"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth." - from John 14:8-17; 25-27

"If only I had been there, and seen Jesus in the flesh myself, then it would be easy to trust him."

Maybe you've had a thought like this before. If so, the Gospels may surprise you on reading how those who knew Jesus received him. Those who saw him, lived with him, and followed him in the flesh often seemed bewildered. They struggled with trust and faith as much as any of us living two thousand years later.

At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus gives his famous "farewell discourse." His disciples do not understand what is happening, where Jesus is going, or why. But make no mistake, Jesus is not abandoning him.

Just as they see the Father by seeing Jesus, so they are being given another Advocate: the Spirit of Truth. Or, as Paul refers to Spirit, "the Spirit of the Son" (Gal. 4:6). That means that Jesus is still with his disciples, and not just the disciples Jesus is speaking to in this passage of the Gospel. The Spirit of truth is given to followers today, as well as to the disciples then.

Continuing reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog