© Eric M. Schumacher – Preached January 31, 2010 at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
In our home, we have a daily ritual—wrestling on the living room floor. Typically, the boys and I wrestle after supper, occasionally after breakfast. When it is time for me to go to work in the morning or to head to a meeting in the evening, I’ll tell the boys, “Okay, it’s time for Daddy to go.” (Or, I might leave the room and return to say goodbye with my coat on.) One of our boys will sometimes ask, “Dad, where are you going?"
“Dad, where are you going?” is not a question; it’s a statement, better ended with an exclamation point than a question mark. And, it is not just a statement, but a statement of protest. Furthermore, it is a protest of self-interest. They don’t want me to leave, because it means that our time of wrestling together must end.
But, imagine I answered their protest this way: “I’m going away to fill the van with gas and pack it with our luggage, because we’re going to Minneapolis for a vacation, to spend a week of vacation, going to an amusement park, a zoo, and lots of other fun places!” Suddenly, their perspective on my departure changes. Now, it is a joyful thing that I go to prepare for our vacation.
Something like that has been going on in Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse.” And, in these verses Jesus gets to heart of why their depression over his departure is wrongheaded.
Jesus’ departure is advantageous for his disciples, for it will result in the sending of the Holy Spirit.
4b – Because I was with you…Jesus has just been explaining to his disciples that after his departure, the hatred the world had for him will be redirected at them. The will be persecuted and hated because they are not of the world. And, the world hated Jesus.
Jesus did not spell out the full danger of following him “from the beginning,” because he was with them. Throughout his earthly ministry, opposition was directed at Jesus and he was able to absorb it himself. We see this up through his arrest, where Jesus identifies himself as the one the soldiers are looking for and directs them to let his disciples go.
But, now that his departure is approaching, it is important for his disciples to understand the cost of discipleship, so that they will not fall away.
5 – None of you asks…
Jesus will no longer be with his disciples because now he is going to the one who sent him. Throughout the Gospel, we’ve seen that Jesus was sent on a mission, a mission he was single-mindedly focused on accomplishing. Once completing it, he must return to the one who sent him.
But, he notes, now that he is going away, “none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’” What are we to make of this statement? Back in John 13:36, Simon Peter asks just this precise question—“Lord, where are you going?” And, in 14:5, Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” It seems that his disciples have queried him about his destination.
Some would argue that this is a flat contradiction, evidence that John pieced this Gospel together from several different sources and neglected to iron-out and edit the contradictions. (We would have to then assume a fair—and almost unbelievable—amount of stupidity on the part of John, his community of followers, and later editors who miss such an obvious contradiction from the lips of the one they are presenting as God.) But, since we know this to be the Word of God, a work of the Spirit of Truth who came to guide the disciples into all truth, we can assume there is a better answer.
Some take this to mean that Jesus means now, at this point in the dialogue. Earlier, they did ask. But, now that he has brought up persecution they have lost all interest in his destination. This doesn’t strike me as too satisfying an answer, since even if their questions were at a different point in his discourse, they stilled probably were asked less than 10-30 minutes prior to Jesus saying this. Discussion of where he was going was fresh in their minds. There is a better explanation.
Something similar to what I described with boys protesting my departure is going on here with Jesus’ disciples. Jesus is saying that his disciples have had no genuine concern for his destination. Their questions about his going away were not so much thoughtful questions about his departure and its implications. They were statements of protest that flowed from self-absorbed pity over their own loss and a preoccupation with their own fate.
6 – Sorrow has filled your heart…
It is because he has said that he is going and that they will be hated by the world in his absence, that sorrow has filled their heart. They are filled with sadness at their loss.
7 – To Your Advantage…
Jesus says in verse 7, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away.” Sadness fills them because they have failed to grasp the implications of his departure, implications that should have filled them with joy. In their self-centered, self-pity they have missed what he has been trying to say all along: His departure is for their good!
How exactly was his departure for their good? Jesus continues, “for (because) if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.”
