But the question arises, Where are the limits of these times of which
the Lord speaks? Now it is quite clear, I suppose, that the first of
the 'little whiles' is the few hours that intervened between His
speaking and the Cross. And it is equally clear that His death and
burial began, at all events, the period during which they were not to
see Him. But where does the second period begin, during which they
are to see Him? Is it at His resurrection or at His ascension, when
the process of 'going to the Father' was completed in all its stages;
or at Pentecost, when the Spirit, by whose ministration He was to be
made visible, was poured out? The answer is, perhaps, not to be
restricted to any one of these periods; but I think if we consider
that all disciples, in all ages, have a portion in all the rest of
these great discourses, and if we note the absence of any hint that
the promised seeing of Christ was ever to terminate, and if we mark
the diversity of words under which the two manners of vision are
described, and, above all, if we note the close connection of these
words with those which precede, we shall come to the conclusion that
the full realisation of this great promise of a visible Christ did
not begin until that time when the Spirit, poured out, opened the
eyes of His servants, and 'they saw His glory.' But however we settle
the minor question of the chronology of these periods, the great
truth shines out here that, through all the stretch of the ages, true
hearts may truly see the true Christ.

If we might venture to suppose that in our text the second of the
periods to which He refers, when they did not see Him, was not
coterminous with, but preceded, the second 'little while,' all would
be clear. Then the first 'little while' would be the few hours before
the Cross. 'Ye shall not see Me' would refer to the days in which He