The Outcome of the Resurrection: An Exposition of John 16:16–24

By S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. [1]

Introduction

True spirituality is ultimately personal. We can never be satisfied with a purely intellectual knowledge of God, although a true knowledge of God is always intellectual in its foundation.

The necessity of the personal dimension led finally to the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. John, in particular among the apostles, stresses the point. It is he who has written in this gospel, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him” (1:18). And, in response to Philip’s query, Jesus said, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (14:9). To see Jesus is to have a personal revelation of the Father’s nature and being. And, finally, in his First Epistle the apostle begins the opening chapter with these words, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us) — That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1:1–3). It is clear that for John spiritual life is not simply intellectual knowledge, although that is necessarily involved, but also a personal acquaintance in the most intimate way with the Son of God, the revelation of the Father.

That kind of revelation can only be through the medium of an incarnation. There is a very touching story, told by Dr. Rufus Jones, the notable Quaker philosopher, about a mother seeking to encourage her little girl to put aside her fears of the dark. The mother assured the daughter that she need not be afraid of the night, because God was with her. The little girl was not so sure yet of the omnipresence of God and of His special concern for her, for she bluntly replied, “I don’t want God; I want someone with a face.” And the child probably spoke for many of us at one point in our spiritual experience. We naturally want someone with a face, and it is because of this, among other more theological things, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Since that time there has been available for men the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This is one of the ways in which Christianity is distinguished from other religions. Of course, one of the most significant ways is simply this: Christianity proclaims the finished work of Christ, and its characteristic word, therefore, is “done.” He has finished the work of atonement, and He has done it all Himself (cf. John 19:30; Heb. 1:3). All other religions are “to-be-done” religions, and the work is to be done by impotent man. Thus, they can never save, for salvation is of the Lord entirely (cf. Jon. 2:9; Acts 13:39).

Another way in which Christianity differs from other religions lies in its stress on the personal relationship with God. The largest of the professing Christian religions finds salvation not simply through a personal relation with the Triune God through the atoning work of the Son of God, but insists that the benefits of His work become ours only through the adherence to their sacramental system, administered by their clergy and priests. It is clear at once that in this system there is a departure from grace and a return to legalism, from faith alone as the means of salvation to human works (cf. Rom. 3:21–26; 4:1–25; 5:1–11, etc.). And if justification is by human works, then it is not of grace, contrary to the express declaration of God (cf. 11:6).

Vance Havner, the popular Southern Bible teacher, has told the story of a spring whose waters had certain medicinal properties, so that those who drank from it were helped in various infirmities. In the course of time, homes sprang up around the spring — then came a hotel, stores, and eventually a town that grew into a city. But there came a day when visitors would ask, “Where is the spring from which this grew?” and the residents would say, with embarrassment, “We are sorry, but somehow in the midst of all our progress and improvement, we lost the spring.” Havner contended that institutional Christianity’s biggest problem today is to find its lost spring.

I have a very fine Christian friend, a Bible teacher of ability and a man of God. He is now in his eighties, and for a few years now has had cancer. He is still out in his itinerant Bible teaching ministry, undaunted that his condition can only get worse as the months go by. Recently he wrote me a letter to say, “I am now on female hormones and the pain is not so great. My back does trouble me. Then the red blood cells are weakened and destroyed by the cancer. The doctors tell me if it grows worse I will have to have a transfusion.” He then adds, and one can see in his words the thrill of the personal relation with God through Christ, “I have learned that all the whys, whens, wheres, and wherefores in life are in the strong hands of Jesus Christ. I bow to his will and say, ‘our Jesus does all things well.’” That is what Christianity and its personal knowledge of God in Christ does for its people.

In the section of John’s Gospel which we are studying the apostle has been speaking of our Lord’s upper room instruction, given to the eleven before He was crucified. The Lord has spoken of their union with Him (15:1–17) and, therefore, of the world’s sure and certain hatred of them. The world has hated Him, and the world will surely hate His followers. Nineteen centuries have confirmed this. He has also reminded them, however, that they will have the help of the Holy Spirit in dealing with the world (15:18 — 16:15). But He has had to say to them that He must leave them soon, and that was for them a matter of great sorrow (cf. 16:6). And so in the following verses, the ones to which we turn now, He will deal with some of the difficulties that His men will face in His absence.

