We have the privilege of reading the story already knowing how it ends. Jesus' resurrection is common knowledge to us. But in the middle of the story, pre-resurrection, the disciples never would have imagined it. They had their own subconscious idea of how things were supposed to go, and so they had absolutely no idea why their Messiah would have to die. In fact, their confusion may match our confusion now. We may not understand why Jesus is lingering to come again. But the way Jesus answers the disciples’ confusion is an answer to ours as well.
While we wait for our friend Jesus to return, suffering is a serious matter—and in fact Jesus said it would be. Death and decay have dominion, and they torment us. But we know that this world is not our final home. As Romans 8 says, we groan in eager expectation for redemption to reign. But until it does, we feel clearly that things are not the way they’re supposed to be, and our sorrow is palpable.
Yet we have hope in a simple promise Jesus has made us: our sorrow will be turned to joy. If you’ve ever been a mother, you probably deeply understand the metaphor of a woman suffering the anguish of childbirth, but then experiencing the joy of seeing her baby, joy that makes all the anguish seem like nothing. The metaphor's meaning is clear: our joy will be greater than we could ever imagine. We will see Jesus again. This is exactly what all the Old Testament prophets promised: we will see Jesus again, and rejoicing will never end!
Before the resurrection, the disciples couldn’t conceive of resurrection. And now, before Jesus returns to turn our sorrow into joy, we can’t possibly imagine how. But remember back to when Lazarus was raised! No one then could understand how new life could happen until it happened. Jesus has promised that all our current anguish will fade into oblivion compared to the great joy he will bring us. Don’t forget our hope in that promise. We will see Jesus again.
