After Jesus goes to the cross, dies, resurrects, and ascends, he gives his own Spirit to every believer. Then, Christ’s mission is unbound and advances exponentially.
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Huddled with his disciples in the upper room, Jesus named a critical problem they’d soon face: “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more” (John 14:19). The trouble of that news was clear, and it confounded the disciples. After three years witnessing his miracles and soaking up his teaching, in a matter of days the world would no longer see Jesus.
With this warning of his imminent departure, Jesus made a breathtaking promise: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth. . . . He dwells with you and will be in you” (vv. 16–17). Jesus provides a solution that more than addresses the problem of his departure. When Jesus leaves, the disciples won’t be alone; rather, the third person of the Trinity will descend on them like fire and smoke on Sinai ages before.
