Sunday, June 04, 2006
Why did Jesus have to go away?
On the churches' festival of Ascension Day ten days ago, I had been meaning to share some thoughts about the time when Jesus, having been raised from death and brought new hope to His downcast followers, then found it necessary to leave this Earth and apparently desert those He loved. Has He deserted you and me too?
Before His arrest and terrible death on the Cross, the Lord Jesus had spoken at length to His disciples about why it would be best for them all if He were to go away, back to His Father - Because of what He would do at the Cross, His Father would truly become OUR Father, and to help us to know God as our Father, Jesus promised that when He returned to Heaven, He would send down another Person to be with us for ever. The Holy Spirit would be "another" in the sense of One who was the SAME as Jesus in character, power and love, but who would no longer be limited in time and place as Christ had been while on Earth.
By the way, He did not leave it for good, because after Jesus ascended, two angels were sent to tell the worshipping disciples that this SAME Jesus would return to Earth in the very same manner as He had left it. The return of Jesus Christ in His kingly glory, to bring perfect justice and peace on Earth, is the wonderful hope of all Christians. The Holy Spirit comes to keep that hope real and alive in our hearts - and He also does many other wonderful things which I hope to write about another time.....there is always MORE of the Holy Spirit for us to receive, as long as we have surrendered our heart to Jesus as Lord.
Before His arrest and terrible death on the Cross, the Lord Jesus had spoken at length to His disciples about why it would be best for them all if He were to go away, back to His Father - Because of what He would do at the Cross, His Father would truly become OUR Father, and to help us to know God as our Father, Jesus promised that when He returned to Heaven, He would send down another Person to be with us for ever. The Holy Spirit would be "another" in the sense of One who was the SAME as Jesus in character, power and love, but who would no longer be limited in time and place as Christ had been while on Earth.
By the way, He did not leave it for good, because after Jesus ascended, two angels were sent to tell the worshipping disciples that this SAME Jesus would return to Earth in the very same manner as He had left it. The return of Jesus Christ in His kingly glory, to bring perfect justice and peace on Earth, is the wonderful hope of all Christians. The Holy Spirit comes to keep that hope real and alive in our hearts - and He also does many other wonderful things which I hope to write about another time.....there is always MORE of the Holy Spirit for us to receive, as long as we have surrendered our heart to Jesus as Lord.
# posted by JillVic @ 4:47 PM 
