I Tell You the Truth…Your Grief Will Turn to Joy

Easter, 4/5/15
John 16:16-20


I Tell You the Truth…Your Grief Will Turn to Joy
I. You will weep, mourn, and grieve.
II. Your grief will turn to joy.


If I told you that I was a big fan of the web site called “Pinterest,” would you believe me? I hope not because it’s not true. But I know that many of you are Pinterest fans. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a web site in which people post items that are helpful in your daily life. You can find recipes there, along with suggestions for how to eliminate stains and odors. I happened to run across it when searching for short statements of encouragement.

And I found one posted there that I hadn’t heard or used before. It states, “This will make your heart smile.” Your heart smile. Is that even possible? Medically, no, but you understand it, don’t you? It might be a picture or photo, or perhaps it’s a short story that lifts your spirits. I suppose it might even be said about a warm stack of pancakes smothered in butter and maple syrup. “This is will make your heart smile.”

We need those things that make our heart smile. Because life is tough too much of the time. At times it’s unbearable. The cruelty, the hatred, the abuse that human beings do to each other is ugly, even overwhelming at times.

Jesus’ disciples didn’t know it at the time, but within hours after speaking these words they would watch in horror at the ugliness and abuse Jesus endured. Betrayed, bound, beaten, blasphemed, crucified, buried. They would huddle together in a room in Jerusalem, paralyzed with fear and grief.

Did they recall the words of our text? I doubt it. But how often do we? When life becomes unbearable, when grief overwhelms us, listen again to these words of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, “I tell you the truth, your grief will turn to joy.” Because the tomb was empty, because Jesus rose from the dead and lives forever, those are his words of promise to you and me as well on this Easter morning. May his words bring you Easter joy and confidence!

Part I.

Easter ranks right up there as one of the happiest days on the calendar. For many Christians, it even surpasses Christmas. And I can see it on your faces. The air is ringing once again with our “alleluias.” Lent is over and Easter is here. We’ll spend special time with family and friends today, enjoying delicious food. We’ve got smiles on our faces and smiles on our hearts.

But that’s not usually the way it is. Our spiritual EKG doesn’t always read so positively. In fact, there are times when you consider it a victory simply to drag your tired body and hurting heart from one day into the next.

And when that happens, we react with negative surprise, like this shouldn’t be happening, at least not to us. It’s as if somehow we should be immune to sorrow and grief. We should be able to expect smooth sailing on the glassy sea of life.

Jesus was speaking to you and me just as much as he was speaking to his disciples when he said, “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve.” Jesus predicted it for his disciples just as much as he predicts it for us. His disciples faced it beginning that night as they watched the One on whom they were pinning all their worldly hopes, the One who had repeatedly displayed his almighty power, subjecting himself to his enemies, and later to death by crucifixion. It seemed all so wrong to them, so unfair, so unreal. But it happened.

Just like it does to us. If you ever have the delusion that your life will be one of ease, just read your Bible. God’s people hurt. They are filled with sadness. They grieve. They mourn. And that’s our lives, too. Scripture simply confirms what we experience. Sure, your heart might be smiling today, but it doesn’t smile every day, not by a long shot.

So, what has caused your tears since the last time you celebrated Easter? The loss of a job? Then again, maybe it’s your current job that’s filling your eyes with tears and your heart with pain. Did you experience a broken heart, the end of a relationship? How many funerals did you attend since last Easter? Those can be some painful, tear-full events. And then there’s the grief we cause ourselves. Earlier we confessed our sins of faithless worrying and selfish pride. We also confessed our sins of habit and sins of choice. What are those? Are we too embarrassed and ashamed even to think about them here in church? The question isn’t, “What’s causing our grief?” We know all too well. The question is, “What will we do with it?”

Jesus had an answer for his disciples. Do you recall it from the words of our text? It’s a short phrase that Jesus repeated no less than seven times in the space of three verses. “In a little while.” “In a little while.” Jesus didn’t tell them that he was going to spare them grief, but he did say, “In a little while.” He wanted them to step back and behold the big picture. He comes to his disciples and to us and he encourages, “Whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re about to go through, it won’t last long. Hang in there. In a little while, it’ll all be over.” When a friend or loved one says those things to you, it might ring hollow. In fact, it might make you angry.

But it’s different when Jesus says it. Why? Because Jesus is all-knowing and he knows just how long our “little whiles” are going to last. Jesus knew it would be 96 hours later that he would be with this group of men again, the evening of Easter, when he would appear to them in the locked
room. He knows how long you’ll suffer through your sickness, your pain, your grief, your loneliness.

Jesus is also eternal. He lives without time. That means there are no “little whiles” in his life. He’s simply waiting to enjoy it with you. That’s what his death and resurrection were all about. He sacrificed his life as the payment for your sins and mine, for the world’s sins. In doing so, he won eternal life for us, in which there will be n “little whiles’ of weeping, mourning or grief. And the guarantee it’s yours? Easter! The resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The Savior who raised himself from the dead has promised to raise you also and bring you into glory with him. Your grief will turn to joy.

Part II.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that one of the Christian symbols of the resurrection is the butterfly. What looks like an ugly worm, constructs an equally unsightly cocoon, and then emerges from it a beautiful butterfly that gracefully flies from colorful flower to colorful flower.

The butterfly didn’t take the place of the worm. The worm became the butterfly.

Jesus promised, “Your grief will turn to joy.” Not, “You grief will be replaced by joy.” Not, “Your grief will coincide with joy.” But, “Your grief will turn to joy.” That’s what Easter is all about. It takes a sad and seemingly hopeless situation and turns it into joy.

The disciples were grieved over what had happened to Jesus. They were appalled that he had been crucified when they had such high hopes for him. But his resurrection from the dead caused them to realize his death was the payment for their sins. They now had peace with God and eternal life. Their grief was turned to joy.

The same thing happened to the women who followed him. Mary was weeping at his empty tomb. Thinking his grave had been robbed, she was now unable to give him a proper burial, one last act of her love and devotion to him. But with a word—her name—Jesus turned that hole in the rock into the rock of her faith. His resurrection assured her that he truly was and is the Son of God and her Savior from sin. Easter turned her grief into joy.

And it does the same for you and me. We grieve over our sins which pinned Jesus to the cross. But Easter turns that grief into the joy of knowing that our sins are forgiven and God’s paradise belongs to us. The joy of Easter is knowing that God accepted Jesus lifer and death as the payment for our sins. As we grieve at the death of a loved one, Easter turns our grief into joy know that we have the certainty of being reunited with our loved ones in heaven where Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Instead of fearing our own deaths, Easter proclaims that we shall live, in fact, we will rise from the dead as Jesus did and live forever in bliss and joy. No matter how you look at it, Easter turns our grief into joy.

There are days when nothing this world offers will put a smile on our hearts. It can’t really offer us anything to turn our grief into joy. But Jesus can and does. That’s what his resurrection is all about. A risen Savior declares to you and me, “It’s OK. I’ll take care of everything. So don’t grieve. Be filled with joy. Easter joy!” Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! That solid Easter truth puts an eternal smile on your heart. Amen.