John
16:5-11
Jesus said to his disciples, “But now I am going away to the one who sent me; and none of you seems interested in the purpose of my going; none wonders why. Instead you are only filled with sorrow. But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don’t, the Comforter won’t come. If I do, he will—for I will send him to you.
“And when he has come he will convince the world of its sin, and of the availability of God’s goodness, and of deliverance from judgment. The world’s sin is unbelief in me; there is righteousness available because I go to the Father and you shall see me no more; there is deliverance from judgment because the prince of this world has already been judged."
Food for Thought!
We are in the last moments of Jesus with his disciples. Jesus is budding them farewell, just before he was taken captive by his enemies. He says, "it is best for you that I go away." He is talking of his death. It is as if he said, "it is good that I die." What does he mean by this? It means that as long as he was physically present, Jesus was limited in time and space, because he was still in the body. When and if he dies, Jesus will be free; he will be living in the spirit. The spirit is no longer bound by space and time. So you see why it is good that the physical Jesus goes away.
So Jesus is basically telling His disciples, “Yes, I was with you for three and a half years, but it is better that I leave you and the Holy Spirit comes to you.” When the disciples heard that two thousand years ago, I’m sure it was hard for them to grasp. How could it be better to trade a human Jesus—a man they could talk and eat and laugh with—for a Spirit they couldn’t physically see? Thousands of years later, I think most of us would also choose a physical Jesus over an invisible Spirit. But what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it is better for His followers to have the Holy Spirit?
Think about it. Upon foretelling His death, Jesus comforts the disciples by telling them that “another Counselor”is coming (John 14:16). Jesus gave the disciples the ultimate reassurance: ANOTHER Comforter would come. Jesus said that the Father would give the disciples “ANOTHER Counselor to be with them forever”(14:16). In this case, the word ANOTHER means ANOTHER that is just like the first (as opposed to another that is of a different sort or kind). So Jesus was saying that the One who would come would be just like Him; that would lead us just like Jesus has lead us. This means that the Holy Spirit is a Person, just as Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not a "thing". The Holy Spirit is a Person who has personal relationships with us just as Jesus does.
Take a moment and ask yourself this question: When was the last time I undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around me? If it was recently, consider taking a few minutes to reflect on what the Spirit of God did and how you saw Him at work. Thank God for His active presence in your life, and praise Him for the way He is leading you even now as you lead this meditation. If you are having trouble recounting a time when the Spirit was at work in or around you, perhaps that is because you have been ignoring the Spirit. Perhaps it is because you have a lot of head knowledge about the Spirit, but not much of a relationship with Him. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that that is true.
Jesus said to his disciples, “But now I am going away to the one who sent me; and none of you seems interested in the purpose of my going; none wonders why. Instead you are only filled with sorrow. But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don’t, the Comforter won’t come. If I do, he will—for I will send him to you.
“And when he has come he will convince the world of its sin, and of the availability of God’s goodness, and of deliverance from judgment. The world’s sin is unbelief in me; there is righteousness available because I go to the Father and you shall see me no more; there is deliverance from judgment because the prince of this world has already been judged."
Food for Thought!
We are in the last moments of Jesus with his disciples. Jesus is budding them farewell, just before he was taken captive by his enemies. He says, "it is best for you that I go away." He is talking of his death. It is as if he said, "it is good that I die." What does he mean by this? It means that as long as he was physically present, Jesus was limited in time and space, because he was still in the body. When and if he dies, Jesus will be free; he will be living in the spirit. The spirit is no longer bound by space and time. So you see why it is good that the physical Jesus goes away.
So Jesus is basically telling His disciples, “Yes, I was with you for three and a half years, but it is better that I leave you and the Holy Spirit comes to you.” When the disciples heard that two thousand years ago, I’m sure it was hard for them to grasp. How could it be better to trade a human Jesus—a man they could talk and eat and laugh with—for a Spirit they couldn’t physically see? Thousands of years later, I think most of us would also choose a physical Jesus over an invisible Spirit. But what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it is better for His followers to have the Holy Spirit?
Think about it. Upon foretelling His death, Jesus comforts the disciples by telling them that “another Counselor”is coming (John 14:16). Jesus gave the disciples the ultimate reassurance: ANOTHER Comforter would come. Jesus said that the Father would give the disciples “ANOTHER Counselor to be with them forever”(14:16). In this case, the word ANOTHER means ANOTHER that is just like the first (as opposed to another that is of a different sort or kind). So Jesus was saying that the One who would come would be just like Him; that would lead us just like Jesus has lead us. This means that the Holy Spirit is a Person, just as Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not a "thing". The Holy Spirit is a Person who has personal relationships with us just as Jesus does.
Take a moment and ask yourself this question: When was the last time I undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around me? If it was recently, consider taking a few minutes to reflect on what the Spirit of God did and how you saw Him at work. Thank God for His active presence in your life, and praise Him for the way He is leading you even now as you lead this meditation. If you are having trouble recounting a time when the Spirit was at work in or around you, perhaps that is because you have been ignoring the Spirit. Perhaps it is because you have a lot of head knowledge about the Spirit, but not much of a relationship with Him. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that that is true.
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