WRITTEN BY WARREN SAGER
Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples.
JESUS
In a little while, you will no longer see Me; and then again in a little while, you will see Me.
PETER
(Speaking to those around him)
What is this that he is telling us? In a little while we won’t see him but then in a little while we will see him?
ANDREW
I don’t understand it either. And earlier he said “because I go to the Father.”
JOHN
Peter… Andrew… be quiet and listen!
PETER
Alright, John, but do you understand? Do you know what he means by “in a little while”?
ANDREW
Yes… do you understand what he is talking about?
JOHN
Perhaps we should just ask him.
JESUS
Are you wondering about this, that I said, ‘In a little while, and you will not see Me, and again in a little while, and you will see Me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.
PETER
Now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. I think I understand it better.
JOHN
Lord, we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.
JESUS
Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
PETER
Lord… we will always follow You. We would never leave You alone. You know we have left everything behind to follow You.
JESUS
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
JOHN
When will that be? When the Son of Man comes?
ANDREW
Tell us, Lord. Are there signs?
JESUS
The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.
ANDREW
Where, Lord?
JESUS
Where the body is, there the vultures will gather.
LIGHTS OUT.