Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. (John 16:20-21)
Why would a woman endure nine months of pregnancy followed by painful labor? Because she knows that joy will follow. Joy is set before her; she has hope! (“confidence of a future event”). She understands that the sorrow of travail is only temporary and that the source of her pain will be the contributor of the joy that shall follow. At last, when the “bundle of joy” is placed in her arms, the sorrow of labor and travail will seem but a fleeting moment compared to the joy of bringing a child into the world.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (II Corinthians 4:17) “… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5b)
In John 16, Jesus used childbirth to illustrate the believer’s experience here on earth. This example is used often in scripture: Micah 4:10; Rom. 8:22; II Cor. 5:2; Gal. 4:19; I Thess. 2:9; Rev. 12:2. The phrase “a little while” was used ten times to describe Christ’s going away and coming again in glory. “A little while” of labor and travail before the joy that shall follow.
“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” (Hebrews 10:37)
“A little while” of persecution, toiling in prayer, and personal failing before the joy that follows.
1. Labor of Persecution (vs. 20)
“…the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful,” (John 16:20)
The world will rejoice while we are in labor.
Jesus explained to us that His kingdom was not of this world. Like the song says, “This world is not my home I am just a passin’ through…” As “strangers” and “pilgrims” on the earth we are on the “away team.” The “away team”always gets the crummy locker room, the boo’s, and the jeers from the home team’s crowd. In the world, we are going to have tribulation.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
We might have tribulation being on the “away team,” but we labor from a point of victory. Jesus has “overcome the world!” I heard about a man who passed by a little league game; and, as he passed, he hollered out to the first baseman, “hey kid what’s the score?” “Forty-two to nothing; we are losing.” “That’s pretty bad!” the man replied. “Nah,” said the little boy, “we haven’t been up to bat yet!” Jesus said, “I have overcome the word!” It might look like we are down, but the Lord hasn’t come back yet! We have not yet been up to bat yet.
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. (I Timothy 4:10)
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. (Luke 6:22)
2. Labor of Prayer (vs. 23-28)
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:22-24)
Since the fall, the men and women whom the Lord has used have been saints who labored and travailed in prayer. By the proverbial “sweat of their brow” they laboured in prayer for Christ’s name sake, and their joy was full.
Here are a few of the many examples:
The labor and travail of Jacob in prayer: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; (Hosea 12:4)
The labor and travail of Hannah in prayer: And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. (I Samuel 1:15)
The labor and travail of Elijah in prayer: Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. (James 5:17)
The labor and travail of Jesus in prayer: Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; (Hebrews 5:7)
3. Labor of Personal Failure (vs. 29-33)
Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:32-33)
Thomas would doubt, Peter would betray, and all the disciples would scatter from Jesus. They would “leave Him (Jesus) alone,” running in fear. The chosen apostles would fail The Lord terribly, quitting their ministry and going fishing. “The just man falleth seven times.”(Prov. 24:16). Many times, we, like the disciples, want to cry out along with the Apostle Paul, “…oh wretched man that I am!” (Rom. 7:24). The Christian life is a constant labor and travail between the flesh and spirit. The good news is that we will win the ultimate victory over the flesh! Our struggle with the flesh shall be won! In heaven, we will be given a sinless body — no more self-doubt, no more daily mortification. Victory will be ours; we will be like Jesus and even better: “We shall see Him as he is.”
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. (Proverbs 17:15)
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2)