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.
Jesus spoke these words to his closest followers — twelve men who had walked with him for three years — on the night before his arrest and crucifixion. He was preparing them for what was coming: his death would plunge them into grief and confusion while the religious and political leaders who opposed him felt victorious. The "world" here refers to those who stood against Jesus, not to all people generally. But Jesus also promised a reversal — the resurrection was coming, and their grief would not stay grief. It would be transformed into a deep, lasting joy that nothing could take away.
Jesus, You didn't look away from grief — You walked straight into it. Help me trust Your promise that my sorrow won't have the final word. Hold me in the weeping and meet me on the other side, when the joy You promised finally breaks through. Amen.
Have you ever watched someone else celebrate while you were quietly falling apart? Jesus didn't soften this moment for his disciples. He said plainly: "You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices." And they did — they hid in locked rooms while the people who'd orchestrated Jesus's death went home feeling satisfied. Jesus knew it was coming, and He didn't offer a silver lining in the moment. He let the grief be real. What He offered was a promise about what comes after the grief — not instead of it. The word He used for grief turning to joy isn't about denial. It's about transformation: the very event that caused the weeping becomes the source of the joy. Your grief isn't a detour around something good. Sometimes it's the road that leads there. If you're somewhere where others seem to be winning while you're losing, Jesus is not looking away. And He is not asking you to pretend.
Why do you think Jesus told his disciples what was coming rather than keeping them in the dark? What does that tell you about how He relates to people He loves?
Can you think of a time when something you genuinely grieved eventually became a source of unexpected joy? What did that process actually look like?
This verse suggests that believers and the world sometimes experience the same events in completely opposite ways. Does that ring true to you — and does it ever feel isolating?
How can you sit with someone who is grieving without rushing them toward the "joy is coming" part of this promise? What does that patience look like in practice?
Is there a grief in your life right now that you've been trying to skip past or manage quickly? What would it look like to hold it honestly before God this week?
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Psalms 126:5
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Isaiah 61:3
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
James 1:2
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:14
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecclesiastes 3:4
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Psalms 30:5
I assure you and most solemnly say to you, that you will weep and grieve [in great mourning], but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
AMP
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
ESV
'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.
NASB
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
NIV
Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
NKJV
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.
NLT
Then fix this firmly in your minds: You're going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You'll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.
MSG