“The Helper,” as it is translated in the ESV and the NAS (or “Comforter” in KJV; or “Counselor” in NIV) is the Holy Spirit (14:26). That title was introduced in John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.” He is the Holy Spirit, sent to continue Jesus’ ministry in the world and his people after Jesus’ departure.
Now, Jesus tells them that the Holy Spirit will not come to his disciples unless he first goes away. Jesus does not say that the Helper cannot come, as though it is impossible for them to be simultaneously ministering, but that he will not. Why not? Why is it necessary for Jesus to go away for the Spirit to come?
Jesus answers that question with his next statement, “But if I go, I will send him to you.” The Spirit will come to Jesus’ disciples, having been sent by Jesus.
The Spirit in John
Let’s review a little of what we’ve learned about the Spirit so far in John:
In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised his disciples that the Spirit would indwell them—but only in the future, when he asked the Father to give them another Helper.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
The Spirit “will be” (future tense) “in” them. But that indwelling of the Spirit awaits Jesus asking the Father and the Father sending the Spirit of truth.
Later in John 14:25-26, Jesus says the Spirit will continue his teaching ministry—but only in the future, when the Father sends him in Jesus’ name.
These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
So, the teaching ministry of the Spirit is future, as Jesus’ speaks. It awaits his sending “in Jesus name,” which is to say, “on behalf of Jesus.”
In John 7, at the Feast of Booths, Jesus said that those who believed in him would have the Spirit flowing like living water from their hearts—but only after his glorification.
John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The Spirit would be received—in the “flow-from-the-heart-of-the-believer” sense—by believers. It was, at that point, future, because “the Spirit had not been given.” It was after Jesus had been glorified that the Spirit would flow from the hearts of believers.
So, Jesus spoke of a future ministry of the Spirit, a coming day which would be characterized by the Spirit dwelling in and flowing out of the hearts of the Messiah’s people, teaching them of Christ. That day, we learn that that day can only come if Jesus goes away.
We should recall that Jesus’ departure, his “going away,” also called his “exaltation,” refers to his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to be seated at the right hand of the Father in glory. So, why does the in-dwelling ministry of the Spirit depend upon that?
To answer that question, let’s think some more about what that day of the Spirit’s coming is biblically.
The Spirit in the Old Testament
The Old Testament prophets are full of promises that the Age of the Kingdom, the reign of the Messiah would be characterized by the Spirit.
Through the prophet Isaiah, we read in Isaiah 32 that the Messiah will be a king who “will reign in righteousness” (1), a day when “the Spirit is poured upon us from on high” (15).
Through the prophet Ezekiel (11:17-20; 36:24-27; cf 37:14), God’s promise of the New Covenant is twice described as a day in which he will gather his people from all the nations of the earth and put his Spirit “within them” to make them a changed people.
And in Joel 2:28-29, a passage that Jewish interpreters understood as referring to the age of the Messiah, we read:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
After the Lord removes the shame of his people and assures his promises, he will pour his Spirit out on all of his people.
So, the reign of the Messiah would be characterized by the pouring out of the Spirit of the Lord upon all of God’s people. When is this out-pouring of the Spirit?
The Out-Pouring at Pentecost
In Acts 2, the Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, told the crowds that the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the fulfillment of what was promised in Joel 2; the last days had begun. And listen to how Peter describes the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit later in his sermon:
Acts 2:29-36 Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
Notice the progression here:
First, the Messiah dies.
Second, God resurrected the Messiah (which David foresaw in the seating of one his descendants on the throne).
Third, the risen Messiah is exalted at the right hand of the Father. This “exaltation” is what theologians have called the “session” of Christ. Having ascended to the Father’s right hand, he is then seated there in power and in glory. This three-stage process is what Jesus has been referring to in John as his “glorification.” He is crucified for sins, raised from the dead, and exalted at the right hand of the Father in glory.
Then, fourth, the Messiah is given the Holy Spirit. Peter tells us that “being therefore exalted at the right hand of the God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit.” Evidently, the Spirit that was long promised in the prophets would not be given to the Messiah until a certain point—his exaltation to God’s right hand. Then, and only then, he is given the Spirit.