The Instruction

The Declaration (John 16:16; cf. 13:33)

Continuing the discourse Jesus says, “A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father” (16:16). The words are reminiscent of the statement of 13:33, in which He stated that He would be with them for only a little while longer. The words here are very enigmatical and, in fact, suggest the method of an early TV quiz program, “What’s My Line?” In effect He is seeking to lead them on to anticipate His departure with its accompanying sorrow, and then His resurrection with its permanent rejoicing.

The “see” in verse sixteen is probably to be taken as physical seeing .

The Interrogation (John 16:17-18)

The declaration of the Lord puzzled the disciples (we have company!), and they began to discuss the puzzling words and phrases among themselves. They said, “What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith” (16:17–18). Particularly puzzling to them was the phrase, “a little while.” Of course, we must remember that they were standing on the other side of the cross from us.

Godet comments, “Where for us all is clear, for them all was mysterious. If Jesus wishes to found the Messianic kingdom, why go away? If He does not wish it, why return?’’[2]

The Explanation (John 16:19-20)

Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

In a sense Jesus replies to their need rather than their question.[3] After repeating their questions, He puts His answer in the form of a description of how they shall feel in the future. They shall weep and lament, while the world shall be rejoicing, but their sorrow shall become[4] joy.

In the twentieth verse there are three verbs used to describe their coming weeping over His departure, the first two expressing outward lamenting and singing of dirges, the third expressing inward grieving.[5] What is most significant about the verbs is that they all were used for mourning for the dead, and perhaps our Lord uses them to give them a clue to the fact that their sorrow shall be related to the death that He shall soon die. The first interval of “a little while” takes them to the time of His death, then.

The last clause of verse twenty is particularly interesting. It is not said that their sadness shall be replaced by joy. Literally our Lord says that their sorrow shall become joy, that is, as Lenski puts it, “The very thing that plunged them into such excessive grief, shall turn to joy, i.e., into a glorious cause for joy.”[6] They are to mourn over His death, but the death itself shall become a source of joy to them. Their sadness shall become gladness. History has borne out our Lord, for it is in the death of our Lord that His apostles have gloried, for through His death, they have received life, forgiveness, and justification (cf. Gal. 6:14).

The Illustration

Our Lord follows His brief explanation with an illustration. “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow,” He says, “because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world” (16:21). The purpose of the illustration of a woman and her birth pangs is to indicate that one and the same thing can produce opposite effects, in this case both sadness and gladness, with only a brief interval of time between the two emotions. That, it seems, is the primary purpose of the example.

There may also be a secondary purpose. The purpose of the pain of the mother is a birth, and the purpose of the pain of the disciples over the departure of the Lord may be related to the creation of a “new man,” the church of Jesus Christ, composed of both Jews and Gentiles, who enter that body in the same way and upon the same basis. I do not want to labor the point overmuch, but there also may be some connection with the later Jewish doctrine of the “travail pains of the Messiah” (cf. Isa. 26:17–18; 66:7; 16:16–20; Matt. 19:28).[7]

Good Friday was to be the time of pain, but Easter was to become the time of joy. Our Lord’s words may be understood better against that background.

The Interpretation

A New Joy, or “Joy Perpetual” (John 16:22)

Now our Lord will apply the figure, or illustration. And in His application He distinguishes three matters, the first being the new joy that will characterize the believers. He says, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you” (v. 22).

There are two questions that come before us here, and the first is a question of time. When will He see them, and they Him? Several answers have been given.

(1) First, some have taken the words, “I will see you again” (cf. v. 22), to be a reference to the second advent of our Lord. And it is true that in the New Testament the second advent is said to be “a little while” off (cf. Heb. 10:37), but the time between the cross and the second advent can hardly be called a time of grief (cf. 1 Pet. 1:8–9, etc.).

(2) Second, others have referred the clause to the Day of Pentecost (cf. 14:20). There are difficulties with the view, however. First, Jesus speaks of a mutual seeing here (cf. vv. 16, 22), and it is reasonable to think that the two sights will be of the same character. By this view their view of Him will not be a physical seeing of Him, while, of course, He is able always to see them. But, second, and perhaps better, the disciples were filled with joy again before Pentecost. At Pentecost they received “power” (cf. Acts 1:8; 2:1–4), but this very Gospel of John is testimony to the fact that the disciples’ sadness turned to gladness before Pentecost (cf. 20:20).

