John 16:16-24 A little while
“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”
Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”
Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
This word, μικρόν mikrón, mik-ron’; masculine or neuter singular of G3398 (as noun); a small space of time or degree:—a (little) (while), is used seven times in four verses. Why does the author do this? Let’s look at the last verse of the chapter. John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” It gives me a sense of peace to know that the trials we face in this world have an end and, in fact, will seem miniscule in eternity. In modern measurements a micron or micrometer is one millionth of a meter. Even compared to that all our suffering here is as nothing.
Why didn’t the disciples understand? The disciples were even at this point expecting a political/military leader who would make the nation Israel the center of the world. They came to realize that messiah was much bigger than that. Jesus came to save much more than one nation and to establish a kingdom that outlasts the world.
Why did John include their confusion in a narrative written long after their question was made moot by the coming of the Holy Spirit? Because we still wait for the fulfillment of all things and like the disciples needed to know that Jesus’ death was not the end we need to know that this life is not all there is. There is a kingdom, a city, a temple coming where we will be only in life, dead to death, forever. Revelations 22 tells us all about it. Read Romans 8:18-25.
Hosea 6:2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.
2 Peter 3:8-9 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Today, found in Christ, full of the Holy Spirit, we have unfettered access to the Father. What is it to ask in Jesus’ name? A name signifies the person. Their qualities and character. Jesus’ quality is perfect and his character is love. When we ask the Father boldly as belonging only to him and in his way we can be sure we have the answers to our prayers.
brotherpayne 