“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me”. John 15 vs 26
Saying Goodbye is never easy, particularly when you don’t know when you will see the other person again. That is why our final words are always so important. Jesus understood this full well and He takes such time and care to prepare his disciples in his final days on earth for what lay ahead. You see Jesus can see into the future. In fact, He lives outside of time and can see the beginning to the end. He understood what the disciples would have to face and he knows everything that you will go through. That is why it is so important that we take time to study these final words and comprehend all that Jesus promised to his followers at that time and now for us today.
Even though Jesus was going away, He was not leaving his disciples alone. He actually explained to his disciples that it would be better for them if He went away. This would have been very confusing for the disciples to get their heads around. The person they had laid down their lives for was leaving and He was telling them it would work out better that way. At this moment in time the disciples were consumed with fear and grief in the face of such uncertainty and were afraid to even acknowledge their relationship with him in case it lead to suffering and even death. Jesus knew what the disciples needed. He knew the persecution and suffering that would follow on account of believing in Him but he also knew who would give them the strength not just to endure but to overcome. Jesus saw into the future to the time when they would be declaring from the rooftops who He was and how He had come to save all people.
So what happened that transformed these feeble men into bold witnesses for the Lord?
“I’m going to give you another Helper, who will be with you forever,” John 14:16 Let’s examine these words, “another”, “allos,” can be translated “of the same kind, exactly like Myself”. Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to empower his disciples to bear witness to who He was and what He had done to rescue the world. In today's verses he is described as the “comforter”. This is the Greek word ‘parakietus’ it literally means the one who comes alongside to help. Can you see how Jesus had no intentions of ever leaving us to fend for ourselves. We were never designed to make it through life alone. Jesus knew the disciples would need the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to face the opposition the world would bring. As believers today we face trials, hostility and at times persecution but we are not supposed to face these things in our own strength. We have been equipped by Jesus through his Holy Spirit. Therefore when pressure comes and we find ourselves “pressed from all sides” we don’t need to panic and wonder if Jesus even knows or cares about what we are going through. We hold on to his words.
Everything that the Holy Spirit does is consistent with the nature of Jesus and He comes alongside us today. We don’t have to search for Him because Jesus promises “ You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 15: 17
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020