Seven times in the next four verses “a little while” is mentioned in the text. Jesus speaks of it four times, and the disciples are recorded as wondering about it three times (John 16:16-19). What is this little while that Jesus spoke of? Well, actually it refers to two different periods of time. The first little while refers to the few hours between the time they were all in the upper room to the time Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane and taken to the high priest. We might include the time that they beheld him as he hung on the cross, but he was completely out of their sight in less than a day. This represented the little while “and you will not see me.” The second little while occurred after Jesus rose from the dead, when he showed himself to the disciples in the upper room (John 20:19-23), and these things occurred, namely that he was going away (via the crucifixion) and he would return (via the resurrection), because he was returning to the Father (John 16:16; cp. Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:1-9).
The disciples seemed confused. They had no idea what the little while meant and asked among themselves what Jesus was saying (John 16:17-18). The reason they had no idea what Jesus meant by the phrase is, because they had no concept of a dying Messiah (cp. John 12:34).[1] Even though Jesus had been teaching them about his approaching death for about a year and a half (Matthew 16:21), they simply didn’t understand the concept of the Messiah dying (Matthew 16:22; cp. Luke 9:44-45). Perhaps, this was because, they believed he spoke of his death in proverbs (John 16:25) and couldn’t believe he was speaking literally. Be that as it may, and no matter what the reason for their ignorance, they had no idea what Jesus meant by a little while (John 16:17-18).
Jesus, we are told, knew the disciples wanted to ask him about the little while, but the interesting thing is, Jesus didn’t offer them an absolute or crystal-clear answer to their question. No doubt the reason for this is, he had already given them clear statements that he would die and would rise from the dead, but they didn’t believe him (Matthew 16:21-22) or didn’t understand (Luke 9:44-45). The reason for their unbelief and/or ignorance was because they thought they could see (cp. John 9:40-41), and when one believes he already knows, he isn’t looking for meaning or correction from the speaker. Therefore, Jesus replied to his disciples in a fashion that described the effect of his death and resurrection upon others. The world, vis-à-vis the Jewish authorities and those folks who believed their report, would rejoice in the death of the Messiah, but the disciples would weep and mourn.
On the other hand, when Jesus showed himself to them after his resurrection their sorrow would turn to joy, and no one would ever be able to take that joy from them. Their experience could be compared with a mother who is sorrowful during the time of her delivery, but once her child is born, she is so filled with joy that she doesn’t even remember the pain she endured to bring the birth about (John 16:19-22).
Jesus concluded with what would occur as a result of his death and resurrection once his return to his Father was fulfilled (cp. John 16:16). He told them: in that day, vis-à-vis after he had returned to his Father, Jesus disciples would be able to ask anything in his name, meaning in Jesus’ name, in the name of everything he said and did and represented while on earth – they could ask anything according to this and the Father would give it them, just as he had worked in and through Jesus, who had come in the Father’s name (John 5:43; 10:25). Therefore, all of their Messianic desires and expectations, once they had come to realize Jesus’ purpose in coming and the Father’s love for the world (John 3:16), would be fulfilled through prayer and according to the name of Jesus, according to all he said and did in the name of the Father, and this would fulfill their own joy (John 16:23-24).
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[1] An interesting point in this regard is that in later Judaism the concept did exist in the idea of two Messiah’s, the Messiah ben-Joseph and the Messiah ben-David. The Messiah ben-Joseph was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. He was to die in the last great war between Israel and the nations. Ben-David was **the** Messiah, and he would never die. If neither Jesus’ disciples or the Jews of the Diaspora (cp. John 12:20-21, 34) had no concept of a dying Messiah, the idea of the two Messiahs must be a later tradition, and we can account for it in Jewish tradition as a defense against the Gospel, which was spreading throughout the world with great speed among the nations.
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2 responses to “A Little While…”
Morning! While I may not always agree with you, your blog has continued to challenge residual thinking from my indoctrination in falacy. It breaks my heart that churches of all denominations waste their time with unimportant nonsense. But nothing has really changed has it?
Hi Dave. I really do appreciate the fact that you have continued with me even though you don’t agree with everything. It encourages me to see that what I believe about how things should be done would work. I don’t believe it was ever intended that all of us should believe the same things in the same manner. A little disagreement causes folks to reconsider what they believe, and not become entrenched in the false doctrine of certitude.
I don’t know that I would say “nothing’s changed” — after all, there was a time when we who disagree with the majority would be burned, stoned or otherwise slain for what we see in the word of God. But, I do agree that “nothing’s changed” in that many churches major in the minors–always have, and perhaps always will, but I have hope. :-)
I’m studying Genesis at present, and am up to chapter 19. What breaks my heart is knowing many righteous folks (like Lot) will lose their reward for laboring in the flesh, rather than in the Spirit. Pilgrim service has been set aside for serving the Lord “my way” and that usually means in the power vested in the state. Rather than preach the Gospel, we will bargain with politically minded folks to get what we want done — a little off topic, but your “what breaks my heart” caused me to reflect.
Lord bless you, my friend.