He Had to Go in Order to Send

“⁷Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” — John 16:7 (ESV)

Again, I have looked at the above verse several times as relates to others words I was studying. Here I continue to study the word “send” and have found something that I must have missed or forgotten. Jesus had to go in order for the Holy Spirit to be sent.

It seems a bit strange that Jesus had to leave this world so that the Holy Spirit could come. Would it not make sense for the two of them to be here in the world together and do twice the work. When I look at it from that perspective I am a bit perplexed. Twice the workers, twice the work, right?

Well as I look a bit closer and think back to all that I know and have learned, God does not need the help. He is fully capable of doing His work without any additional help from Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or even me. He can take care of it all on His own.

I see in the above verse that Jesus left this world and as He arrived in heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to this world to continue His work. Jesus was not able to stay here in this world forever. Think about it, Jesus walking the earth for 2000 years, it makes no logical sense. But, the Holy Spirit can be with us forever. The Helper can and will dwell among us all the days of my life, the life of my children, my children’s children, and my children’s children’s children. I look at things and see the Holy Spirit has been here with us for the past 2000 years and will be with us until Jesus comes again.

Jesus could not stay and so as He left, he made sure that we had a Helper that would be able to stay. The Holy Spirit was sent to continue the work of Jesus in our lives and in the live of those to come.

What are your thoughts of Jesus’ departure from this world? Were you wondering about the reason that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit were not here together to double the output of God’s work? What if we accepted that the Holy Spirit was sent to continue the work of Jesus for eternity in this world?