March 14, 2021

John 16:16-18, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “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 am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”

Jesus is speaking directly to his death and resurrection here. This is not the first time that Jesus has taught about his own death - a warning to his disciples that has been largely ignored by them. Jesus said to them directly, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise” (Mark 9:31). And yet here in these last days of Jesus’ life, they are still baffled by what he means and can’t fathom the possibility that he will actually leave them. But this will play out exactly as Jesus says, he will leave them, and then he will return to them for a brief time, and then he will go to be with the Father. Christ’s awareness of what is going to happen is remarkable, and it must have been frustrating to know that his followers who were right at his side at this moment would not be there upon his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. They wouldn’t believe until the resurrection. But that’s a rational response by these followers, too. These words that he has said are outlandish, and because they are rational people, it would take a miracle for them to be that this guy is who he says he is, despite his charisma and wonderful teaching. Only the resurrection would change the skeptic into a true believer, a believer who was willing to give his life for the truth of lordship of Christ.

Prayer: Jesus, help me to understand the magnitude of the resurrection in my life. Help me to understand what we celebrate on Easter Sunday when we say, “He is Risen!” Help me to understand that if this event is true, then all of it is true, and it’s the most important event in the history of the world. Let that reality fill my heart with hope. Amen.

40 Days of Joy: Babies. Just wonderful, wonderful babies.