John 14:17-18. that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
So far in John 14, we have seen the foundational truth of the union of the Father and the Son. Now in vss 17-18, we discover another foundational truth. The Holy Spirit is united with the Son. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” Here He said, “When you receive the Holy Spirit, you will have Me as your Father dwelling with and in you.” Notice the verb tenses. You know the Holy Spirit now because He abides with you now in me. You know Him now because He that is with you now will be in you later.
In contrast, the world can’t receive the Holy Spirit because the world doesn’t see or know Him. The world who can’t receive the Holy Spirit is the same world for which Jesus doesn’t intercede in His prayer to the Father recorded in John 17:9. “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours.” The presence of the Holy Spirit is the sure sign that you belong to the Father, that you are not orphans, that you are not of this world, but are one of His household of which He spoke in vs. 2. Jesus’ promise to come to them is a repeat of His promise in vs. 3. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.” This leads us to conclude that the primary truth Jesus has in mind isn’t our being with Him in heaven, but His being with and in His family here on the earth. This is only possible after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and glorification. John explained this in 7:39. “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Let this amaze us who have the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwelling with us. Jesus has come to us because He has been glorified by the Father for His work on the cross. This place was prepared for us by our Lord. To God be the glory! That’s why we live to love with Jesus.
Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com
