Easter 4 draft

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Alleluia! Amen.

For this Sunday and the next three we are going to be moving around in John 16, listening in on the conversation Jesus had with His disciples on Maundy Thursday. I want to you think for a moment that that Maundy Thursday would have been like. Right after Supper, after the first celebration of the Lord's Supper, Jesus has a frank discussion with the disciples. They don't know it, but in less than 24 hours, Jesus will be Crucified, and that will turn the disciples' lives utterly upside down. And yes, Easter is coming – but also after Easter there will be the Ascension, and then Pentecost, and so many things for the Disciples will be so vastly different than they are now. So, Jesus teaches. He emphasizes to the Disciples and to us what life will be like in the New Testament church. For years, basically since the beginning, the people of God had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah – now what's it going to be like after the Messiah has come?

Jesus concludes a bit of a speech with the first line of our Gospel reading today. A little while, and you will see Me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see Me. Jesus just drops this out there for the disciples to ponder – and they are utterly confused. They were in fact utterly confused by a lot of what Jesus had been doing and teaching, especially that night. Actually, I think this is a good reminder for us. Jesus isn't offended or upset by our confusion. Our value, our relationship with Jesus does not depend upon how well we understand, how well our ducks are in a row, how well we have everything together. The disciples were often confused, and likewise my dear friends, we are often going to be confused in this life. There are going to be times when we have no clue what is going on, what is happening. There are going to be times we don't have the answers, even when things are staring us straight in the face. That doesn't shock Jesus. In fact, your Lord Jesus is patient enough that He will end up working through confusion and teach us patiently. Jesus doesn't demand immediate results, nor does He spoon feed answers. He knows the struggles of life, and He knows that they are indeed struggles. So be it – our confusion doesn't matter. Jesus knows what is going on, and that's the important thing.

And when the time is right, He will clear away our confusion. Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him. Again, just another quick point. Jesus knew what the disciples wanted to ask Him. Likewise, Jesus knows all the things that you wish to ask Him. When we are in confusing times, burdensome times – those are times where we really ought to pray more often. But sometimes in our pride, we don't want to pray a confused prayer – we think our prayers should be clear, orderly, straight to the point and we ought to know what is best. That's not how the Scriptures describe prayer. St. Paul says that they are often groanings too deep for words – you know, confused and from a place of pain and stress. That's fine. Don't hesitate to pray, don't hesitate to take your concerns to Jesus, or your confusion, your uncertainity, the times you do not know what to pray for. That's fine – you don't have to know. Jesus knows. And when the time is right, when it is good for you to know, Jesus will clear away our confusion.

So Jesus decides to speak to the disciples again. 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 guys are wondering about what's going to happen – how events will unfold. Let me give you a different heads up – I've already told you three times that I am going to be Crucified and you don't want to face that. So instead, here's the impact. You will weep, you will lament, even while people around you rejoice. And this is precisely what Good Friday is for the disciples – they are utterly devastated while the wicked cackle with mocking glee as Jesus is crucified. And Jesus doesn't sugar coat it, water it down, anything like that. He acknowledges the lousiness of the situation – He calls it like it is.

One of the hardest things about the Christian life is the fact that we are out of step with the world, that so often the world will rejoice when we are sorrowful – or that the world and people we love will ignore the joys of Christ's forgiveness and mercy and instead angrily mock and deride our Lord, mock and deride us. And it is okay to note that, to see that, to feel that. There's a massive disconnect – that's what sin and unbelief cause, a massive disconnect with God and with each other – and it is sorrowful. And it's okay to note that sorrow, to see it, to feel it. Doesn't make you less of a Christian. I mean, even Jesus Himself weeps when He comes to Lazarus' tomb, even knowing that He's going to raise him from the dead in mere moments. You're are free to feel sorrow.

But Jesus wants you to remember something in the midst of your sorrow, when the sorrow looms large. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. This sorrow, this pain, this suffering, this sin, this death – it doesn't last. It doesn't endure. It has been defeated by Christ Jesus, by His death and resurrection. Doesn't mean that sorrow is somehow less sorrowful, it doesn't mean that sin is less sinny, it doesn't mean that death is any less horrid – but what we do remember is that these enemies and foes do give way. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. The mothers here can attest to this – yes, there is pain, but it will go away, and there's joy to come. Doesn't mean that the pain isn't real. I didn't look at my wife while she was in labor having a contraction and say, “Oh don't worry, this isn't that bad.” But after the kids are born, a mom isn't living in the pains of labor – she's living with her kids, and that's wondrous. And worth it.

When we see hardship in this life, we must remember that Christ Jesus will bring us through it – and that it is okay to acknowledge that the moment is lousy. Terrible example – I got out of bed Sunday night and knew that I starting to throw a kidney stone. I get them. I know how they work for me – push fluid, walk, in a day or two it will pass. I knew that by Wednesday I'd feel better – that didn't change the fact that Monday was lousy. But I did know that there would be relief. And what Satan tries to do with people, with the world, with us, is he tries to convince us that there will never be relief, that there is nothing better to come – that this pain and suffering is really as good as it will ever get. And there are times even, to the way of the thinking of the world, that this is sort of true. Sometimes the Doctor says you probably won't get better – and for this life that may be true. But listen to Jesus – So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

This is the truth of your Christian faith. You will see Jesus. You will see your risen Lord. And that day, that moment, the joy of the resurrection of the body – we can't comprehend it. Even John, who was at that Maundy Thursday, who saw Jesus risen from the dead, he can't put his finger on it. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him. We are redeemed, forgiven, alive in Christ right now, even in the midst of sorrow and fear and pain. We are the baptized, we are dead to sin and alive to Christ. And yet, we still have to deal with sin and sorrow and fears and all that other junk of life. But the promise remains – You will see Jesus. He died and He rose precisely because He wanted you to see Him, He wants you to stand before Him for all eternity, washed, redeemed, forgiven, living, enjoying His good gifts. That's why He went to the Cross. So that you would see Jesus.

There's a little plaque right here on the pulpit that says, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Now, in the Church, we see Jesus by preaching, by the Word, by Baptism, but the Supper. We get the real Jesus in these ways – but our vision is obscured by sin and the world – and sometimes that obscuring looms large and harsh. And sometimes we can be discouraged by that fact. St. Paul said that now we see as in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. There will be times you notice that dimness more and more – do not look at the dimness, do not get distracted by that – but rather, see Jesus. Know that Jesus is for you, always. Know that you are forgiven, that your sin is atoned for. This is the truth – and even the sorrows of this life don't change that. And seeing Christ, we have joy now, even in the midst of sorrow – and then we will have joy above and beyond all sorrow. And this is sure, because Christ Jesus has died and risen for you. Amen. Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Alleluia! +