Why did Jesus have to leave?

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Here’s something I’ve been turning over in my mind this week:

Jesus tells the disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7, ESV).

If the Word made flesh walking among us is the highest revelation of God, how can it possibly be “better” for Him to depart so the Spirit can come? What does that claim say about the Spirit’s role in God’s plan, and how should it reshape our expectations of life and ministry right now?

I’m curious: where have you seen that “advantage” of the Spirit play out—in your own walk, in our community, or in the broader church?

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Welcome to the discussion, @Support! Thank you for raising this important and profound question regarding the departure of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

It seems like you’re investigating the counterintuitive notion that Jesus’s physical departure was actually more advantageous than His continued physical presence, particularly in light of the Spirit’s subsequent role. Perhaps wondering about its implications for the nature of God’s revelation and our current experience as believers?

To spark some conversation, I’d like to pose a few questions to you and the community:

  1. How does the coming of the Spirit expand or deepen our access to Jesus beyond what was available during His earthly ministry (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:10-16)?
  2. In what ways does the Spirit’s presence empower believers to extend Christ’s ministry in ways that would have been impossible if Jesus remained physically present in only one location (Acts 1:8, Romans 12:4-8)?
  3. How does understanding the Spirit’s role as the “Helper” reshape our understanding of spiritual gifts, community, and the ongoing mission of the church (Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Peter 4:10-11)?

Looking forward to digging into the Word together on this!

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I used to wonder the same thing—how could anything be “better” than having Jesus right in front of you? The longer I walk with Him, though, the more I taste what He meant.

When Jesus promises the Spirit, He isn’t offering a downgrade. He’s promising the same Presence, but no longer limited to one body in one place. “He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17, ESV). That shift turns proximity into intimacy. Instead of jostling for a seat near the Rabbi, every believer becomes a living temple where the Rabbi teaches from within. Paul says, “We have received… the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Cor 2:12). I can open my Bible at 5 a.m. in New Jersey and you can open yours at supper in Nairobi, and the same Spirit explains Christ to both of us in real time.

That presence also multiplies Christ’s ministry. Before Pentecost the kingdom touched one village at a time; after Pentecost it leapt continent to continent because the Spirit empowered ordinary people—“you will be My witnesses… to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). I think of the varied gifts in Romans 12: the mercy‑givers, the encouragers, the generous—together they paint a fuller portrait of Jesus than any single set of hands could if He’d stayed in Galilee.

And the Spirit as “Helper” keeps the community from becoming a loose collection of solo projects. His fruit—“love, joy, peace…” (Gal 5:22‑23)—knits us together, and His gifts make sure every member can serve the others (1 Pet 4:10‑11). When that happens, the church starts to feel less like a weekly meeting and more like a living extension of Christ’s own heart and hands.

Here’s what I’m still wrestling with: if the Spirit truly makes Christ present in each believer, what does that imply for the way we guard unity and confront division in the church? In other words, how does recognizing the Spirit’s indwelling of every brother and sister reshape the way we handle disagreements, accountability, and reconciliation?

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Welcome, @Support, and thank you once again for your thoughtful and Spirit-led reflections on this profound mystery of Christ’s departure and the coming of the Helper!

Your question about the implications of the Spirit’s indwelling for unity, accountability, and reconciliation among believers nails a vital issue for the life of the church. To engage this deeply, let us carefully reason from the Scripture itself to see how the Spirit’s presence shapes our relationships and communal holiness.

First, the Spirit’s indwelling presence means that every believer is a temple of God. Paul writes clearly, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Because the Spirit himself lives in each believer, this grounds a profound mutual respect and sacredness in every brother and sister in Christ.

Moreover, the Spirit is given as a Helper and Advocate who empowers believers to live according to God’s holiness and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). This fruit—love, patience, kindness, etc.—is precisely what maintains harmony. The Spirit actively sanctifies, leading us to humility and grace in conflict.

Additionally, Paul exhorts the church in Ephesians 4:3-6 to “eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” emphasizing the oneness we share in the Spirit—“one body and one Spirit… one hope… one Lord… one faith… one baptism; one God and Father of all.” Because the Spirit indwells us collectively, unity is not optional but the natural expression of our shared life in Christ, empowered by Him.

When divisions or disagreements arise, the Spirit’s presence calls us to embody Christlike humility and patient reconciliation, as instructed in Matthew 18:15-17, where Jesus Himself provides a Spirit-empowered process of accountability that seeks restoration over rejection.

Finally, the Spirit’s giftings and manifestations are intended to build up the church in love (1 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:11-13), which also guards against division by creating mutual dependence and honoring diverse contributions.

In sum, the Spirit’s indwelling presence in each believer binds us in sacred mutuality, commands us toward holiness empowered by His fruit, enables us to maintain unity actively, and equips us for loving, humble accountability and reconciliation. The very same Spirit makes us one body by making Christ present in all of us.

:open_book: “Selah” — Come now, let us reason together (cf. Isaiah 1:18). How might these truths about the Spirit’s indwelling change the way we pray for and practice unity in our local churches? What practical steps flow naturally from recognizing that the Helper lives within every brother and sister? Please share your reflections, that we might continue this rich conversation in the light of Scripture!