I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. John 16: 12-14, NRSV.
Holy God, we are truly grateful for Your mercy and Your love. We realize that only as we grow up in You, things that are now perplexing to us, will be made plain. So please teach us as we come into Your presence. In the name of Jesus we humbly pray. Amen.
In the famous chapter on love, the apostle says, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13: 11). So it seems that we all go through a period of spiritual childhood. After all, becoming a follower of Christ begins with a rebirth. We start, as it were, “from scratch.” We unlearn a lot of things, and we learn a lot of things. Things we used to see one way, we begin to see another way. For this reason, Jesus told His disciples, that they had to reach a certain maturity, before He they could “bear” certain information. However, He would not be around to teach them these things. The One who would come after He left, the “Spirit of truth,” He, would be the one to help them to “grow up in Christ.”
It is no wonder Jesus told His disciples that it was to their advantage that He go away, that the Agent of their spiritual growth could come and take His place. What would be the textbook that they would use to obtain this growth? The life of Christ! While Christ was with them, they were content to be with Him; but many of the lessons He tried to teach them, they did not learn until after He went back to the Father! Remember the disciples on their way to Emmaus? How many times did Jesus tell his disciples that He would die, but that He would rise again. And yet, the words of these disappointed disciples were, “We were sure that He was the One who would have delivered us.” Deliver them from what? By His death He had delivered them from the penalty, and condemnation, of sin! He was their Savior from sin, not from Roman bondage! Sacred Scripture informs us, “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures” (Luke 24: 27, emphasis provided)! Yet, the very day He was to ascend to the Father, what did they ask Him? “Lord, is this the time when You will restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1: 6)? Can you believe this?
Therefore, it was indeed, expedient that the “Spirit of truth” should come, and take as long as was needed, to lead them into the whole truth, in a timely manner, until they fully understood! “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14: 25, emphasis provided). The time for Christ to return to the Father had come. He had finished the work that He had come to do on earth. Now He would return to the Father and take His place as our Mediator at the Father’s right hand. The Holy Spirit would then come to earth, and continue where Christ had left off. He would continue to teach them about Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf, and tell them of things to come. “He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” Everything that they had a hard time understanding while Jesus was with them, the Holy Spirit would remind them of, and make plain; thereby, facilitating their growth in Jesus!
Was the teaching effective? Let us listen to what the Word of God has to say: “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability . . . But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say . . . . This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear . . .’ ” (Acts 2: 1-4, 14, 32, 33).
They had at last, begun to grow up in Christ!