What is the Promise that would come? The night before Jesus was crucified He shared His Last Supper with His disciples. Knowing that this was his last time with them before He was crucified; He told them what was to soon happen and of the promise to come. Everything he said and did was what was most important for them to understand before He was taken away and killed. The verse below shows his heart, his motivation for everything He said and did this final night.
"Jesus knew that the time had
come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father.
Having loved His
own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His
love."
John 13:1 NIV
He washed their feet to show them an example of how He wanted them to love and serve one another. Interestingly, He washed Judas' feet as well. Right after that He revealed Judas as His betrayer and Judas left to betray him. Then he told them:
"My children, I will be with you only a little longer.
"A new commandment I give to you:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
vs 33, 34 NIV
The disciples were wondering where He was going so He told them:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.
In my Father's house are many rooms;.. I am going there to prepare a place for you...
I will come back and take you to be with me... You know the way to the place I am going...
I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
14:1-6 NIV
Now we come to the promise:
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever... the Spirit of truth. The world can not accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." vs 14:15- 21 NIV
Through out this last time Jesus spent with his disciples, he stresses obedience to his commands. When we obey Him we show that we love him, and will then be loved by him and the Father. The person who obeys is who He shows himself to and who will receive the Holy Spirit. A footnote in the New Spirit Filled Life Bible says "Loving Jesus Christ finds... expression in obeying Jesus' commandments, which are also the Father's commandments. A Christianity satisfied with less may be convenient, but is too cheap to be biblical."
What are his commandments? See Obey the Commandments and The Greatest Commandment
The promise? The promise is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. The word another, (allos, #243 Strongs) in the verses above means "One besides, another of the same kind. The word shows similarities but diversities of operation and ministries. Jesus' use of allos for sending another Comforter equals "one besides Me and in addition to Me but one just like Me. He will do in my absence what I would do if I were physically present with you. The Spirit's coming assures continuity with what Jesus taught." Word Wealth, New Spirit Filled Life Bible
Jesus hints that the Holy Spirit is him or like him, when he says "he lives with you and will be in you". Jesus lived with them, walked among them. But soon the Spirit would actually be IN them. Then he said: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." I believe he meant that he would come to them in the form of the Spirit.
The word Holy Spirit in the Greek text is "parakletos" which means "called to ones side". He is described in various versions of the bible as counselor, comforter, helper, advocate and intercessor. Jesus continues to talk about obedience and makes it a condition of the Father and the Son dwelling, living within a believer:
"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words that you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you... Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." 14: 23-27 NIV
These are such powerful passages that Jesus spoke to explain the coming of the Holy Spirit that it is hard to leave them out or even to comment much. Once again he emphasizes obedience. Just read his words and listen to what he is saying. We obey him, because we love him. The Holy Spirit will teach us and refresh our minds of the things that Jesus taught. And Jesus told them again to not be troubled or afraid. He knew what was coming very soon. At this point Jesus said, "Come now let us leave."
Chapter 15 is about the Vine and the Branches. Sometimes I wonder if after the left the room where they were eating the last supper, if they walked through a vineyard. In any case, Jesus gives us the word picture of the vine and it's branches so we could see that we need to be connected to him in order to abide or live in him. It is through the Holy Spirit that we can abide in Christ and in the Father. He tells us more about the Spirit here and in chapter 16:
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father,
he will testify about me."
John 15: 26, 27 NIV
"...when he, the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears,
and he will tell you what is yet to come.
He will bring glory to me..."
16:13, 14 NIV
After Jesus spoke all these things and prayed for them, then they went to Gethsemane where Judas brought the soldiers and officials to arrest Jesus. He was put on trial and crucified the next day. But Sunday was coming!!! He resurrected from the dead and met with the disciples and gave told them again of the Promise to Come:
"I am going to send you what my Father has promised;
but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Luke 24:49 NIV
What does He mean to be clothed with power from on high? Stay tuned. We will consider that and we will look at Jesus' last day with his disciples before he ascends to the Father and then will move to the day that the Holy Spirit of God was poured out on the disciples. What effect did that have on the disciples and what changed?
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