The woman giving birth
The figurative speech of the woman giving birth is a parable of Jesus . It is part of Jesus' farewell speech , which is handed down in chapters 13-17 of the Gospel according to John .
Context and content
In response to Jesus' announcement that they will only see him a little while longer and will then see him again after a short while (v. 16), his disciples wonder what that means. Jesus replies that they will " weep and lament ". However, your sadness should be turned into joy. To explain this in more detail, Jesus then relates the figurative word of the woman giving birth:
“A woman, when she gives birth, is in pain because her hour has come. But when she has given birth to the child, she no longer thinks about fear for the sake of the joy that a person has been born. "
Analogous to this, the disciples are now sad, but they will see him again and “their hearts should rejoice, and nobody should take their joy from them ”. This is followed by a promise that the Father will answer the requests of the disciples in the name of Christ.
Explanations
The biblical section to which the figurative word belongs is about the leaving and coming of Jesus. The former, “ not seeing ”, refers to the death of Jesus on the cross . The latter, the “ then you will see me ”, relates to the final coming of Christ at the end of time , which is already shimmering through the appearance of the risen One in this world. Jesus 'remarks do not answer the disciples' question directly. By assuring that their sadness should be transformed into joy, however , he interprets the situation and thereby dampens the fear of the disciples, because in the end there will be great joy. This is illustrated by the image of the woman giving birth, who has to endure pain and fear, but in the end experiences great joy about the newborn child.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stuttgart Explanatory Bible. ISBN 3-438-01121-2 , 2nd edition 1992, German Bible Society Stuttgart, p. 1361