Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
John 16:20-22 (ESV)
When Jesus came into the world something dramatic was happening. John had begun his gospel saying, "In the beginning..." associating the arrival of Jesus with the original creation. A new creation was happening. It would have a greater impact on reality than original creation. In the beginning God spoke and the worlds came into existence. Now God was speaking again with the living Word coming forth with all the ramifications included in it.
It seems easy for us to conclude that history has been moving along at its own pace without much radical change since the beginning until now. Oh, we note some of the big events like floods, wars, inventions, great men, etc., but we seem to merely put Jesus into the timeline of history as a significant event but not that different from the Exodus of Israel or World War II. Therefore, we tend to view his coming as important but not cataclysmic. Many would admit that he was a great teacher -- maybe even the greatest. Those who call on his name would even contend that he alone has redeemed us from sin and given us a place in heaven, but even many Christians see Jesus' coming as preparatory to something in the future when the real change will take place.
He made it clear to those who would listen. He had come to inaugurate a new order on the earth that would finally restore it to its original purpose. By the time he was spending the last few hours with his disciples he had laid the groundwork for the new world. He was about to return to the Father to prepare a place in the Father for those who believed him. After his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, the Spirit sent from the Father would come to them and make that Father/Son dynamic real. But the turmoil that was about to take place could cause some of them to doubt all that he had been saying for three years. The birth pangs were beginning and they would be caught up in them.
We know they stumbled during the birth, because we have Gospel records that Peter denied him and the rest abandoned him. Even after the terrible weekend, two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus and were totally disillusioned by the chain of events regarding the crucifixion. None of them were expecting the birth pangs to be so severe.
We could draw a moral lesson from this text about endurance. We could recognize that God's purposes take us through some harrowing circumstances, and take from it courage that finally we can look back and see the purpose and rejoice. But there is more here. This is not just a tough time to get through. This is the fulfillment of the hopes of mankind since the Garden of Eden. This is what God promised Abraham. This is what the prophets predicted. There is a new way of doing things based on a new Lord. If we believe, we become part of the new creation with great privilege and a brand new perspective. We may have times that hurt and confuse us, but never again will the earth go through exactly the trauma that happened during those days. Sin was judged. Satan was exposed and defeated. God's faithfulness was vindicated. The Son was exalted. Eternal life was made accessible for us. A new covenant was established fulfilling all previous ones.
Now we can rejoice with the new creation like a mother forgetting the pain and enjoying the new life. We can't live the same as before the birth. We are not in the same category as the Old Testament saints or the angels. We are children of a new world. We have been given new eyes, ears and minds. It is our privilege to use them in filling our role in the purpose of God. Stop today and rejoice in the benefits of the new world. Identify those aspects of your life that could change if you believed you were living in the promised world. Make no room for delay. Rise and walk. What we had hoped for is here.
SYNERGY - Better Together: October 01, 2010 click for more > Five Pillars of New Testament Discipleship: : October 15, 2010 click for more > Family Reunion Retreat: December 03, 2010 click for more >
