The sojourn of the Son of God on earth was very short, and His public ministry only occupied about three and a half years, and as the end approached He spoke of the "little while" that remained, both to His enemies and to His disciples. When the Pharisees and chief priests sent their officers to take Him, He "said unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto Him that sent Me." These words were spoken in Jerusalem, at the feast of Tabernacles, and within six months they were fulfilled: the True Passover Lamb was slain; the Son returned to the Father who sent Him.
Israel had rejected the Son of God, and soon He would depart, and His departure would mean that Israel would look in vain for their Messiah with all the promised blessings for the nation. His going to the Father involved His leaving the world, but the Lord does not here speak of the manner of His leaving, and of the awful guilt in which the nation would be involved by His death. But He tells them that where He was going they could not come. His going was an act of His own will; it was also a commandment from the Father; and it was impossible for the Jews or the officers to take Him till the predetermined hour of His departure had come.
The promised blessings to Israel were earthly, and they will yet be fulfilled under the new covenant, but having refused the Christ the nation must wait for its blessings till the counsels of God in relation to the death and resurrection of Christ were unfolded, and the Gentiles brought into heavenly blessings in relationship with Christ in the new place He would take as Man in heaven. The thoughts of the Jews could not take in a glorified Christ in heaven; all they can think of is Jesus, rejected by them, going to the dispersion of Israel to teach the Gentiles. He would indeed teach the Gentiles in sending His servants; teaching them the things that Israel had refused, and opening up to them the wonderful secrets of the eternal counsels of God.
Again, in His closing words to Israel, the Lord speaks of a "little while," saying, "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you … while ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the sons of light" (John 12:35-36). The True Light, coming into the world, had shone for every man, but its departure was impending; in a few days the light would be gone from the world, and darkness would overtake all who refused Him. As the True Light He would shine for those who believed in Him, but only faith could discern the light shining, not now on earth, but in the face of the Son of God in heaven. And those who believed on the Son would become sons of light, having the life and nature of Him in whom they had believed.
After Judas had gone out from the company of the Lord and His disciples, Jesus spoke of the glory connected with His death. God would be glorified as never before, and the moral glory of the Son of Man would shine in all the perfection of His obedience and meek submission to the will of God; and this would be followed by His being glorified as Man in the presence of God. Then the Lord said, "Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews. Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you" (John 13:33).
The Jews could not follow Him into the presence of the Father: His own could not follow Him into death. Simon Peter was perplexed, and said, "Lord, whither goest Thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me after-wards." Poor Simon had to learn through bitter experience that none could follow the Lord at that time into His place of suffering and abandonment that was necessary for the blessing of His own. In wondrous grace, the Lord added, "but thou shalt follow me afterwards." Peter was indeed honoured to follow his Master into martyrdom, and into heaven; but none could share in the peculiar sufferings that belonged to the Lord in the great work of atonement.
Not only would the Jews not be able to come where the Lord went, but they would no longer see Him. It was different with His disciples: the day would come when they would follow Him into the Father's House, and because they would receive the Holy Spirit, He could say, "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me" (John 14:19). During the time of His absence in the Father's presence His own can see Him, even as the writer to the Hebrews says, "We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour" (Heb. 2:9). In the little while of which the Lord speaks here the world only saw Him in rejection and dishonour, but after that little while He entered into His glory, where His loved ones gaze upon Him with deepest pleasure and joy. And this is because the Lord could add, "Because I live, ye shall live also." As living in His life we are able to look into heaven and see that which is invisible to those who have not been quickened by the Son of God.
At the close of chapter 14 the Lord rises up, and is on the way to Gethsemane, so that the words of John 15 – 17 were spoken on the way to the Garden. In John 16:16 the Lord says, "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me." The perplexed disciples, not understanding the meaning of these words, and being desirous of asking the Lord for their meaning, He explains: "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" (John 16:20).
The first little while covered the few hours that He would still be with them; the second little while the few days of His absence. It would be but a little while and He would be delivered up to the Gentiles, and the disciples would not see Him. During the little while of His absence, the second little while He spoke of, His own would be sorrowful as having lost the One who had made Himself indispensable to them; but the world would rejoice as having rid themselves of One who had exposed their evil hearts, and foretold their judgment.
On leaving the world the Son would go to the Father, and this would seem to indicate that the "little while" of His absence covered both the period of His lying in death, and also the present session on high in the Father's House, where He is preparing a place for His own. The absence of the Lord had its peculiar sorrow for those who had companied with Him on earth, as had His coming to them in resurrection its peculiar joy; but the time of the Lord's absence now is a time of sorrow for those who love Him; but how great will be our joy when we see Him face to face at His coming.
The world which last saw Jesus on the cross still rejoices in His absence: it no more desires Him today than when He was on earth; but after the "little while" is over the joy of His own will be complete, a joy that none will be able to take from us. In the time of His absence we have indeed His joy, even as said to His own, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11).
"A little while" — the Lord shall come.
And we shall wander here no more;
He'll take us to His Father's home,
Where He for us is gone before,
To dwell with Him, to see His face,
And sing the glories of His grace.