John 16:16-18
16”A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”
This exchange between Jesus and the disciples might be one of the most enlightening and amusing passages to me. Truly, if you read verse 16 apart from anything else, it does not make any sense. It’s almost as if Jesus is playing peek-a-boo – now you see me! Now you don’t! Oh, wait, now you see me again!
No wonder the disciples were confused.
What is important for us to remember, of course, is the context – especially for those bewildered disciples. Yes, Jesus had been telling them these things all along, and we could argue they should have been a little more clued in. However, we have the benefit of being steeped in the story from the other side of the tomb and we don’t always understand, either. We have the gift of generations of teachings and scholarship to provide insight, and yet the mystery often remains for us.
In those days and times when we feel weighted down with mystery (instead of delighting in it), we pray for trust, knowing that Jesus’ promises remain true – regardless of our understanding.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
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