Beloved congregation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as they say on the week of Palm Sunday and the triumphal entry, what a difference a week makes. As all of these people walk in, Hosanna, loud Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Lord, save us. The little children are singing and waving their palm branches. They want to make Jesus Christ their Lord and their King. And now Jesus Christ, after the Passover meals, is talking to his beloved 11, Judas Iscariot is out doing his dirty work, and he's saying, the world is going to hate you, and in this world you're going to have tribulation, and you are going to weep, and you are going to lament, and you are going to mourn, and the world is going to rejoice, and I am going to leave you, but only for a little while, and I'll come back to you, but then I'm going to leave you, because if I don't leave you, I cannot go to prepare a place for you, and if I do not leave you, it would not be for their benefit, because the Comforter must come. And we've been doing this week after week, taking little sections of this, but all of this is happening probably within the time frame of an hour or two hours. And all of this discussion is kind of coming upon the 11 who are without proper perception, in part because they don't have the Holy Spirit. but also in part because they don't really understand the depth of their depravity. It's part of the reason that we do preparatory services and read the form and do this week of preparation for the Lord's Supper, because it's good sometimes for us to remember why Jesus had to do what he did in order to overcome the world so that we might be redeemed. What it took that our sins might be remembered no more. What it meant that Jesus Christ would die, that we would have reconciliation. Because of how desperately depraved and sinful we really are. That we ought to be left to decay and to death and to devastation and destitution. But God so loved the world. that He gave His only Son, that the Word was God, and the Word was with God, and the Word became flesh. And though He came to His own, the grace and truth and the love of Almighty God, His own love, the law of Moses more, it was foreign to them, this graciousness. because they didn't have the comforter, they didn't have the spirit, they didn't understand all of these things. And now Jesus is standing with the 11 and it makes sense that they see him and they listen to him as he is in front of them. But they are now going to be convicted of a prayer life, a new prayer life that has been extended to all of us. And we think about that today and what that means, that no matter where we go, We can pray to Almighty God. And as Jesus says, I'm not praying that you can pray. I'm not praying that you will be heard. I'll bring your prayer to the Lord, but he wants you to pray because he loves you. He's already reconciled himself to you because in this hour, the world is going to change. In just a little while, time and life, as we understand it, will be completely revolutionized, because Jesus Christ is going to the cross. Jesus Christ is gonna live again. Jesus Christ is gonna go to heaven. Jesus Christ is gonna send the Holy Spirit, and the church is gonna go out into all the world, a praying, powerful, proclaiming community. And so the good shepherd concludes his comforting. First of all, we will see that there will be joy after grief, the cross, that there will be clarity in the confusion. Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. And finally, that there will be peace in turmoil, because though the church is in the world, Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus says to them, a little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me because I go to the Father. And then there's confusion there among the disciples. What are they supposed to make of all of this? What does that little while mean? And you know, sometimes There's just a sheer joy in writing a sermon and preparing a sermon. But this is one of those weeks where you're just reading and you're just slogging through the commentaries. The pages and pages of what does a little while mean. And R.C. Spruill has to be wrong because Ritterboss is right. And Ritterboss must be wrong because de Graaf is right. And you just go, oh, I think I'm just going to read it like a little child. And when we read it like a little child, what is Jesus talking about? Jesus is talking about a little while you will not see me. I am going to die and they're going to put me in the tomb. And then in a little while, I will rise from the dead and you will see me. The whole world is going to rejoice at this. The whole world is going to think this now is the great thing that has been done. Jesus says to them, are you inquiring among yourselves? I said, a little while most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. It is an amazing thing. It is the great climax of world history, where the devil and his minions, and now the Jews will join the world, the Jews will take Jesus and hand him over to Rome, and that the Jews and Rome and all of the world will yell out and cry out, crucify him! Hail, King of the Jews! And they laugh at him, and they mock him, and they put him to scorn. And those disciples who will be dealing with their own lack of faith, their own lack of courage, will abandon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and he will hang there on the cross, all alone, suspended between earth and suspended between heaven. The wrath of God coming upon him that causes him to cry out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And