(3) Third, it seems much the best view to refer our Lord’s words, “I will see you again,” to the resurrection. And the precise fulfillment text is found in 20:20, when on the day of the resurrection at the assembly of the disciples they saw Him. John writes of that meeting, “Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.” And it should be noted that in John’s statement it is said that two things happened. First, they saw the Lord, and the same verb is used in this text that is found in verse twenty-two. And further, they were glad, and the same verb is used in this text of the joy of the disciples that is used in verse twenty-two of chapter sixteen. It seems clear, then, that our Lord by the words, “I will see you again,” refers to the resurrection event, a physical seeing of His men.

The interval of time, phrased here by our Lord as “a little while,” the time between the cross and the time that He sees them again, is then an expression that corresponds to the expression, “after three days,” characteristic of the Synoptic Gospels.[8]

The entire verse reminds one of Isaiah 66:13–14, a text that looks on to the advent of the Lord, “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you: and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice.”

This seeing and the consequent joy could never be taken away, since it was bound up with His resurrection (cf. Rom. 6:9–10).[9] And that joy has been a part of the experience of all believers during this age. As Rendall Harris once said, “They may tear the volume to shreds, but they can never rub off the light of God from the faces of His people.” That has been confirmed in my experience, for I have seen literally scores of believers with this impressive permanent joy glowing with an enduring light on their newly enlightened minds and faces.

A New Relationship, or “Relation Paternal” (John 16:23)

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Another historic milestone in our Lord’s mediatorial work is referred to here. We are by His cross and resurrection brought to the Father! (cf. 20:17; Eph. 2:18; 3:12; 1 Pet. 3:18). The exercise of this relationship contributes to the joy mentioned in the preceding verse.

There are several things to notice here. First, the “me” in the clause, “and in that day ye shall ask me nothing,” is emphatic in the Greek text. And, second, the verb rendered by “ask” is one that means to ask a question in many contexts (ἐρωτάω, erōtaō). That seems to be its force here (cf. vv. 5, 19, 30), and in other places in John it has that force, too (cf.. 1:19, 21, 25; 9:2, 19, 21). In other words, Jesus is referring to verse nineteen, and He is saying that they will no longer ask Him such questions. The Spirit will be their teacher to guide them into all truth.

The second sentence refers to the new object of their petitions. It is the Father. Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.” In this second sentence of verse twenty-three the verb rendered “ask” (αἰτέω, aiteō) is a verb that is different from the verb rendered in the same way in the first sentence of the verse. The second verb does mean to ask in prayer. One would gather this from the opening sentence’s “nothing” also, for Jesus would not say that in that day they would not petition Him for anything.

This second sentence indicates that the Father is the new object of prayer, that fact resulting from the resurrection (cf. 20:17; 1 Pet. 3:18; Eph. 2:18; 3:12). No longer will they ask the Lord Jesus the old familiar inquiries, for the Spirit will be their teacher and the Father the object of prayers.

The expression “in my name” should not be overlooked, because it is by virtue of His representative mediatorial work that the disciples have access to the Father in the Spirit. What we have is through Him and His merits, won by the sufferings of the cross. Thus, what our Lord is promising is an all-prevailing acceptance before the Father through the Son in the Spirit.

This text, then, is a marvelous promise, and it is a sin to neglect its potential for spiritual growth and blessing. What an encouragement for intercessory communion with the Triune God in prayer! Let me cite some words from Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

It has been said by someone that “the proper study of mankind is man.” I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.

There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, “Behold I am wise.” But when we come to this master-science, finding that our plumb-line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass’s colt; and with solemn exclamation, “I am but of yesterday, and know nothing.” No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God.… But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this globe.… The most excellent study for expanding the soul is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity.

And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatory. Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.

A New Promise, or “Prayer Effectual” (John 16:24)

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

The last phrase, “in my name,” suggests the greatest assurance. He has been accepted; so will we be in Him. Up to this point they had not asked anything of the Father in His name, for the way through Him was not opened before the blood was shed. A contingent acceptance through the coming Redeemer and His work was their hope, but now the fullness of redemption and its benefits are to be theirs. Abiding, complete joy shall be theirs also, as they ask and receive from the Father, when they ask in His name. What significance our Lord places on the completion of the work of covenantal union! The construction of the last clause, “that your joy may be full,” permits the sense of not only being filled with joy but of remaining filled with joy. “Filled full and remain full” might be a periphrastic rendering of the verb and participle (ᾖ πεπληρωμένη, ē peplērōmenē, cf. 15:11; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 12).

