Jn 16:5-11
It is better for you that I go: Jesus tells his disciples that he is leaving them to return to the Father. He is referring to his impending passion and death. The disciples are baffled since he also tells them that his departure will be beneficial to them. How can this be? They will need him most when they face far greater trials and difficulties. They are virtually clueless about his precise destination, but none of them dares to ask him (v 5). Peter once asked him (Jn 13:36), but did not get a satisfactory answer.
It is better for you that I go: Jesus tells his disciples that he is leaving them to return to the Father. He is referring to his impending passion and death. The disciples are baffled since he also tells them that his departure will be beneficial to them. How can this be? They will need him most when they face far greater trials and difficulties. They are virtually clueless about his precise destination, but none of them dares to ask him (v 5). Peter once asked him (Jn 13:36), but did not get a satisfactory answer.
It is only when Jesus is glorified that he sends forth the Spirit. When Jesus is no longer physically present, the Holy Spirit comes in his place. Also called the Advocate or Helper, the Spirit will be the powerful counsel for the prosecution against the world (vv 8-11). The Holy Spirit will give the disciples profound understanding of all that Jesus has preached and done. The Spirit will be instrumental in the disciples’ coming to maturity in their Christian lives.
When Jesus is no longer physically present with them, the disciples will be able to exercise to the utmost their profound faith, which does not rest on the physical senses, and their obedience, which will enable them to do God’s will at all costs. In their own time, the faithful disciples will surely follow Jesus on the path to martyrdom. His Spirit will be their heart and core as they live and defend the faith in the face of a hostile world.