John 16:22 — Community Reflections

JOHN 16:22 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”

So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you — the promise moves from simile to direct address: the disciples will suffer now, but Jesus will return in resurrection appearances. The joy that flows from seeing the risen Lord is not dependent on external circumstance; it cannot be taken away because it rests not on the world's favor but on Christ's presence. This joy is eschatological: it anticipates the final reunion and participates in resurrection life already.

Church Fathers on John 16:22

Our Lord after having relieved the spirits of the disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit, again depresses them: A little while, and you shall not see Me. He does this to accustom them to the mention of His departure, in order that they may bear it well, when it does come. For nothing so quiets the troubled mind, as the continued recurrence to the subject of its grief.
Chrysostom · 4th century

He said, A little while, and you shall not see Me alluding to His going to be taken that night by the Jews, His crucifixion the next morning, and burial in the evening, which withdrew Him from all human sight.
Bede · 8th century

The meaning of these words however was obscure, before their fulfillment; Then said some of His disciples among themselves, What is this that He said to us, A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again, a little while, and you shall see Me; and, Because I go to the Father?
Augustine · 4th century

Read all 19 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

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