Read John 16:7. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
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.
Reflections on the Word.
My granddaughter is graduating from high school in June. She has been accepted by Texas A&M. My daughter shared with me that she wanted her to be on her own. She wanted her daughter to experience living apart from Dad and Mom.
Separation isn’t easy. Saying good-bye to family members or good friends whether they or we have to relocate is hard. Life isn’t the same again. As parents, we know that our children can’t be living at home for their entire adulthood. They need to spread their wings and fly on their own. It’s for their good and our well-being as well.
Jesus declares that it is for the disciples good that He is going away. He says, “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.”
Certainly, in their hearts and mind, it was hard to understand that Jesus leaving them could be for their good. Jesus was literally and physically living them every day. He cared for them, protected them, taught them, mentored them and so much more. How can there be anything better than having Jesus physically with you? It may have appeared that Jesus is abandoning them or moving on, but Jesus has a greater good and gift for them. It is the Advocate or Comforter. He is the One who will not just be physically beside them, but in each of them all the days of their lives.
As followers of Christ, we believe that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Do we also believe that the Holy Spirit has come and is with us and in us or do we feel that we are all alone? The presence of the Advocate is not visible with our physical eyes, but it is seen with our spiritual eyes. Jesus is giving them the blessed gift of the Holy Spirit. Do you truly believe that He is with you and even in you!
The ascension of Jesus into heaven brings the Advocate from heaven to you. What a privilege and honor to know that the Holy Spirit is with you and me. He will never leave us or forsake us. While we may feel lonely, we are never alone. He is right beside us and is within us.
-Kingston