John 14:28-31

28 "You heard that I said to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29 "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it comes to pass, you may believe. 30 "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; 31 but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

 

Jesus again repeated His main points: “I am going away, and I am coming back to you.” How did He want the disciples to respond?

 

Two ways:

 

1. Rejoicing. This should be the natural response of any friend who hears about Jesus’ promotion. Jesus gets to be with the Father! Why is this good? The Father is greater than Jesus! That’s what Jesus says. Yes, both are God. Yes, the Father glorifies the Son and the Son glorifies the Father. But ultimately, Jesus obeys the Father and calls the Father greater, even though Jesus says to us and does for us everything the Father says and does. So as great as Jesus is, His disciples should be really glad that Jesus gets to be with the Father, who is greater!
2. Faith. Jesus has predicted His departure in advance. He did this specifically so that the disciples, when Jesus left, would understand that He even knew how He would go: His death. They would still have Jesus’ words, and by believing Him they would know that they still had a relationship with Jesus. Although by outward appearances the possibility of a relationship would be cut off, the fact that Jesus knew and described precisely how the relationship would continue – and that He told His disciples – would now form the basis of their ongoing relationship with Him.

 

There was not much time left, though. The ruler of the world was coming. Satan was on His way. But quickly, before His disciples could form some false notion that Jesus was serving Satan’s purposes, Jesus said that He had nothing to do with Satan. What Jesus was about to do would prove to the world that Jesus loved the Father (not Satan) and that Jesus obeyed the Father fully. Satan just happened to be the means, the very willing tool by which the Father brought Jesus to the cross.

 

Apparently Jesus said all this while still in the upper room. At this point, He said to His disciples, “Arise, let us go.” The rest of His teaching from here on must have been taught as they walked from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives and, perhaps, for a while at the Mount of Olives.

 

Father, I do rejoice! And I believe! Jesus predicted His return to You. He predicted His death. And it happened as He said. I rejoice that He is with You now. His death was not the end of our relationship, and so I can have a relationship with You! Thank You!