THE BIRTH PANGS OF JOY

Three words for weeping are used in John 16:20. Jesus said, "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." All three words were used for mourning the dead.

The first word for weeping is κλαυσετε. The word was used for expressing the intense emotion of deep sorrow at the death of a loved one. In the Old Testament, it generally indicated the act of wailing as a form of dependence on God instead of an expression of total despair. The second word for weeping is θρηνησετε. This word was used for a funeral dirge. The bewailing of death was often characterized in public by striking the chest and singing dirges in a loud voice. (NIDNTT, 2:416-420).

The first two words refer to outward expressions of grief, but the third word speaks of inner suffering (Bernard, John, 2:515). "You will be grieved," Jesus said. The word is λυπηθησεσθε. It is future passive meaning that something outside the person causes the inner grief. The only other time the word is used in John describes Peter's feelings when Jesus asked him after the resurrection if he loved Jesus. Peter was grieved (John 21:17).

There is a sharp contrast in the verse which an English translation cannot bring out effectively.  The "you" (υμεις) is emphatically placed at the end of the clause immediately adjacent to "the world" (ο κοσμος) beginning the next clause. The contrast between you who grieve and the world that rejoices intentionally intensifies the pain of grief for the believer. The joy of the world makes their tears more painful, but, of course, the story does not end with their tears and the world's joy.

Their tears will not merely be replaced with joy. The verb is γενησεται which means "to be or become." The very event - the cross - that causes their tears will become the event that brings them joy (Morris, John, p. 705). So today, the symbol of the cross - the source of sorrow - has become the symbol of faith - the source of hope.

The very same event can change pain to joy. Jesus uses the example of childbirth to illustrate the point (v. 21). Birth pangs had long been associated with the coming of the messianic figure in the Old Testament (Isaiah 26:17-18; 66:7-8; Hosea 13:13). Jesus is predicting the birth pangs of the Messianic Age.

Pain is often the precursor to joy in our lives.  Suffering on earth leads to the joy of heaven. Our tears at death are the birth pangs of our joy in life with Jesus forever.