Wednesday, May 25, 2022

John 16:7 (It's for Our Good that Jesus Left)

John 16:7
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

Jesus is no longer on earth. The greatest man who walked streets, made friends and was wise beyond measure is not on earth today. If Jesus were simply another well known historical figure, then Him not being here would be no more sad than the absence of other great historical figures (we wish they were alive today to witness and appreciate their work first-hand, but no one lives forever). Jesus, though, was more than just a man, because He was God in flesh; He was the Lord of all walking the earth in a physical body. God can't die, so it would seem that Jesus should still be here. His disciples were in grief, when He told them He was leaving (John 16:6). He said He considered everyone who followed Him His friend (John 15:15). It doesn't seem right that Jesus would go away from all His friends. What's more, Jesus' name Immanuel prophesied that He would be "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). So, how come "God with us" is no longer, well, with us?

Jesus' teaching provides several reasons why it is good that He is no longer physically here on earth. One of the reasons Jesus left was to prepare a heavenly place for all who follow Him. He says to His followers, "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am," (John 14:2-3). If Jesus doesn't leave earth and go to His father's house, then He'll never be able to say to those who love Him, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world," (Matthew 25:34). Jesus is indeed in heaven at His Father's side, for one of His followers looked up to heaven and "saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God," (Acts 7:55). Since we know Jesus is at His Father's house, then we know that one day everyone who follows Him will be where He is.

Jesus also said He needed to leave, so that we who follow Him could have the Holy Spirit. He tells His disciples, "it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you," and the Advocate is the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). There are many good things the Holy Spirit does on earth. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit's coming shows the world that it is wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11). The Holy Spirit has the power to do this, because He is the Spirit of truth who guides us into all the truth, and He does not speak on His own behalf (John 16:13). Jesus says the Holy Spirit speaks for His sake, when He says, "He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you," (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit's coming is to give glory and honor to Jesus, and in this way Jesus' leaving earth serves to elevate His goodness. True to Jesus' word, the Holy Spirit did come after Jesus left the earth (Acts 2:4), and His coming made many people followers of Jesus (Acts 2:41) all for His glory.
Peter preached "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," (Acts 2:38).
In addition to this Jesus' departure from earth is for our blessing. During Jesus' remaining days on earth, He said to His apostles, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed," (John 20:29). Because Jesus is somewhere people on earth can no longer see Him (John 16:10), those who believe in Him having never physically seen Him are blessed. This means that every follower of Jesus who lived after Jesus left earth is blessed in a way even the apostles were not (apostles here referring to someone who saw Jesus and was directly called by Him to be His witness). All this is only possible, since Jesus has gone where we can no longer see Him.

There's nowhere anyone on earth can go to see Jesus in flesh, for He says "if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There He is!’ do not believe it," (Matthew 24:23). Jesus' body is not on earth anymore, and He does not appear physically today. Paul wrote, as an apostle, he was the last person to whom Jesus physically appeared on earth (1 Corinthians 15:8). The angels said to those looking for Jesus' body, "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said," (Matthew 28:6). Indeed, Jesus has risen and ascended from the earth up into heaven, for in front of witnesses "He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight," (Acts 1:9). Sometimes we want to keep looking for Jesus on earth or we want to wait until He comes back. To those who thought the same thing when they saw Him taken up, angels said to them, "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” We need to stop looking up or around for Jesus, because He's not on earth anymore.

We need to remember Jesus' last words to His disciples before He ascended, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth," (Acts 1:8). We are not to look for Jesus physically on earth, but are instead to guide others on earth to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus commands all who follow Him, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” (Matthew 28:19-20).
A depiction of Jesus' ascension
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