John 16:1-7 – Going Away
Jesus knows that His disciples are crushed at the idea of His leaving them. But He tells them that His going, hard though it may seem at the time, is actually for their good. They will find that it is not a loss but a gain.
If Christ had not died, risen again, and ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit could not have come down with special power and given His many gifts to the Church. The presence of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sends, will fill every place where believers are assembled in His name, in every part of the world.
If Christ had remained on earth and not gone up into heaven, He could not have become a High Priest for His people in the same full and perfect way that He became after His ascension. He went away to sit down at the right hand of God, and to appear for us, in our human nature glorified, as our Advocate with the Father.
Finally, if Christ had always remained bodily with His disciples, it would not have called out as much faith and hope and trust in them as it did when He went away. They would have had less opportunity of glorifying God and showing His power in the world.
After the Lord Jesus went away, and the Comforter came down, the faith of the disciples became a new thing altogether. The growth of their knowledge, and hope, and zeal, and courage is so remarkable that they are twice the men they were before. They do far more for Christ when He is absent, than they ever do when He is present. It is not the bodily presence of Christ in our midst but the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that makes us a Christian
Questions
- What were the advantages of Jesus going away?
- What makes us a Christian?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.