Sabbath, April 3, 2010
John 16:16-20
“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 knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 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. (ESV)
by Teri Morgan
Jesus was speaking about spiritual concepts here. The disciples were confused because they did not yet have spiritual discernment. They related everything in the natural, or earthly, sense. Jesus was giving them a picture of his physical ascension into Heaven (when they would weep and mourn), then the infilling of their physical bodies by the Holy Spirit (when their grief would turn to joy). Jesus told them that, even though he must physically return to Heaven, the Holy Spirit would be sent to this earth to guide and teach them. Ask God daily to strengthen and renew your “spiritual eyes,” so that you may “see” what he is telling you.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
