²⁰ “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.

Although experiencing heavy emotions at the thought of Jesus leaving them, that was nothing compared to what they were about to experience, the reality settling in on them in less than a few hours, Jesus would actually be killed. They would “weep and lament” over the death of their Master, the One for whom they gave up everything to follow. Moreover, this was the One who inspired hope that the kingdom of God was finally arriving. Had they not, with the multitude, hailed Him as “the Son of David” a few days earlier as He triumphantly entered into Jerusalem on the ceremonial donkey?

What made matters worse was the thought that the people of Israel would be glad to be rid of Him. The vast crowds that followed Him turned their backs when He went beyond feeding and healing them to teach an all out commitment to God and to self-sacrifice (John 6:66). The mob at His sentencing, with great hatred, would grant the customary pardon to Barabbas the guilty criminal, rather than exempt the Holy One of Israel from an unjust execution. With gusto they cried out, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” (Matt 27:25).

Lament and grief has not been and will not be an uncommon experience for disciples of any age or time period. Suffering continues on. “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?” (Rom 8:23–24).

But the resurrection of Christ renews hope and brings joy. “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:5). There is hope that any grieving we have here on earth will be turned into joy. Notice grief is not replaced by joy, but it is transformed into joy. There is something in the nature of suffering that brings a joy that would not be possible without the suffering. Someone has said, “If we never had problems, we would never know that God could solve them.” Suffering provides an opportunity to see the greatness of God. This truth gives us hope that there is meaning in our suffering. But this only comes when we firmly embrace that our ultimate goal is to glorify Him, the beloved Son who is our Savior. For the believer, grief and sorrow are temporary. Our Lord is risen, and He will return to raise us up to be with Him forever. That is our hope and that is our joy. And that is our calling in this broken, fallen world, to give witness to a hope that brings true joy.

Lord, I trust in You in the midst of my struggles. Joy comes in the morning!