A little while, and you shall not see me: and again, a little while, and you shall see me, because I go to the Father.
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Alcuin of York
AD 804
Or thus, It will be a little time during which you will not see Me, i.e. the three days that He rested in the grave; and again, it will be a little time during which you shall see Me,i.e. the forty days of His appearance amongst them, from His Passion to His ascension. And you shall see Me for that little time only, Because I go to the Father; for I am not going to stay always in the body here, but, by that humanity which I have assumed, to ascend to heaven. It follows: Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask Him, and said to them, Do you enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again, alittle while, and you shall see Me? Verily, verily, I say to you, That you shall weep and lament. Their merciful Master, understanding their ignorance and doubts, replied so as to explain what He had said.
But this speech of our Lord’s isapplicable to all believers who strive through present tears and afflictions to attain to the joys eternal. While th...
1. These words of the Lord, when He says, A little while, and you shall no more see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me; because I go to the Father, were so obscure to the disciples, before what He thus says was actually fulfilled, that they inquired among themselves what it was that He said, and had to confess themselves utterly ignorant. For the Gospel proceeds, Then said some of His disciples among themselves, What is this that He says unto us, A little while, and you shall not see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me; and, Because I go to the Father? They said therefore, What is this that He says, A little while? We know not what He says. This is what moved them, that He said, A little while, and you shall not see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me. For in what precedes, because He had not said, A little while, but only, I go to the Father and you shall see me no more, He appeared to them to have spoken, as it were, quite plainly, and th...
The meaning of these words however was obscure, before their fulfillment; Then said some of His disciples among themselves, What is this that He said to us, A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again, a little while, and you shall see Me; and, Because I go to the Father? .
For above, because He did not say, A little while, but simply, I go to the Father, He seemed to speak plainly. But what to the m was obscure at the time, but by and by manifested, is manifest to us. For in a little while He suffered, and they did not see Him; and again, in a little while He rose again, and they saw Him. He says, And you shall see Me no more; for the mortal Christ they saw no more.
Which must be understood thus: viz. that the disciples sorrowed at their Lord’s death, and then immediately rejoiced at His resurrection. The world(i.e. the enemies of Christ, who put Him to death) rejoiced just when the disciples sorrowed,i.e. at His death: You shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; ...
He said, A little while, and you shall not see Me alluding to His going tobe taken that night by the Jews, His crucifixion the next morning, and burial in the evening, which withdrew Him from all human sight.
Nor should it appear strange, ifone who departs from this life is said to be born. For as a man is said to be born when he comes out of his mother’s womb into the light of day, so may he be said to be born who from out of the prison of the body, is raised to the light eternal. Whence the festivals of the saints, which are the days on which they died, are called their birthdays.
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. For in a few hours I shall die on the cross, and be buried, but in three days I shall rise again, and manifest Myself to you with great joy, for I shall shortly afterwards ascend into heaven, and sit at the right hand of the Father. For I shall not be detained by death, but shall conquer it in My own Person, and with you overcome it also. So S. Chrysostom, Cyril, Leontius, Theophylact, Euthymius, &c, S. Augustine, Bede, and Maldonatus explain it otherwise. I shall abide with you for forty days only, and then after My ascension ye will see Me no more, then after another "little time," ye will see Me again, in the day of judgment, and the general resurrection, when I shall take you both in body and soul into heaven with Myself, I will bless and glorify you. For I go to My Father, to reign with Him in glory until that time. And this whole period, though one of many thousand...
After having first said that He would reveal to them by His Spirit everything that was necessary and essential for them to know, He discourses to them of His Passion, nigh unto which was His Ascension into heaven, rendering the coming of the Spirit very necessary; for it was no longer possible for Him, after He had gone up to the Father, to hold converse in the flesh with His holy Apostles. And He makes His discourse with the greatest caution, thereby robbing their sorrow of its sting; for well He knew that great fear would once more reign in their hearts, and that they would be consumed with an agony of grief, expecting to be overwhelmed by terrible and unendurable evils, when their bereavement should come to pass and the Saviour ascend to the Father. For this cause, I think, He does not tell them that He would die----the madness of the Jews requiring even His life of Him----but keeps this secret. Rather in His great consideration for them He greatly softens the rigour of His discours...
A little while, and now you shall not see me Many expound these words in this manner: that after a little while, you shall not see me, because even to-morrow, I shall be taken from you by death: and again, after a little while, you shall see me, because the third day I shall rise again, and converse with you, till my ascension. St. Augustine gives another interpretation, (tract. 101.) that by the first little while, may be understood, the short time till Christ's ascension, and by the latter little while, the short time that the apostles were to live in this world; after which they should see, and enjoy Christ for ever in the kingdom of heaven. And this exposition seems to agree better with the following promise. (Witham)
In a few hours, I shall be separated from you, to be delivered up to my enemies, and put to the cruel death of the cross; and after a short time, I shall rise again; then you shall see me in my new state of glory. St. Chrysostom, both Sts. Cyrils, Theophylactus, Euth...
1. Nothing is wont so to cast down the soul that is anguished and possessed by deep despondency, as when words which cause pain are continually dwelt upon. Why then did Christ, after saying, I go, and, Hereafter I will not speak with you, continually dwell on the same subject, saying, A little while, and you shall not see Me, because I go to Him that sent Me? When He had recovered them by His words concerning the Spirit, He again casts down their courage. Wherefore does He this? He tests their feelings, and renders them more proved, and well accustoms them by hearing sad things, manfully to bear separation from Him; for they who had practiced this when spoken of in words, were likely in actions also, easily to bear it afterwards. And if one enquire closely, this very thing is a consolation, the saying that, I go to the Father. For it is the expression of One, who declares that He shall not perish, but that His end is a kind of translation. He adds too another consolation; for He says...
Our Lord after having relieved the spirits of the disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit, again depresses them: A little while, and you shall not see Me. He does this to accustom them to the mention of His departure, in order that they may bear it well, when it does come. For nothing so quiets the troubled mind, as the continued recurrence to the subject of its grief.
But then, if one examines, these are words of consolation: Because I go to the Father. For they show that His death was only atranslation; and more consolation follows: And again, a little while, and you shall see Me: an intimation this that He would return and, after a short separation, come and live with them forever.
Either sorrow had confused their minds, or the obscurity of the words themselves prevented their understanding them, and made them appear contradictory. If we shall see Thee, they say, how do You go? If you go, how shall we see you? What is this that He said to us, A little while? We cannot tell what ...