the 11 will weep. And the 120 that our believers will mourn as they take that broken and destroyed body of Jesus Christ, the heart no longer beating, the lungs no longer breathing, the eyes no longer seeing, the ears no longer hearing, the Son of God who became the Son of Man no longer living in human form, will be taken from the tree and put into the tomb of a rich man. and they will weep, and they will mourn, in part because they don't understand, and in part because the one that they love so deeply is dead. I understand that you and I will not weep that way. We don't weep that way. For us, the cross is empty, the tomb is empty, the heavens are filled with the glory of Almighty God, but still there ought to be in us this horror, this sorrow, Because my sin demanded this, even if he only died for me, if I had only stolen one cookie in my whole life, my rebelliousness against God, my estrangement from the Father in heaven demanded that the son must die. And because the Holy Spirit is not in them, the Comforter has not come, not only can they not be comforted, they don't understand. They don't understand that Jesus must go. They don't understand the little while. You know why they don't? Because they don't understand the depth of their depravity. They don't understand how sinful they really are. They don't understand that the greatest human need is not food and drink. It's not the internet. It's not knowledge. It's not an education. It's not a good job. It's not happiness. The greatest need of any human being is to be made right with God, is to have their sins forgiven, is to be redeemed from destruction, to have all of their sins forgiven and all of their diseases healed. We need salvation. We need to be redeemed from this world. The world needs to be overcome. The world keeps pushing us down and holding us down. And then it seems as if the world has won and the devil has won as the silent Jesus hangs there. And the world rejoices he's dead. The king of the world is dead. The king of the Jews is dead. The son of man is dead. Now we can live our lives. Now we can live the way we want to. And they do it even now today. Deny Jesus Christ. Deny the word of Jesus Christ. Persecute the church so they don't bring the good news of Jesus Christ. Stick us in prison so they don't have to see the evidence of the work of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. They'll do whatever they can to kill the Lord Jesus. Keep them there on the cross. Keep them there in the tomb. Oh, how they rejoice. Didn't Jesus say it? Don't be surprised if they hate you, they hate me. How do we know they hate him? Look what they did to him. Look what our worldliness demanded of him so that we would no longer be worldly. That we could live as light in this world. For a little while you will not see me and you will mourn and you will weep because you will think that I am in the grave and then I will appear. And then you will understand Then you will graduate from seminary and you'll go, oh, that's what he was talking about. And I will go to be with the Heavenly Father and I will send the Holy Spirit. And then not only will you understand, he says to the eleven, what I am talking about, you will proclaim the good news to the world. Not only will you understand, but you will understand now what it meant when I said, it's good that I go, because if I go, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I'm coming back to bring you back. I do not leave you as orphans. I will send the comforter. I am sending, or I'm going to prepare mansions of glory for you, so that the same apostle John, who writes this, will write. Then one of the elders asked me, these in white robes, who are they? And where did they come from? And I answered, sir, You know, and he said, these are they who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of Jesus. Isn't that an amazing thing? How do you take something and wash them in blood and they come out white? Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him night and day in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger, never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will lead them to the springs of living water. And God will wipe every tear from their eye, filled with living water, yet no water will come from the eyes again. Jesus says, you ever seen a woman who's pregnant, and those labor pains come upon them? I said to an expectant mother who's expecting her first, I won't overdo the whole pain picture here, but it really, every woman in this place who's had a child knows what Jesus is talking about. I thought a little bit about it. It's kind of like for you men, if you've smashed your thumb with a hammer and the bleeding is under the nail, and you take that hot pin and you push it out and the blood spurts out and you're just like, There is this marvelous relief and joy. The pain is gone, but it doesn't compare to the picture of a woman. And every man who has seen his wife bear a child, how do you not love your wife more? And there she sits quiet with a child nestling at her breast. And you go, man, and that woman will have another baby. What a powerful picture. How that is, spiritually, it's going to be for you. The world meant it for evil, but I meant it for good. Your pain and your sorrow will be changed. We, by faith, know that Jesus Christ is alive. We, by faith, know that the mansions wait for us. We, by faith, know that we will overcome. We know that our mourning will be turned to joy. and that our sorrow will be turned to dancing. We know in whom we have believed when peace like a river