FENTON, MI – My wife shared a verse from her devotional time that spoke to her heart and subsequently, mine. She quoted the words of Jesus in John 16:16. He says, “a little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” Jesus is talking about his crucifixion. The reason they wouldn’t see him is because he would soon be dead. He is going to be executed on a cross for our sins and His death will turn their world upside down.
The three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection were agonizing for the disciples. It was a time of crushing sorrow. They spent three days living in fear and condemnation. They tortured themselves as they went over and over all the possible, “If only’s” They were living in the land of “would of, could of, should of” but it didn’t change anything. They blamed themselves, each other, the Jewish leaders, and the Roman Government for what happened. Life was instantly defined by a new reality - Jesus was dead!
We look back from the perspective of history and we understand that it was only “a little while” and they saw Jesus again. Their sorrow was turned to joy because of the resurrection. The resurrection changed everything, but those days when they couldn’t see Jesus were some of the most difficult days of their lives. Someone has aptly said, “A little while doesn’t feel like a little while when you can’t see Jesus.”
The disciples weren't the only ones who experience life's “little whiles." You and I go through "Little Whiles" in life. Little whiles are times when we struggle. Times when we are going through things are difficult or confusing. We experience things that are painful emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The reality is that no one gets through life without getting hurt - not even Jesus! Jesus faced the pain, the cruelty, the injustice of the cross, and he died.
But DEATH COULD NOT KEEP HIM!
Life changed instantly for the disciples Easter Sunday. “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’"(John 20:19).
Jesus stands in their midst. They see Him and it changes everything. His resurrection fills their lives with hope and gives them reason to rejoice. Seeing the living Jesus changes everything. They move from one “little while” to another when they see Jesus. Seeing Jesus still does that today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Durbin is the State Evangelism Director for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before joining the state convention staff, Mike served as Church Planting Catalyst and Director of Missions in Metro Detroit since 2007. He also has served as a pastor and bi-vocational pastor in Michigan, as well as International Missionary to Brazil.