Fifth, then, the Spirit is poured out onto the Messiah’s people. Peter says, “and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
All of this, Peter says, is proof—and “all the house of Israel” should “know for certain”—that “God has made him both Lord and [Messiah], this Jesus whom you crucified.” The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was proof that Jesus had been seated as the Anointed King. The giving of the Spirit awaited the inauguration of the King.
And so, that is why Jesus had to “go” before he could “send” the Helper to his disciples. The sending of his Spirit would be the first royal act of his exaltation.
The Spirit is the down-payment of our salvation, the foretaste of the presence of God amongst his people, the one who regenerates us, works faith within our hearts, and sanctifies us in obedience to the truth. How could this in-dwelling be ours until Christ had laid the foundation for them?
To Their Advantage
And this is why it is “to their advantage” that he goes away. A few hours after Jesus’ spoke these words, he would be arrested by a mob in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark (14:50) records that at his arrest, “they all left him and fled.” Yet, after Pentecost, in the book of Acts, we read that this same group of disciples who deserted him in the Garden, “were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). They were so bold, in fact, that after being beaten for preaching the Gospel, they were “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”
Was not Jesus’ departure to their advantage? The should have wanted him to go away—that departure was the purpose for which he was born!
It is to our advantage that Jesus went away too. It is sometimes easy to long to have lived in the days when Jesus walked the earth. But, we live in the better days. We live in the age when the Risen Lord and Christ has sent his Spirit to dwell in and flow from the hearts of his people—our hearts! It is better to live in this day, when indwelt with the Spirit of the Lord, we know the Lord, we understand his Gospel, we are given new hearts, and are empowered to live changed lives and preach the Gospel—unlike the disciples while Jesus was on earth, who were so consistently confused and bewildered about what Jesus taught.
In that day, only a few handfuls of people (perhaps literally) believed God’s saving promises and saw Jesus as the Messiah. But today, millions and millions on the earth have heard God’s saving promises and submit to Jesus as Lord and Christ, trusting in his atoning death and resurrection, longing for his return.
The Spirit’s Work
Next week, we will look at the Spirit’s work, as described by Jesus, in verses 8-15, some very difficult verses to understand. But, let me summarize them now to show two more reasons why the sending of the Spirit is advantageous for the disciples.
First, the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Lots of paper and ink has been put to the task of trying to explain what exactly this means.
Some argue that it means merely proving the world to be wrong, either in the sight of the world or in the sight of the disciples. Others argue that it is a “legal use.” The Spirit secures a “conviction,” a “guity verdict” in the heavenly courtroom. I think that both of those interpretations have significant weaknesses.
“Convict” here has the sense of convincing the world itself of its guilt, to its own shame, with the goal of bringing it to repentance. It is showing the world that it is wrong, and driving the point home. This is a gracious conviction, something the world needs, lest it remains the world and in death and darkness.
This is what Jesus did in his earthly ministry.
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
Jesus showed the world that it was guilty of sin. And because they don’t believe in him, the Spirit continues this ministry.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus exposed the world’s righteousness as “false righteousness,” hopelessly inadequate. Now the Spirit will continue that ministry, because Jesus is going to the Father. Jesus’ followers cannot see him anymore as a model of how to expose the world’s false righteousness. And so, the Spirit comes to enable them to do so.
Jesus showed the world that they judged by appearances, but his judgment was “right and true.” Having judged the Satan, the ruler of this world and the “father of lies,” in the crucifixion, the Spirit will come to convict the world of its false judgments.
Second, the Spirit explains and applies the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. What the Spirit teaches and declares is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit works to clarify the meaning of and apply the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
We should note that the Spirit continues it through the ministry of the disciples as they proclaim the Gospel.
John 15:26-27 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
The witness of the Spirit is consistently connected to the witness of Jesus’ followers.
It is through Jesus’ followers explaining and declaring the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, with Spirit-given understanding and application, that the world is convicted of its sin, its (false) righteousness, and its (wrong) judgment.
And isn’t that what happened at the end of Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost!?
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Therefore – as recipients of the promised Spirit and possessors of the Spirit-inspired interpretation and application of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, preach the Gospel with boldness!!!
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