Grief and Joy

Grief and Joy

Jubilate, the Fourth Sunday of Easter – 5/11/2025

John 16:16-22

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion of God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Gospel reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John in the sixteenth chapter, with special emphasis on verses twenty through twenty-two which read as follows:

[Jesus said,] “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.  When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”[2] These words were spoken by our Lord Jesus at the Last Supper, on the very night He was betrayed by Judas into death. While it is easy enough for us to catch what He is referencing, that is, His death and resurrection, it was rather more confusing for the Twelve who originally heard this saying of the Lord.

Have you ever received news that left you puzzled? Maybe it was a message that didn’t make sense until later due to gaining some insight or perspective: a phone call, a diagnosis, a surprise announcement. Jesus' words to His disciples were just like that. “A little while,”He says, “and you will not see me… and again a little while, and you will see me.”

And so, in this frank conversation before going to the cross, Jesus prepares His disciples, and even us, for the Christian life. Specifically, He is warning us about our inevitable grief and the triumph of joy at the end.

The Reality of Grief

Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat the future. He tells them plainly: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful...”[3] Jesus knew that Good Friday would shatter them. He knew their hopes would feel crushed. He knew Peter would deny Him, the others would scatter, and the devil would seem to win.

And it’s not just the disciples who worry and fret about the seeming absence or weakness of God, we do too. There are times when God feels absent, when prayers seem unanswered, when suffering feels overwhelming, when evil seems to triumph. Like the disciples on Holy Saturday, we may feel stuck in something like that “little while,” waiting for joy to come.

Notice: Jesus does not say, “You might be sorrowful.” He says, “You will be sorrowful.” Grief is real. Christianity is not a religion of pretending. Jesus foretells that we will have sorrow; real, deep, painful sorrow. The Christian life includes a cross. It included one for Jesus; it includes one for His followers too. And make no mistake, Christian discipleship is characterized by having to bear a cross, which is an instrument of torture and death.

This suffering comes from a variety of places: the world and all the natural disasters, disease, tragic accidents and the like that come therein. From the devil and all the lies, deceptions, and spiritual anguish he and his demons seek to inflict on us. And from us, when we reap the consequences of our sins and foolishness.

The Promise of Joy

But sorrow is not the end of the story. Jesus continues: “...but your sorrow will turn into joy.” Not be replaced by joy. Not just followed by joy. Your sorrow will be turned into joy.  He gives a vivid image: “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”[4] Pain is not forgotten, it is redeemed in Christ. It becomes joy. Ask any mother, and she’ll tell you: the pain of childbirth is real, but so is the joy when that child is placed in her arms.

That’s the picture Jesus gives for what’s coming. The disciples will weep on Friday, but they will rejoice on Sunday. And their joy will be rooted in something more than the return of their friend; it will be grounded in the victory of the risen Lord over sin, death, and hell. Similarly, we too live in grief, for a “little while.” We too have grief, suffering, and sorrow, but joy is to come. And this joy is not merely off in heaven but is promised to us even now. And, though it is imperfect in this life, we certainly have joy in Christ, both in His gifts but especially in His person, Himself.

Grief and Joy in the Christian Life

We live between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We grieve; we struggle with sin, sickness, loss, and death. But we also rejoice. Why? Because Jesus lives.

There’s a beautiful tension in the Christian life. St. Paul says that we are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.”[5] This seems like an impossible contradiction, but it is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. Much like how we are both saints and sinners, both devoted followers of Christ and rebellious deniers of Him, we are also given both to joy and sorrow. But joy in Christ is deeper than grief. And much like the other paradoxes I just mentioned, the things of Christ win out unto eternal life. We do not remain sinners or deniers or sufferers forever, but we do remain saints, followers, and joyful recipients of the good gifts of our Lord.

Even more, this joy is a permanent joy. Jesus says, “...I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”[6] The joy of the resurrection is not a passing feeling. It’s not like the happiness that comes when someone gets a promotion or wins a game. Those things fade. This joy remains, because the cause of our joy, Jesus our Savior risen from the dead, cannot be taken away because He will never die again.

Nothing in this world can undo what Christ has done for you. He has conquered sin. He has conquered death. He has opened the door to eternal life. That is your joy, and as surely as this work stands unassailable by sin and death, so as surely, no one can take it from you.

Living in the “Little While”

So what do we do in the meantime? We wait. We watch. We believe and trust.  We live in another “little while,” that time between Christ’s resurrection and His return. There is grief in this world, this much is true. But Jesus has already won the victory. And we live with the sure hope that He will come again.

The resurrection has already begun in Jesus That means your joy is not a maybe, it’s a certainty. You will see Him again. Your sorrow will be turned into joy. And even if this has not yet happened for you, joy will be the mood at the end of all things, when our Lord returns.

Conclusion

When Jesus rose from the dead, He both proved who He was and gave us the greatest cause for joy. This joy the world can’t steal. This joy is one that shines even in tears. A joy that carries us through this “little while.”

So, dear friends in Christ, cling to the Lord Jesus in faith. Leave your grief to the foot of the cross and find your joy at the empty tomb. The risen Lord sees you. He knows your sorrows. And He promises: “Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] John 16:20-22 English Standard Version. All subsequent citations from the Scriptures are from the ESV.

[2] John 16:16

[3] John 16: 20

[4] John 16:21

[5] 2 Corinthians 6:10

[6] John 20:22