My Sorrow Turned Into Joy

My Sorrow Turned into Joy

John 16:16-24

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

Imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples and hearing Him say that He would only be with you a little while longer.

You can still recall the first time you met Him—the moment He searched your heart and knew you completely. Like Nathanael, you marveled at how He saw you before you even knew Him (John 1:48-51). He spoke with an authority unlike any other, revealing truths about God’s kingdom that had remained hidden for generations. And though you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14), you also knew you were deeply flawed by sin.

Yet when Jesus called, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” you didn’t hesitate (Mark 1:17). You left everything behind—your family, your trade, your security—to walk in His footsteps. You listened intently as He taught in parables, witnessed miracles beyond imagination, and even took part in His ministry, healing the sick and casting out demons in His name (Matthew 10:1).

But now, He speaks of leaving. Mary had been told that Jesus would be called the Son of the Most High, and that His kingdom would have no end (Luke 1:32-33). Now, Jesus speaks of something unthinkable—His death. At first, His words seemed mysterious:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14-15).

But as time went on, His meaning became painfully clear.

“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord” (John 10:11-18).

And then, the most troubling words of all: “I am going to the Father… where I am going, you cannot come” (John 13:33, 14:2).

Can you imagine the weight of those words? You had given up everything to follow Him, and now He was saying He would be taken away, crucified, and leaving you behind. Had everything been for nothing? Without its King, how could God’s kingdom ever spread? It must have felt like the end of everything. But what if this wasn’t the end at all? What if His departure wasn’t the end of joy—but the beginning of something far greater than you ever imagined?

Preparing them for Sorrow

As the Gospel story unfolds and the shadow of Christ’s arrest and crucifixion looms closer, one can’t help but wonder—how would our Good Shepherd prepare His disciples for the crushing sorrow that was about to consume them?

How would they endure the news that their beloved Master had been brutalized by His captors—beaten and mocked by the men guarding Him (Luke 22:63-65), spat upon and struck in the face by His accusers (Matthew 26:67-68)? Imagine their anguish upon hearing that Pilate had ordered Jesus to be flogged (John 19:1-3) and that the governor’s soldiers had stripped Him, draped Him in a scarlet robe, pressed a crown of thorns into His head, and mercilessly mocked Him as a false king (Matthew 27:27-31). And how would Jesus prepare John, the disciple He loved, for the heartbreak of watching His Master collapse under the weight of the cross, forcing Simon of Cyrene to carry it in His place (Matthew 27:32)? How would John bear the agony of standing at the foot of the cross, witnessing Jesus’ final moments as He cried out in a loud voice and breathed His last (Mark 15:37)?

When His bruised and lifeless body was taken down, wrapped in burial cloths, and placed in a sealed tomb under Roman guard, it must have seemed as if all hope was lost. Their world had shattered. And if their grief weren’t heavy enough, while the disciples wept and mourned the loss of their Lord, the world rejoiced in His death. The religious leaders, the soldiers, and even the crowds celebrated their perceived victory over the one who had claimed to be the Son of God. At this point in the story, one question lingers: how could anyone survive such unbearable sorrow? How could Jesus' followers possibly be prepared for the depths of despair that awaited them?

The Necessity of the Cross

Though the disciples would experience overwhelming sorrow, there was simply no other way for humanity to be saved from sin. Satan had tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, but they were never his to give, for there is only one true Lord and God (Matthew 4:8-10). The only path to redemption was through the agony of the cross.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fell to the ground, His face pressed into the earth (Matthew 26:39), His body trembling under the weight of what was to come. In anguish so deep that His sweat was like drops of blood (Luke 22:44), He cried out to the Father, knowing that there was no other way—only His sacrificial death could atone for the sins of the world. What the law was powerless to accomplish because of human sinfulness, Christ fulfilled by offering Himself as the sinless Lamb of God, a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).