This past Thursday was V-E Day: Victory in Europe Day. It was the 80th anniversary since May 8, 1945, the day that Nazi Germany surrendered and the fighting of World War 2 in Europe ended.
The end of a war is certainly a day worth remembering and celebrating. That was a great day at the time. Just think of all the soldiers who wouldn’t have to fight and die anymore. And it’s still an important day. The victory we won has had an enormous impact on the world ever since.
Here in church during this season we are also celebrating a victory. Jesus appeared to have lost when he died on the cross and was laid in the grave. That’s why the women and others who were there at the cross went away weeping and beating their breasts. But everything changed on the third day. Jesus rose, and by this he proved that he had not lost. His death and resurrection together were the victory. Satan was defeated. Death was ended. Hell was made powerless.
There’s no other victory in the world like this. So why is it then that Christians so often don’t seem like victors? The world moves farther and farther away from God’s word and mocks our Lord and anyone who follows him. There’s division between Christians. Believers suffer in body, mind, and soul. Why? Where is the victory that Jesus won for us?
But what we see is exactly what Jesus told us. And not only did he tell us this, but he showed it too. His own life, his own cross and resurrection, his own humiliation and exaltation, are the picture of what we should expect as his people. That doesn’t take away from his victory. Not at all. We live in the sure hope that because Jesus lives, our sorrow will turn to joy.
Our Gospel for today is found in John 16, which is a part of what Jesus told his disciples on Maundy Thursday, the night he was betrayed. Since Jesus is God, he knew exactly what was coming. He wanted to prepare his disciples for it, though, and so he spoke to them about what was coming and what it would mean for them. Here we read
[Jesus said] “In a little while you are not going to see me anymore, and again in a little while you will see me, because I am going away to the Father.”
17Therefore some of his disciples asked one another, “What does he mean when he tells us, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going away to the Father’?” 18So they kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he’s saying.”
The way that Jesus spoke here is a little bit strange. It almost sounds like a riddle, but it isn’t a word puzzle, so it isn’t really accurate to call it a riddle. A better way to describe it is to say that Jesus is here explaining a mystery. Martin Luther said that Jesus spoke in a way that was finely worded so that it would better remain in his disciples hearts and memories. May his words so remain with us!
Of course we see that Jesus’ disciples did think about these words. They talked with each other, wondering how they should understand them, looking to see if someone else among them had insight he could share. This is a good example for every disciple of Jesus. His word shouldn’t be the sort of thing that goes in one ear and out the other. It should stick with us, so that we carry it around with us in our hearts and minds. It should lead us to ask questions, so that we discuss it with each other and seek better understanding, especially from our pastors and teachers.
Jesus didn’t even wait for them to ask him about it. John says,
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you trying to determine with one another what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me’? 20Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth has pain, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of her joy that a person has been born into the world.
22“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
The gentle care that Jesus shows for his disciples is truly amazing. Jesus was about to go to the cross. He was going to suffer hell for the sins of the whole world. That’s an agony we can’t even imagine. Contrast that with us, who are often anxious, emotional wrecks at the tiniest of things. But Jesus’ isn’t fretting over himself. He’s concerned about them. “You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.” He compares their situation to a woman giving birth, a good picture for us here on Mother’s Day. “You have sorrow now, but that anguish will be completely forgotten in comparison to the joy that you will have, just like that mother who is now holding in her arms the baby she has been waiting for.”
And you and I know how these things were fulfilled by Jesus death and resurrection. “Good Friday” isn’t the name that Jesus’ disciples were calling it that day. Only hours after Jesus told them these things he was taken from them. It seemed as if all their hopes in him were for nothing. Those two disciples on the road to Emmaus a few days later said, “We were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel.” But they didn’t realize that the man they were talking to was Jesus, and redeeming Israel was exactly what he was doing. Their weeping and wailing was turned to joy when they recognized him, when they saw Jesus again. And that joy has continued through the ages. Even though we remember the anguish of that day, we still call it Good Friday and even the solemnity and sorrow we feel when we observe that day is founded upon the unshakable joy of salvation.
Jesus was preparing his disciples for the next few days with his death and resurrection, but at the same time he was preparing all of us for the Christian life. Jesus’ words, “You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice” certainly described Good Friday. But even though we are living many years later we often find ourselves weeping and wailing while the world rejoices. Wouldn’t it be great to live for yourself, do whatever you please, never deny yourself, never sacrifice for anyone else? That’s often the attitude of the world, and isn’t there a part of us, that Old Adam in us, that looks at the world with jealousy, that longs to plunge headlong into every kind of sinful vice? And the godless people of this world sneer at and mock Christians who weep and wail as they suffer in this life, as they battle against the devil and against sin and temptation.
And that’s when we might wonder, “Where is Jesus? Where is his victory? Why must I face this trouble and tribulation? Why all this sorrow and suffering?”
But then remember the picture Jesus gave of the mother giving birth. Having a baby isn’t easy. Even today with all our modern medicine there’s still pain and anguish. There’s still anxiety and fear. And what can anyone else do? They can pray. A husband can hold her hand. But there’s no escape when undergoing the trial of having a baby. And yet in the end, isn’t it all worthwhile? What joy is there like the joy of having a new baby?
But, dear children of God, your joy is greater. It is a joy that is completely sure, because it is promised by God. It is a joy that is eternal, as forever as he is forever. It is a joy that is perfect, because it finds its goal in the perfection of heaven.
What is the little while of weeping and wailing Jesus describes? It’s his death, which after a little while was followed by his resurrection. It’s your troubles and sorrows, which after a little while are ended when you again see Jesus who comes to you by word and sacrament to comfort you and fill you with the joy of his salvation. It’s also your whole life on this earth. This life is short. These sufferings are small, in comparison to the never-ending, all-surpassing joy of heaven that your Savior has won for you.
When in this life you are weeping and wailing, when you have become sorrowful, when you have pain and anguish, flee to your Savior, Jesus. Lean on his forgiveness. Remember all that he has done for you, and the heaven that he promises you. In a little while you will see him. In his righteous redemption, in his glorious salvation, our sorrow will turn to joy. Amen.
— Pastor Seth Georgson