John 16:5-11
God's Plan for the Holy Spirit
5"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Acts 2:1-4
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:36-39
In God's Plan
36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38Peter replied, "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. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
Acts 10:30-47
Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit
30 Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
John 20:20-26
Blessed Are Those Who Believe
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
As we read through these verses about the Holy Spirit, we learn many things...Jesus tells His Disciples that He was going back to His Father, the One who had sent Him...Then He says something very odd, that unless He goes away, the Counselor or the Holy Spirit will not come to you...The Holy Spirit will not come if He does not go away...This is all odd and difficult for me, because Jesus can do all things...Then He says it is for our own good and to our advantage that He goes...Most of us, including His disciples, would want Him to stay on earth...It would be hard for His disciples to see and feel the goodness of Him leaving them...
When we think about these words "it is for your good that I go" and look what is quickly upcoming for Him, it is interesting...Soon, very soon He will be arrested...Soon His teachings of face to face to others on earth will be over...Soon He would be flogged and beaten...Soon He would be carrying a cross...And soon He would die on that same cross, that He carried...Jesus saying for your good, is very interesting -and in fact, just as He says all that does happens is for our own good...Jesus, in all this and the upcoming things to happen, knew this would be hard for His disciples, but He tells them He must go...He is preparing them...
By Jesus telling them that He must go, and it is for their own good, indicates that He has a plan...He adds that He must go and despite all of the troubles (that He is going to have), it will be good for them and it will be to their advantage (in the long run, and after they understand His resurrection)...For in God's Plan, He must go away...He must go back and be with the Father, the One He loves and the One who loves Him...(This makes some sense, if we believe that love is not about controlling and love is unfettered, and allows complete free will -and that God is LOVE)...So Jesus now must go back to His Father, whom He is linked, connected, and most of all loved...The Son of God and His being with His Father must be a Natural Order (of things)...And in this respect, not to know Jesus, makes us ignorant of His Father...
When Jesus goes back to His Father, the Helper or Counselor can come...When this Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, will testify about Me, and then you must testify about Me, because you have been with Me from the beginning (John 15:26-27)...This Counselor, this Spirit of God would not only spread the good news to His disciples, the Holy Spirit would then come to everyone...We see this happening, in the Acts of the Apostles, when the Holy Spirit comes after Jesus' ascension, at the time of the Pentecost...Then later, we see St. Peter helping Cornelius and other Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit...
It was good that Jesus went to His Father and that the Holy Spirit was sent to us...Jesus now could be with all believers...Believers are blessed when Jesus is with them...For some divine reason, and one we are not told, why couldn't Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, yet still stay forever on earth, with us...It is selfish for me, as well as ignorant to say this, but I sometime think it would be nice to have Jesus in the physical human form, as He was...Maybe this way allowed Him to reach more believers...But is it possible, Jesus had to leave (and we know He did), because He is eternal...We could never learn all things, because we are finite and limited...If Jesus continued to live on earth, it is possible, all I would want to do (and others) is follow Him, listen to Him, watch interviews on TV and the internet about Him...Things would be so different, if He never left earth...We may not have gotten a completed Bible, if He never left...His disciples and immediate followers would still be listening to Him...All people would be waiting and constantly wanting His next book, His next quote, the feeling He gave to those around Him...He would not be in Spirit, but He would still be in the flesh, and we know the flesh is weak...And back to the point of the Bible, maybe it could not get completed if He was still here, because we would still be learning about more eternities that He teaches...Maybe God wanted the Bible completed at that time, which was the right time...
Maybe His leaving was necessary, because faith is more about believing from the heart, instead of seeing with the eyes...St. Thomas had to learn this after His death...Jesus tells Thomas, pretty directly that blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have believed...Because you (Thomas) have seen Me, is the reason you have believed...So maybe God wants our faith to be more from the heart and how we feel in our hearts, than how we see things with our eyes...Maybe faith is from the heart, and not from the seeing eyes...Maybe it is better to walk by an unseeing faith in life, than to walk by faith in our natural eyesight...And in all these things God, it seems, does not want faith to be easy...Seeing faith, would make it easier for us...And He wants His Son to be in heaven...Maybe, like His disciples, who were somewhat cowardly and fearful after His death on the cross...Immediately after His resurrection, and then they saw Him and they were courageous, bold, and ready to teach everyone, like they did in the Acts on the Day of Pentecost, and the way St. Peter went to the home of Cornelius, the Gentile...Peter was testifying as Jesus said He must, because He was one of the first to be with Him (John 15:26)...
The disciples realized after Jesus left, He had overcame the world...Knowing that this was God's Plan is our foundation for the kind of peace He talks about...These are some of the things, I think Jesus meant when He said that it is for your good that I go away...And although He did leave, He did not leave us alone...We have the Holy Spirit that He sent to us from the Father that keeps us connected to Him, both in our mysterious, mystique, and curious thoughts we have about Him...Somehow two thousand years later our thoughts still dwell on a Man, who said heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass (Matthew 24:35)...He is right...