I Will See You Again

Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you (John 16:22).

Notice in John 16:16,19, Jesus said the disciples would see Him again. Here in verse 22, He said I will see you again. It is a subtle change in wording, but a significant one to understand. John MacArthur wrote, “His knowledge of believers is more important than and foundational to their knowledge of Him.” This truth is echoed by the Apostle Paul (Galatians 4:9), But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? To the Corinthian church the Apostle Paul wrote, . . . if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him (1 Corinthians 8:2-3).

Jesus prayed (John 17:3), And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent, but He also said (Matthew 7:21-23), Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Here we have two sides of the same coin and a double-edged sword. 

In the age of ‘easy believeism’ it is important to note that salvation and eternal life is not granted because we know about Jesus, but because we know Him and He knows us. The word ‘know’ is not only theological, but also practical. It means to have knowledge of spiritually and experientially. It’s like faith - the Bible defines what it means, but it doesn’t become real until you experience it by putting it into practice in your own life. 

For the Lord to know a person is the result of His elective grace reaching out to that person. For the person to know the Lord is the result of elective faith reaching out to Him. I will see you again, shows that we are the objects of God’s love. You will see Me again, shows that He is the object of our love. In such a spiritual relationship there is true spiritual joy, and that joy cannot be forgotten or taken away. It is not only stated by Jesus in John 16:22, your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you, but is also the theme of the Apostle Paul’s marvelous love letter to the Philippian Christians. His joy is expressed repeatedly because of their love and support for him, his love and service for Jesus, and the Lord’s love and support for him. The joy of the disciples would come through their continued fellowship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit long after Jesus had ascended into heaven. Jesus knew, as did all the Apostles and churches, that true joy comes only through a living faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, serving the Lord in harmony with His followers, and ministering to others in the name of Christ. May we know this powerful truth in our own lives today. Amen.

Pastor Martin