Slain Day 14 Rocio Pino: Digging Deeper
May 1, 2025
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
John 16:16-24
17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this he’s telling us: ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again a little while, you will see me,’ and, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They said, “What is this he is saying, ‘In a little while’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”
19 Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’? 20 Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. 22 So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.
23 “In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
The Original Intent
1) Why were Jesus’ words confusing to the disciples? (verses 16-18)
This conversation takes place at Passover Supper. After eating, Jesus had many parting things to say to His disciples. He spoke about having Christlike love (John 15:9-17) with His command to “Love one another” (John 15:17) while warning of impending persecution for the disciples just as Jesus had, and would, endure. (John 15:18-25) Not leaving them fearful of persecution or hopelessly grieving in the wake of His departure, Jesus spoke of the coming ministry of the Holy Spirit who would help them endure, whether persecution or sorrow. (John 16:1-15) Finally, Jesus spoke of how His friends wouldn’t see Him, and then seeing Him again shortly thereafter.
David Guzik of Enduring Word states it like this, “If Jesus wishes to found the Messianic kingdom, why go away? If He does not wish it, why return?” Because the disciples still didn’t understand what was about to happen to Jesus, His words confused them. They had no idea the meal they ate would one day be referred to as the “Last Supper”. Little did they know Judas was the prophesied one to betray Jesus in the next couple of hours. (Psalm 41:9 and Zechariah 11:12-13) Though Jesus had told them explicitly He would be crucified, die, and be raised, returning to them as Savior of the world, in their distress and bewilderment they hadn’t yet put all the pieces together. (Matthew 17:22-23)
Though Jesus had spoken of what was to come, “The notion of Christ’s secular kingdom was so deeply rooted in them that they could make no sense at all of those sayings of His which they knew not how to reconcile with that notion.” (Matthew Henry Commentary) Jesus was presenting the plain facts to them, but they were so caught up in what they thought was going to happen, they lost the ability to understand what they were being told.
The Everyday Application
1) Why were Jesus’ words confusing to the disciples? (verses 16-18)
While we have the privilege of hindsight for that night of the last Supper, the disciples did not so, what Jesus was saying to them made no sense based on what they knew. We suffer this same fate sometimes. God may ask us to do something that seems outlandish, and because we don’t know what He has planned, His instructions seem confusing. Think back to Joshua and the Israelites marching around Jericho. (Joshua 6:1-27) It seemed crazy to think fortified walls would tumble by marching and shouting, but didn’t God give them the victory by doing just that?!
Sometimes the Lord asks us to endure suffering, and quite frankly, most of us would rather not. But, unlike at the Last Supper, when He knew He would need to leave for a short while, we have the Holy Spirit with us always. So, when we are confused or frustrated about what is happening and the challenges we are enduring, we can ask the Spirit for comfort and help.
Jesus has completed the work of a perfect sacrifice in order to give us the constant assurance of the Spirit’s presence. We also have the assurance that, one day, there will be no more suffering because He will return for us. “He’s talking not only about the three days between his crucifixion and resurrection but also about the 2,000-plus years between his ascension and second coming. In other words, “a little while” is for us too.” (The Gospel Coalition)
If we hold onto Jesus’ promise of assurance, we can clear our confusion because God is good and He will never forsake us. (Isaiah 41:10)
The Original Intent
2) Why does Jesus link joy to sorrow? (verses 19-22)
The disciples didn’t understand the full weight of sorrow that awaited them in Jerusalem where Jesus would be crucified, die, and His dead body laid in a tomb. (Mark 15:20-47) They would grieve just as He said, “Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn.” (John 16:20) Even more than that, they had no idea the great sorrow Jesus would endure from being forsaken by His Father.
Why would the Father forsake His one and only Son? Why would Jesus willingly die? Scripture tells us! “For the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) What was the joy laid before Him? The disciples, His followers, and over thousands of years, all believers. His joy was to love us enough to save us through His death and resurrection.
When the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus on the third day, their joy was greater than their sorrow had been. “The pain is intense, but relatively short-lived, and what comes after is a lasting and even-more-intense joy.” (BibleRef) According to Josh Butler, “Jesus says resurrection brings a joy so great we’ll “no longer remember” the anguish. (John 16:21) I don’t think this means we’ll forget but that our memories will be transformed, overwhelmed by joy.” (The Gospel Coalition)
Jesus was telling His disciples that every suffering or sorrow they endured, He would eventually turn to a joy so great it would surpass their grief. This was exactly the encouragement they needed for the path ahead.
The Everyday Application
2) Why does Jesus link joy to sorrow? (verses 19-22)
Charles Spurgeon said of Jesus’ suffering on the cross, “That he should suffer was cause for grief, but that he has now suffered all [for us] is equal cause for joy. When a champion returns from the wars bearing the scars of conflict by which he gained his honors, does anyone lament over his campaigns?”
The suffering of Christ allows us to have the joy of salvation. The two are inextricably linked. And what a blessing that is!
We can read Rocio’s story and feel great sorrow for her, but because she embraced her salvation and the work Jesus gave her to do, her death at the hands of those to which she was showing Christlike love, is joyful. Because of her story, we are convinced and convicted to be more committed to the cause of Christ in our own lives. We may suffer following Jesus, but the joy resulting from obedience will be so much sweeter than any loss. (Romans 8:18)
Gloria Ponman, one of our GT writers, said it so well, “No matter the sacrifices we make in this life as we run the race of endurance set before us, all suffering fades in comparison to the glory that awaits us in eternity, for Christ has purchased our unfading victory with His humble surrender to death.” (Run For The Treasure)
The Original Intent
3) What is the complete joy Jesus speaks of in verse 24?
In the last two verses in this passage, Jesus speaks of a post-resurrection reality. He had already told His disciples that the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, would come to them once He was gone. But here, He speaks of the full complement of what that means. It is the Trinity in action.
John Piper expresses it this way, “I will rise from the dead. I will verify this by looking you in the face. Then I will go to the Father. Then we will pour out my Spirit on you. And until I come again, my Spirit will make my glory so real to you that no one will take your joy from you.”
Though the disciples did not fully realize it while Jesus was saying it, their complete joy would be the result of direct access to God the Father through prayer, asking in Jesus’ name. (John 16:23) Part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry would be to remind the disciples, and all believers, that God could and would answer their prayers.
The disciples had nothing to fear, not even sorrow. They would never be lost or forsaken because of Jesus and the power and authority He gave to direct-access prayer.
The Everyday Application
3) What is the complete joy Jesus speaks of in verse 24?
Our complete joy is the presence of the Lord. Our Journey Study series, Surrender, has a description that captures this so well, “Following Jesus for life begins with a single step of surrender, followed by many more steps of giving Him our all. The more we surrender, the sweeter Jesus becomes!” We are able to experience joy because the Lord is with us. Read through the Psalms and you will see how it is the presence of the Lord that sustains our lives, turning our sorrow into joy.
One of my favorite Bible passages is Isaiah 61:1-3. I think it says best what complete joy is and its true source:
The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify him.
Friends, let us have the complete joy of being righteous trees planted by the Lord to glorify Him. May our beautiful righteousness be an invitation for others to join us.
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