One might ask, “Why does answered prayer lead to joy?” The most obvious answer is simply this: It is an assurance that God is with us. He is Immanuel, God-with-us, to us, and that is joy-creating.

Many remarkable fulfillments of this magnificent promise could be given. H. A. Ironside tells of one in his work on John. He writes:

I read a remarkable testimony which I think will be a blessing to all who hear it. It had to do with a money matter. Down in Columbia, South Carolina, is located the Columbia Bible College of which Dr. Robert McQuilken is the president. Some time ago they started to buy a large building to be used as a men’s dormitory. They put the amount of money needed before the Lord and it came in, and then the next year they were to pay ten thousand dollars on October 1. This letter came telling us that on the last day of September, singularly enough, the balance needed was exactly $2121.21. They took it to the Lord in prayer, and then went out and opened a little box into which donations had been dropped. When they counted the money put in that morning, it was $21.21. That left $2,100.00 to be made up. They had a day of prayer, and as they waited before the Lord that day, from different sources gifts began to come in. The largest gift that morning was one hundred dollars. Later a gift of five hundred was received. By evening they had received in all, exactly $2,121.22, just one cent more than they needed. What a wonderful bookkeeper God is. He gave all they needed and one cent more toward the next ten thousand dollars.[10]

Conclusion

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer used to speak often on John fifteen and the union with the believer that our Lord speaks of there under the figure of the vine and the branches. He used to say that Jesus promised joy celestial (cf. 15:11), prayer effectual (cf. 15:7), and fruit perpetual (cf. 15:16). Well, much the same is found here.

•  We have, first, a new joy. Have we realized it?
• We have a new relationship to the Father. Have we recognized it?
• We have a new promise of effectual prayer. Have we exercised it?

Notes

1. Bible teacher Lewis Johnson has been associated for many years with Believer’s Chapel in Dallas, Texas. He is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Exegesis at Dallas Theological Seminary and also served as Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This is the twelfth in a series of expositions on The Upper Room Discourse.
2. Frederick Louis Godet, Commentary on the Gospel of John, translated with a preface, introductory suggestions, and additional notes by Timothy Dwight, 2 vols., reprint ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969 [1893]), 2: 315. Cf. Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, NICNT (rev. ed., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 624.
3. Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, 625.
4. The word rendered in the AV in verse twenty by “turned” is the Greek word γίνομαι (ginomai), which means to become in its most literal meaning.
5. κλαίω (klaiō), θρηνέω (thrēneō), λυπέω (lupeō).
6. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1942), 1096.
7. Barrett, writing of the illustration in verse twenty-one, says, “The parallel is in itself a simple one: the short travail pains give place to satisfaction at the birth of a child—the short sorrow of Good Friday and the following day give place to the joy of Easter. But the analogy has a deeper meaning. It belongs to the Old Testament.” After referring to the verbally similar texts in Isa. 26:16–19 and 66:7–14, he continues, “In these passages the messianic salvation which relieves the affliction of the people is compared to the relief and joy of childbirth, and from them (and like passages) was drawn the later Jewish doctrine of the חבלי המשׁיח (ḥeble ha-mashiaḥ, the ‘travail pains of the Messiah’), a period of trouble which must intervene before the final consummation. The significance of these facts is that the death and resurrection of Jesus were described in a language which is properly eschatological; that is, John treats them as types and anticipations of eschatological events. The resurrection means, in an anticipatory way, the realization of the messianic salvation.” C. K. Barrett, The Gospel according to St. John, 2d ed., (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978), 493.
8. R. H. Strachan, The Fourth Gospel: Its Significance and Environment, 3d ed. revised and rewritten (London: SCM, 1941), 296.
9. Thomas Dehany Bernard, The Central Teaching of Jesus Christ: A Study and Exposition of the Five Chapters of the Gospel according to John, XIII to XVII Inclusive (New York: Macmillan, 1892), 301.
10. H. A. Ironside, Addresses on the Gospel of John (New York: Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., 1942), 717.