, the prince of this world, working temptation and sin and evil in the world. There was sorrow at the sight of the dying Jesus enduring suffering on the cross. There was sorrow over the fact that the Lord was dead. But after a little while, He appeared again in victory to bring joy. And for us, after a little while, our brief life on this earth, we will be with Christ in heaven, as He says: But I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
The sorrow from the sadness and sin of this world, contrasted with the joy of the life of the world to come does not mean that we must resolve to be sad and destitute for all the days of our earthly life. We also have joy now, even in the midst of the hardships and trials and problems of this life. That’s because in our baptism into Christ, we already have the guaranteed inheritance of eternal life in heaven. That gives us hope now for our new life in Christ. Dear Christians, you have been washed of your sins. Whatever the devil, the world, and our sinful nature throw at us, our hearts still rejoice at the peace that comes from new life in Christ.
This little while of not seeing Christ does not indicate His absence from us. His 40-day appearance on earth before His ascension into heaven does not mean that now He has abandoned us for a little while. Your washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit has brought you into His family, made you an heir of Our Father, so that with all boldness and confidence you may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.
Though we don’t see Him walking about, He is still bodily and physically present with us as He serves us in the Sacrament of the Altar. That’s why we can sing of the Sacrament:
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen;
Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
Feast after feast thus comes and passes by,
Yet, passing, points to that glad feast above,
Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy,
The Lamb’s great marriage feast of bliss and love.
(LSB 631:1, 7)
At the Lord’s Table, we are just as close to Our Lord as the disciples who stood with Him, discussing what He was talking about. At the Lord’s Table, we are sustained for our little while of sorrow on this earth, before we rejoice in the perfect rest with Christ in heaven. At the Lord’s Table, we are together with Him and all His saints, rejoicing in the salvation won by the Lamb who was slain and now reigns for us in heaven.
It is a unique custom of the Lutheran church to sing the Song of Simeon after the reception of Holy Communion: “Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.” We come into the same presence of Christ as Simeon did as He held the infant Jesus in his arms. And His presence gives us joy that no one will take from away. Joy among sickness. Joy among heartache. Joy among distress.
After a little while, we will be joined together with Our Lord in the heavenly Jerusalem where there will be no more mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. There we will be together forever. After a little while, Our Lord will come and bring about the new heaven and the new earth at the Last Day. Then we and all the saints will no longer wait for a little while, but we will see for ourselves the Victor saying: “Behold, I am making all things new… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Amen.
Vicar Gary Schultz
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus said to them… “You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
We do not know what he is talking about. Here Jesus’ disciples don’t convey much hope or confidence for us. They’ve been with Him daily, hearing Him as He teaches and seeing the works that He does. But when Jesus tells them: A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me, they are confused. If His own disciples didn’t get it, how are we, who didn’t get to walk and talk with Jesus, going to understand?
St. John records these words of Our Lord not long before the betrayal and arrest of Jesus in the garden. In effect, Jesus says: A little while, and you will not see me as I die on the cross and leave this world. A little while, and you will not see me as my body rests in the tomb and I descend into hell.
There was great disappointment and sorrow among the disciples and other followers of Jesus at His death. They thought that all was lost. Their hopes for Jesus to establish a great earthly kingdom and restore the nation of Israel were over. But after a little while, on the third day, Jesus brought joy to them all as He rose triumphant to stand before them to bring peace and comfort in His new creation. After a little while, a three day rest in the tomb, they saw Him again.
A little while longer, and Jesus would ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. A little while longer, and He would be seen again as He poured out His Spirit upon the apostles at Pentecost. The joy Christ speaks about in today’s Gospel is reflected in the early church as Peter reports of the glorifying of God because He has granted to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life. Christ’s presence through the church led to joy that no one could take away. After a little while more, Jesus promised to return again to the earth to judge the living and the dead at the Last Day.
We are in the time of the little while of not seeing Him. To us, this “little while,” going on 2000 years, seems like a lot more than a little. But Our Lord is working on His time, not ours, and He has things under control in ways that we cannot see.
Jesus says: “So also you have sorrow now.” There is sorrow now in this life on earth. There is war throughout the world. There is violence in our communities. There is unexpected murder of 32 students on a college campus. There is sickness and injury among ourselves, our friends, and our family members. There is depression and sadness. Jesus expressed that there will be sorrow now, during the little while that He is not seen. That’s the result of Satan, the prince of this world, working temptation and sin and evil in the world. There was sorrow at the sight of the dying Jesus enduring suffering on the cross. There was sorrow over the fact that the Lord was dead. But after a little while, He appeared again in victory to bring joy. And for us, after a little while, our brief life on this earth, we will be with Christ in heaven, as He says: But I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
The sorrow from the sadness and sin of this world, contrasted with the joy of the life of the world to come does not mean that we must resolve to be sad and destitute for all the days of our earthly life. We also have joy now, even in the midst of the hardships and trials and problems of this life. That’s because in our baptism into Christ, we already have the guaranteed inheritance of eternal life in heaven. That gives us hope now for our new life in Christ. Dear Christians, you have been washed of your sins. Whatever the devil, the world, and our sinful nature throw at us, our hearts still rejoice at the peace that comes from new life in Christ.
This little while of not seeing Christ does not indicate His absence from us. His 40-day appearance on earth before His ascension into heaven does not mean that now He has abandoned us for a little while. Your washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit has brought you into His family, made you an heir of Our Father, so that with all boldness and confidence you may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.
Though we don’t see Him walking about, He is still bodily and physically present with us as He serves us in the Sacrament of the Altar. That’s why we can sing of the Sacrament:
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen;
Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
Feast after feast thus comes and passes by,
Yet, passing, points to that glad feast above,
Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy,
The Lamb’s great marriage feast of bliss and love.
(LSB 631:1, 7)
At the Lord’s Table, we are just as close to Our Lord as the disciples who stood with Him, discussing what He was talking about. At the Lord’s Table, we are sustained for our little while of sorrow on this earth, before we rejoice in the perfect rest with Christ in heaven. At the Lord’s Table, we are together with Him and all His saints, rejoicing in the salvation won by the Lamb who was slain and now reigns for us in heaven.
It is a unique custom of the Lutheran church to sing the Song of Simeon after the reception of Holy Communion: “Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.” We come into the same presence of Christ as Simeon did as He held the infant Jesus in his arms. And His presence gives us joy that no one will take from away. Joy among sickness. Joy among heartache. Joy among distress.
After a little while, we will be joined together with Our Lord in the heavenly Jerusalem where there will be no more mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. There we will be together forever. After a little while, Our Lord will come and bring about the new heaven and the new earth at the Last Day. Then we and all the saints will no longer wait for a little while, but we will see for ourselves the Victor saying: “Behold, I am making all things new… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Amen.
posted by Luther Memorial Chapel at
5/22/2007
