September 27, 2023
Which Glass Are You?
“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But 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 16:5-7 (NASB)
What kind of person are you? Are you a glass half-full, or a glass half-empty person? One is an optimist, and the other is a pessimist. I discovered early in my law enforcement career I was becoming a glass-half-empty person. I think it was because I saw so much negative each day. I saw the 10 percent of the population most people never see, the troublemakers. Over time, my wife had to speak to me about my attitude because it pervaded my personal life as well. She told me every person was not inherently bad (I’m not referring to the problem of sin), or trying to hurt me. I just was too defensive. I told her if I let my guard down, I could get hurt. You just don’t know how dangerous the world is. She told me, “You are not on duty now.” “Your family is not here to hurt you.” It took time to process this, but she was right. I needed to make some changes.
“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.” The disciples were in sorrow. Their attitude was like a half-empty glass. “What will happen to us now You are gone, Jesus?” they thought. They never thought Jesus might have a plan that would work out for all. They were consumed by their grief of His departure. Let’s not be too hard on them though. For the last three-plus years, Jesus led them through a lot of trials and tribulations. Now He was leaving them. What would become of them? He was the leader of their group. Now He would leave? “What, then, would have become of them, if they had not known that Christ was in heaven, as the guardian of their salvation? For to go to the Father is nothing else than to be received into the heavenly glory, in order to possess the highest authority. This is held out to them, therefore, as a solace and remedy of grief, that, though Christ be absent from them in body, yet he will sit at the right hand of the Father, to protect believers by his power.”[1] “... 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.” Because of Jesus’ departure, they would receive more benefits which would be accrued to every believer. These would come from the Spirit of God who would arrive at Jesus’ departure.
To imagine this in an illustration Gangel says, “Imagine a mother of two children whose husband has been away on business. She must go to the airport to pick him up. She informs the children that they will be alone at home for three or four hours while she makes this lengthy trip across the city. They do not want her to leave; they fear what might happen to them; they want to go with her. But for a variety of reasons she must go alone. She assures them that all will be better for the family when she returns with their father, whom they have missed. The anticipation and reluctance of those children can be magnified many times by the sadness of the disciples on this occasion.”[2] They were sad, but Someone was coming to give them what they needed.
[1] Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentary on the Gospel according to John (Vol. 2, p. 136). Logos Bible Software.
[2] Gangel, K. O. (2000). John (Vol. 4, p. 299). Broadman & Holman Publishers.