it is for your benefit
The Greek word "sympherei" is used here, meaning "to bring together" or "to be profitable." Jesus emphasizes that His departure is advantageous for the disciples. This statement challenges the immediate emotional response of loss, inviting the disciples to trust in God's greater plan. Historically, this reflects the transition from Jesus' earthly ministry to the era of the Holy Spirit, marking a new phase in God's redemptive work.

that I am going away
The phrase "going away" refers to Jesus' impending death, resurrection, and ascension. This departure is not abandonment but a necessary step in the divine plan. Theologically, it signifies the completion of Jesus' earthly mission and the beginning of His heavenly intercession. The disciples' understanding of Jesus' mission would deepen as they witnessed these events unfold.

Unless I go away
This conditional statement highlights the necessity of Jesus' departure for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word "ean" (unless) introduces a condition that must be met for the subsequent promise to be fulfilled. This reflects the divine order and timing in God's plan, where each event is intricately connected to the fulfillment of His purposes.

the Advocate
The term "Advocate" is translated from the Greek "Parakletos," meaning "one who is called alongside to help." This title for the Holy Spirit encompasses roles such as Comforter, Counselor, and Helper. The Advocate's presence would empower the disciples, guiding them into all truth and equipping them for their mission. This promise assures believers of God's continual presence and support.

will not come to you
The coming of the Holy Spirit is contingent upon Jesus' departure. This highlights the unique roles within the Trinity and the unfolding of God's redemptive plan. The Spirit's coming would inaugurate a new era of intimacy and empowerment for the disciples, enabling them to carry forward the mission of Christ with divine assistance.

but if I go
This phrase reiterates the necessity of Jesus' departure. The "if" here is not a question of possibility but a statement of certainty. Jesus' going is part of the divine plan, and His assurance reflects the certainty of the Spirit's coming. This transition from Jesus' physical presence to the Spirit's indwelling presence marks a profound shift in how God relates to His people.

I will send Him to you
The promise of sending the Holy Spirit is a testament to Jesus' ongoing care and provision for His followers. The Greek verb "pempo" (to send) indicates a deliberate and purposeful action. This sending is an act of divine love, ensuring that the disciples are not left as orphans (John 14:18) but are empowered to continue the work of the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit's presence would be a source of strength, guidance, and comfort, fulfilling Jesus' promise to be with His followers always.

It is expedient for you that I go away.--"There is no cause," He would say, "for the deep sorrow which has filled your hearts. It is for your advantage that I, as distinct from the Paraclete, who is to come, should go away" (John 14:16). Yes; for those who had left all to follow Him; for those who had none to go to but Himself (John 6:68); for those whose hopes were all centred in Him, it was--hard and incomprehensible as the saying must have seemed--an advantage that He should go away.

For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.--Better, . . . the Advocate will not come unto you. (Comp. Excursus G.) For the connection between the departure of Christ and the coming of the Advocate, comp. Notes on John 7:39, and Acts 2:33. We may not fathom the deep counsels of God in which the reason of these words is to be found; but the order fixed in these counsels was that the Son of Man should complete His work on earth, and offer the sacrifice of Himself for sin, and rise from the dead, and ascend to the Father's throne, before the Advocate should come. The Son of Man was to be glorified before the Spirit was to be given. Humanity was to ascend to heaven before the Spirit could be sent to humanity on earth. The revelation of saving truth was to be complete before inspiration was to breathe it as the breath of life into man's soul. The conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment could only follow the finished work of Christ. . . .

(9) The promise of the Paraclete. Verses 7-11. - (a) The threefold conviction of the world. The extraordinary fullness of suggestion in the following words, and the strong opinions entertained by different theological schools, render interpretation a difficult task. Verse 7. - Though you are crushed with a sense of your approaching bereavement, and so imperfectly apprehend the conditions of your future power and the method which it is incumbent upon me to adopt for your consolation and the completion of my earthly work, nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is wonderful that he who is the Truth itself should have needed, in such various forms, to have reiterated and affirmed the supreme right he possessed to claim their acceptance of his veracity. The truth, then, thus solemnly asserted, because in their then frame of mind it was so utterly unpalatable and incredible notwithstanding all that he had said - the truth is, It is expedient for you that I go away. The ἵνα ἀπέλθω clause simply defines that which is expedient, profitable to the disciples. Many commentators, holding everywhere the relic force of ἵνα, say, with Meyer and Lange, that "ἵνα marks fact considered with regard to the purposes destined to be accomplished by it." Here, however, the profitableness to the disciples is the chief and solitary thought. "For you:" here lies the gist of the mystery. They might have accepted his own assurance that, bitter as the mode of his departure must be, yet they ought, to and would rejoice because he was going to the Father. How was it possible for them to rejoice so far as they were personally concerned? He answers the question, For if I go not away - and surely this solemn departure meant, as he had recently told them, by the way of death and glorification - the Paraclete, of whom I have spoken, the Spirit of truth (see John 15:26, 27), will not come to you; but if I go (πορευθῶ, to my Father; observe the form of the two conditional sentences, the degree of uncertainty as to the issue, to be determined by the result), I will send him to you (see notes on John 7:39. "The Holy Spirit," as the Divine dispensation of grace to men bringing a renewed humanity into living incorporation with its great Head, was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified). Jesus could not become the Divine Life-center of the human family, radiating from himself the full glory of a universal harmony, until he had been taken up, until he had been glorified in God. Unspeakably precious as many of our earthly gifts and friendships are, we do not apprehend them, nor profit by them to the full, until they are taken from us. The youth, submitted to the condition of perfect dependence on a parent's care and guidance, can scarcely ever reach the fullness of his manhood until he is thrown back upon the spirit of his father's counsel, apart from that father's presence, and brings into daily practice from a new standpoint the principles he has learned. So, without any hyperbole, nothing had ever been so wonderful and blessed to the human spirit as the fellowship which had prevailed between the Son of man and his disciples. They were with him, they sat at his feet, they watched his countenance, they experienced a continuous series of Divine surprises at his judgments and his mercies. They were walking by sight, as the children of Israel did, following the pillar of fire and cloud, and drinking of the living water; but they were nevertheless living by sight. Nevertheless, there was something more wonderful and gracious still, when, in his physical absence, they would have the sense of his spiritual presence. They would lose him as an earthly Friend, but they would regain him as a Divine Reality; they would discover more than his humanity in his God-Manhood. They would wield his Divine Word as their weapon, and would become the channels of his healing and convincing and judging powers. The promise, "I will send him," is the guarantee of something more than a "Christ after the flesh" could ever be.

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