It’s Better - John 16:7

Seek God Together

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether

Today we will read John 16:7 which says, “Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away, the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.”

Happy Post-Resurrection! Calendar-wise, we are still in the period of time after Jesus’ resurrection, and before His ascension. That will come in a few weeks. And then will be Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, was poured out not onto humanity, but into humanity.

Of course Jesus’ words here to His disciples were before He was crucified. And they are jarring. Better Jesus? It’s better that You go away? I cannot imagine a scenario where it’s better for a parent to leave so that some immaterial, inaudible version of the parent can be around. Jesus’ words can feel, well, out of touch with normal human needs, and emotions. And yet He says them. And this is where we have to make a hard choice to take Him seriously and press into what might be being said.

He says it’s “better” for us. There are many things which are in fact better for us that don’t feel like it at the time. Certainly as children it was difficult to believe our parents when they said “It’s better this way” about a million things. So by faith we can believe Jesus. But what is actually better?

Perhaps a bit of conjecture can help. Use your imagination and go back to a time before Jesus, before scripture at all. There was God, and there was creation. What does it look like when God interfaces with something that is not Himself? It looks like creation. And we see His power and invisible qualities. He is worthy of worship, seeking out, and fear, but distant and unapproachable.

Fast forward, and in fulfillment of the revelation of God in scripture, Jesus arrives! He’s incredible! He’s everything the perfect God/man would be. If you’re curious what God thinks, talks like, acts like, and does…look at Jesus. What does it look like when God interfaces with humanity? It looks like Jesus. But there’s still only one of Him. And He’s still outside of us.

Then Jesus promises to deliver something even better, the Holy Spirit. How does God bring a dead spirit back online? How does the ultimate Spirit not overwhelm a human spirit and destroy it? How does God create in us new hearts and make us like Christ? The answer seems to be with the Holy Spirit - that is, God Himself uniting to our spirit and bringing it back to life. What does it look like when God interfaces with our spirits? It looks like the Holy Spirit, and we are only beginning to get a sense of all that means in our lives.

Fast way forward, and there will come a time when we will not only see God face to face, but we will see Him as He is for we shall be like Him. Only God knows all that it takes to get us there, but that is where we’re headed. Is it better that Jesus leave? Only in the sense that God is coming ever nearer - and He’s always better than we think. There is more happening in our universe and in our own souls than we can see with our eyeballs. God knows this and says it’s better.

God, I’m amazed by You! Keep showing me more. I want more.