On this Sunday, the 7th Sunday of Pentecostal 50 days, the Church reads an account from the Gospel of John (John 15:26 – 16:15), in which Christ tells the disciples “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: 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). This passage outlines the consequential importance of the Ascension of Christ for the Comforter to come down upon the disciples, aiding them in their mission.
This was an unexpected and strange teaching to the disciples. What was so advantageous about the Lord going away? Why will the Holy Spirit not come except if Christ goes away? Father Tadros Malaty explains that Christ came to dwell in the human soul that the Lord bought with His blood. He gave men His righteousness and the right to enter heaven.” What this means is that the Lords death, resurrection, and ascension are the path for us to enjoy God’s gift to us, the coming of the Comforter the Holy Spirit, about Which St. John Chrysostom states that, “through the Spirit we are free of bondage and called to freedom. Through Him we become the children of God by adoption. We are renewed by taking off the loathsome burden of sins. Through Him we see before us the orders of clergy. Through Him our teachers help us. From Him we obtain the gifts of signs, of healing and all the other gifts with which the Holy Spirit adorns the Church of God.”
However, Christ warned the disciples earlier in the chapter of what would happen, and how they would be treated for preaching the word of God when He said: “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me” (John 16:1-3). As St. Cyril of Alexandria said, “For it was for this reason that they persecuted so hotly the preachers of the message of the Gospel but were ignorant that they were falling into every kind of folly, and by their insults against the Son were transgressing against God the Father Himself, and further, were convicted of complete ignorance of the Nature of the Father and that of the Son Who manifested Himself from Him.”
Additionally, St. John Chrysostom clarifies “It is sufficient for your comfort that you endure these things for My sake, and the Father’s. Here He reminds them of the blessedness of which He spoke at the beginning, ‘Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12 KJV).
May God allow the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to work in us to convince and persuade our hearts and minds to deny the world and seek a life with our God.
Sources:
Bibles ESV & KJV
Catena Bible