attendeth my way. It is well. It is well with my soul. When sorrows like sea billows roll, my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought, not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. It is well. with my soul, and in time you will greatly rejoice. So now they're beginning to understand. Now they're beginning to see what Jesus Christ is talking about. There's clarity that's beginning to happen in that confusion. Jesus says to them, And in that day, you will ask me nothing. And most assuredly, I say to you that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. So verse 23 is talking about the kind of asking, the asking of a question that needs information, that needs the answer. And then the second part there, until now you have asked nothing, you have asked me for nothing, that is some thing. in my name, ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. You don't really understand it now, but you are going to understand it. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language, but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me." Now here we have that marvelous thing. Brothers, in this world you're going to have trials and struggles, but I'm going to tell you your trials and your sorrow will turn to joy. You're beginning to understand a little while, but not yet because they don't grasp the cross and the necessity of the cross. And for that reason, they're not asking. But there's another reason that they're not asking. They're not asking Jesus for an answer now, and they will ask him for what they need later because Jesus is standing in front of them. He hasn't gone back to the Father. So it's a little bit confusing, but now we can understand it. If I'm standing in front of you and you need to ask me a question, what do you do? You come and you ask me the question. That's what the 11 had been doing for three years with Jesus. There was no need for the comforter. There was no need for the mediation of Jesus the Christ as Jesus is the priest. You do not need me now because you can go directly to me. But when I go back to my father, you are going to understand why I went there because then you're going to pray. And the reason you can pray is not because I'm going to ask the Father so that you can pray, but the Father has done this because He already loves you and He wants you to pray. He has sent me to redeem you. He has sent me to restore you. He has sent me to apply the Word. Jesus is the Word of God to man. Jesus is a word of man to God God comes to man as God Jesus comes as man to God as God now God and men are joined in the word and what happens when you have a word communication You have discussion You see, you know what they have yet come to know which is prayer and When you need something, you ask. And the more we live in accordance with Jesus and his will, in his name, the more we will ask for those things for the kingdom of heaven, for the glory of God, for the name of God, that is not self-serving prayer, but God-glorifying prayer, and when we pray out of that, the answer will come, yes, my son. Yes, I will give you an opportunity to bring the gospel. Yes, I will give you an opportunity to eat your daily bread. Yes, I'm gonna forgive your sin. No, I will not lead you into temptation. Yes, you are going to overcome the evil one, for mine is the kingdom and the power and the glory and I give it to you because Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the prophet, priest, and king. Jesus is the mediator. In him we have access to God. and God makes himself known to us. They are going to pray to Almighty God, and now their joy will be taken to a deeper level. It will be, will sorry be full. I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world, and again I leave the world to go to the Father. And his disciples said to him, see, you are speaking plainly and using no figure of speech. And we are sure now that we know all things and have no need that anyone should question you. By this we believe that you came forth from God. So something is starting to happen. The sheep are starting to understand the shepherd. They're hearing the voice. They're starting to get it. You are the son of God. We don't ask questions because what questions would we answer you? We need to listen to you. Now you're speaking clearly. See, some think that maybe they're talking about the woman in the pain, and then childbirth, and then the vine and the branches, and this is my body, and this is my blood with the bread and the wine, but I don't think that's really what's going on. I think they're figuring out what the little while is about. And they think that Jesus Christ is gonna go through a difficult time and he will be glorified and they will share in his glory. So now they're going, oh, now we get it. Now we understand it. But by the power of the spirit, we realize with Jesus that they don't. I mean, what did Jesus just say to them? He said, these words, For the Father himself loves me and have believed, and I came forth from God, I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. I leave the world to go to the Father." His disciple says, see, now you are speaking plainly using no figure of speech. But what did he say in 25? These things I have spoken to you in figurative language now, but the time is coming when I speak, I will no longer speak to you in figurative language. I'm speaking to you in figurative language now. I will speak to you later in clear language, which will be the resurrection, which will become the coming of the Holy Spirit. So they're not really listening to Him. a little