John

Check out all the previous John readings here.

John Reading Plan | Week 11, Day 4

Prayer

Pause for a moment of quiet and calm. To be fully present in both body and mind, inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Repeat this three times. Ask God to grant you His wisdom today.

Bible Reading: John 16:16-24

Read these verses three times slowly.

Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Reflection & Questions

What takes away your joy?

The disciples in our verses today are grieving as Jesus tells them He will be leaving. That they won’t see Him any longer. But cryptically, He says, “then after a little while you will see me.”

He is referring, of course, to his death and resurrection. Their whole world crashed down as Jesus hung on the cross. And they grieved deeply. Their grief was rooted in the undoing of everything they had hoped for. Jesus has transformed their view of everything. It was unthinkable that he could die, especially on a cross. As he died, so did their hopes. They were left in their grief and fear.

However, on seeing Him risen from the dead, that grief was turned to joy. This was a joy that “no one [could] take away.” Having grieved Jesus’ death, and He had conquered it, there was nothing that could scupper their hopes any more. Jesus was resurrected! So what takes away your joy? There are many troubles in this life for sure, but underneath all of that, we have a risen Savior, who has conquered death and lives evermore. There is nothing that can stop Him. Joy found in Him is unstoppable.

1. What word or phrase from these verses sticks out to you today? Why?
2. Have you allowed circumstances to take away your deep joy in God? Talk to God about that.

Prayer

Talk to God in response to today’s reading.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:

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Questions?