"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
Jesus saw in what was about to happen a bigger plan and a larger picture. His disciples, however, only saw the negative signs of a gathering darkness, and heard Jesus own predictions about his coming Passion. They were saddened, but were afraid to ask Jesus what all of this meant. They assumed their entirely negative read of the situation would only become worse if they learned more. We see in them hearts that were unwilling to allow Jesus to reinterpret a negative situation according to his divine light. Fortunately, Jesus did not leave them closed in on themselves and sorrowful. He explained how this seemingly terrible thing that was about to happen was actually good news, and in fact the very core of the good news.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
Only humanity redeemed by the atoning death of Jesus would be capable of receiving the Advocate. God desired to dwell in the hearts of his people as spiritual temples. But unredeemed hearts were too full of other idolatrous things to have room for the Spirit of God. Only the Passion could liberate humanity from the dominion of darkness and make them free to serve the living God (see Hebrews 9:14).
This Spirit was the Spirit of both the Father and of the Son, and was himself their mutual love. He would therefore be sent by the Father and the Son together. As Jesus, in his glorified humanity took his throne in heaven and began his reign over the earth, he kept his promise not to abandon his creatures or to leave them orphaned. As Jesus receded from the sight of his disciples history was transitioning to a new age, the age of the Spirit.
it is better for you that I go
Only by taking these words seriously will we come to grasp just how great the promise of the Holy Spirit is meant to be for us. The external and visible form of Jesus was limited in time and space. The ability of the Spirit to be present to us is unlimited by time and space and he dwells within us in the depths of our beings rather than outside of us. Hence the Spirit can give us what the disciples often lacked: conviction. Our dearest friend, Jesus himself, seemed to be leaving, departing, sadly and perhaps forever. But in actuality he was preparing a new means to be even closer to his disciples than ever before. What they had known of him in the flesh was nothing compared to what they would experience through his Spirit.
he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation
The Spirit is the one whose gift of conviction makes us desire to believe in Jesus and his Word. He makes it possible for us to share in the righteousness of Jesus himself, righteousness that was not evident to the world that condemned him, and which the world is still unable to recognize. Worldly ideas of righteousness are incompatible with the righteousness that comes from God, which is only accessible and comprehensible to us because the Spirit makes it so. Finally, the Spirit will clarify for us true versus only apparent condemnation. The suffering and death of Jesus appeared to be condemnation that proved that he was not righteous. But the Spirit teaches us instead to see the cross as a victory, and the only true condemnation as that which awaits those who obstinately refuse to answer the invitation of Jesus to place their trust in him. To see this in action we need look no further than Paul and Silas in our reading from Acts. It was the conviction of the Holy Spirit that let them praise God even in their chains, who assured them that it was right to remain in their cell even once they were freed, and who empowered them to share their conviction with the guard and his family.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened
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