while, and you'll understand. But right now, you don't. You see, that's why they should be asking the questions, but they can't, because they don't really understand, because they need the Holy Spirit. The resurrection is amazing. And yet, without the Holy Spirit, none of us would believe it. The resurrection is awesome, but we need the ascension, so the Father and the Son will send the Holy Spirit, as we'll hear this afternoon. For without it, I would never know, and I would live in the darkness forever. You would live in the darkness forever. It's just figurative language when we look at the body, and the blood, the bread, and the wine. There's no possible way we're going to bear fruit without the Holy Spirit living in us in the way that He comes out of the Living One, vine and branches. There's no way we cry out, Hosanna, loud Hosanna, the Lord saves without the power of the Spirit. Jesus is the Christ, but they need yet to understand. And so Jesus then, and that's our last point, there will be peace and turmoil. Jesus said, do you now believe? Really, brothers? Do you think all of a sudden now you've got it? Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, now has come that you will be scattered. When the turmoil comes without the comforter, you're gonna abandon me. Nine of them are just gonna take off right after Judas Iscariot and the men come. Peter and John will lurk around the temple gates. Peter will deny Jesus three times and he'll run. And John will watch from a distance. We're reminded of those words of Isaiah. We all like sheep have gone astray. All of us is headed to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Jesus will and must die alone. No human being can help him, but these men have no clue that they will not be helpful. We have here then a quote that is applied from Zechariah 13, verse seven, which is alluded to here in John's text. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd. Jesus is at awake, O sword, against my shepherd. Against the man who is close to me, declares the Lord Almighty, strike the shepherd and his sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones. It's all coming to a head now. Zechariah sees, because he's speaking the word, and the word is God, and the word is flesh, and the word is gonna come true. Thus says the Lord, I'm gonna be struck. And even though I've spent this time comforting you, there is still tribulation you have to go through. Part of what they have to go through is their own betrayal. They have to go through their own abandonment. Peter is going to have to three times be restored by Jesus, and so you. All of us need to be healthfully aware of how sinful we are and how desperately we need Jesus Christ. that we too have abandoned, we have betrayed. Hopefully we will not, but we may. There's still forgiveness. There's still reconciliation. Jesus is an amazing, loving shepherd. He knows the sheep. He knows what needs to be done. Even though part of the excruciating sorrow and misery that he has to go through is the abandonment of these 11. He will still send them the counselor because in time they will understand. And as they go out into the world, when Jesus ascends and the Comforter goes, they will be, as we've said, hurt and hated and destroyed and thrown into prisons, persecuted, constantly harassed, lambasted, beat up and even killed. But we have peace when sorrows like sea billows roll. O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight. And when we're there in those mansions of glory, and we will say, it is well, it is well with my soul, needs to be our song now. That's what Jesus is telling the disciples. When the Spirit comes, you'll remember this. And he's saying to you, remember this. Where Jesus is saying, I know your plight on this earth. I know it's not easy. I know you struggle with your sin, and I know you struggle in a sinful world. Look at those people taken out of the tribulation. I remembered them and I called them home. And I will call you home too. Peace I give to you. Peace on earth. Glory to God in the highest. Hosanna. Hallelujah. How the angels sang. The church of Jesus Christ in the midst of trial and struggle, out of the peace that passes understanding, sings it as well. It is well with my soul. Let the world do its best. Jesus is alive. Let the devil do his best. Jesus is alive. Let the kingdom of darkness do its best. He's alive. God takes all of our sin and pours all of his wrath out upon that sin. Jesus is alive. Through the tribulation, he is the everlasting father. He is the prince of peace. And that's what the seminary training was about. That's what the encouragement was about. That Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life. That He is the vine, and you are the branches, and by the power of the Comforter you will bear fruit. But the world will hate that fruit and come after you, and in that you will bear even more fruit. Be at peace, O my soul, these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have, past tense, I have overcome the world. He's alive, he's the victor, he's in heaven, Lord of Lord and King of kings. You will go to be where he is. You share in the victory, not coming, The already victory. You live in the already. Jesus Christ is our Lord. He is the Christ. He is our peace. And the not yet. You have no idea of the glory that's waiting for you, beloved. The crown of glory. The robes of righteousness. A place of no more tears. A place of joy and thanksgiving. Ah. It is well. It is well with my soul. In this world, because of Jesus, we have peace. It is so. This is the Word of the Lord. Amen.