May 20, 2018
John 16:7-15…“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” vs. 7
If the disciples’ fervent prayers had been granted and Jesus would have been able to escape the cross, return to Galilee, and continue his teaching and healing ministry, we would never have heard of him. He wouldn’t have even been a footnote in the pages of history and there wouldn’t have been a Christian church. It’s only because Jesus died a martyr’s death that was followed by an unfathomable resurrection that we know his story at all. In fact, if weren’t for the arrival of the Holy Spirit, what Jesus called the Advocate or Counselor, there would have been no Church. But in fact the Spirit did show up, and under the guidance of the Spirit emboldened disciples continued the ministry of Jesus in a spectacular fashion. Within a few decades of Jesus’ death there were little pockets of believers in all the major cities of the Roman Empire. So just who was this mysterious Advocate who showed up on that day of Pentecost? Obviously, it’s the Spirit of God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, but it was also the Spirit of Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, and under the Spirit’s leadership Jesus’ liberating message of forgiveness and hope has continued to transform the lives of all who believe. No wonder Pentecost Sunday is such a big deal for Christians!
Thought for the Day: Which day should be a bigger deal: Easter or Pentecost?
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