A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
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.
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Second Corinthians is practically a treatise on the necessary sorrow that Christians must inflict on each other as they admonish and correct sin. Paul does not desire to make another painful visit (2:1), nor was his purpose ever just to bring sorrow (2:4). Instead his goal was godly grief, the sort that produces repentance, salvation, zeal, and finally Paul’s own comfort and joy (7:8-13). Hebrews teaches that the Father’s disciplining of His own sons indeed yields the fruit of repentance even though painful at the time (12:11). Peter makes a similar statement (1 Pet 1:6), that our rejoicing is in our imperishable inheritance, even though its genuineness is tested by various trials for a short time. We shall be approved if we suffer unjustly (2:19, 20). So the inheritance of comfort enables us to sorrow with hope.
