At the pearly gates, a taxi driver and priest are waiting in line to get into heaven. St. Peter consults his list and says to the taxi driver, “Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

St. Peter next greets the priest saying, “Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

“Just a minute,” says the priest. “That man was a taxi driver, and he gets a silken robe and golden staff while I get a cotton robe and wooden staff. How can this be?” 

“Up here, we work by results,” says St. Peter. “While you preached, people slept; while he drove, people prayed.”

"When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions."  (John 16:23)

This is a curious and powerful phrase.  Think about it.  Jesus is promising us that when we get to heaven we will not ask him any questions.

People often say “When I get to heaven I’m going to ask Jesus…” and then fill in the blank with some theological or practical question that has been bothering them. 

Trivial: Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?

Serious:  Why do good people suffer?

Or more personally: why did some particular event occur in my life?

But Jesus says that we will not ask him any questions.

Why?  Because everything will make sense.  Arriving in Heaven is not going to be having a brief conversation with St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, and then walking in to heaven to see what it’s all about.  It’s not going to be like all those Pearly Gates jokes.

It is going to be an overwhelming and deeply satisfying experience of:

“Oh!  I understand!  It all makes sense now!”

I personally believe that the more suffering and difficulty a person has here on Earth, if it is endured with patience and faith, will lead to greater glory in heaven.

I did some prison ministry in California.  I met a couple times a week with a woman there who had the saddest story I’ve ever heard.  Her family was abusive, her, her minister bitter and cruel, her business went bankrupt, and she had a persistent inflammation of her knee that made walking very painful.

One day, after meeting with her, I was overcome by how fortunate I am and how unfortunate she was.  I was sitting in my car after leaving our appointment and I asked God how this makes sense.  It all seemed so unfair.  In my prayer I got the reply, “Wait until you see what I am accomplishing in her!  In heaven her radiance will astonish you!”  I believe this is true.

Jesus promises us:  When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.

Because everything will make sense.