April 25, 2023 – John 16:16-17:25
“A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” Then 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;?” They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? ….20….you will have some pain but your pain will turn to joy.” John 16 (NRSVUE)
The disciples were completely in the dark when Jesus said this to them. What Jesus is foretelling here is his own death and resurrection. And always he is promising our resurrection as well. In other words, Jesus is going to die on a cross, his friends are not going to see him for a little while, and then he will return. His death will not be the end of the story, but they will see him again.
But, you recall, when they do see him again after the resurrection, something has changed. Mary Magdelene does not recognize him at first until he speaks to her. On the lakeshore later on, the disciples do not recognize him at first. He is different but he is the same. He has a new body, one which is not subject to time and space, a resurrected body. And eventually with this new body he ascends into heaven and the promise lingers, “A little while you will not see me and then you will see me again.”
This is the same promise we are given. A favorite passage at many funerals is from John 14: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also.” In other words, we will not see him for a little while, but then we will see him again.
So many Christians believe that when we die our soul goes to heaven and our body is discarded. But Jesus' experience will be our experience, that when we die we will be given a new body, and with that new body we will join him in the kingdom of heaven. For some of us, this will be happening rather soon, and while there will be grief and sorrow, we should not be dismayed. We will soon see each other again. Our pain will turn to joy. The best is yet to come.
Questions for reflection:
- Who are you most looking forward to seeing in heaven?
- How would you describe your new resurrected body?
- Heaven is described as a great banquet. How would you describe that banquet? Who will be there and what kind of food and drink will be offered?