Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (2 page)

Jesus used His final moments with the disciples to dispel all fear and insecurity they might have felt about following the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

I want to draw your attention to a very important word in this verse — the word “another.” In Greek, there are two possible words for “another.” The first is the Greek word
allos
, and the second is the Greek word
heteros.
The word
allos
means
one of the very same kind; same character; same everything
; or
nearly a duplicate
. The second word,
heteros
, means
one of another kind
or
one of a different kind.
This word
heteros
forms the first part of the word
heterosexual,
which, of course, describes someone who has sexual relations with a person of the opposite sex.

The Greek word used in John 14:16 is the first word,
allos
. The word
allos
emphatically means that
the Holy Spirit would be like Jesus in every way.
This conveys a very strong and important message about the Holy Spirit. Jesus wanted the disciples to know that the Holy Spirit was just like Him. Following the Holy Spirit wouldn’t be any different than following Him, except the Spirit’s leadership would be invisible rather than physical and visible, as Jesus’ leadership had been.

John 14:16 could thus be translated to mean:
“I will pray the Father, and He will send you Someone who is just like Me in every way. He will be identical to Me in the way He speaks, the way He thinks, the way He operates, the way He see things, and the way He does things. He will be exactly like Me in every way. If the Holy Spirit is here, it will be just as if I am here because We think, behave, and operate exactly the same.”

Earlier in John 14, Philip told the Lord, “…Shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us” (John 14:8). Jesus answered, “…Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father” (John 14:9).

Jesus was the exact image of the Father when He walked on this earth. Hebrews 1:3 (
AMP
) declares, “He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature….” This means Jesus reflected the character of His Heavenly Father in every way. That is why Jesus told Philip, “…He that hath seen me hath seen the Father….”

Although the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each distinct Members of the Godhead, there is only one God, and each Person of the Godhead shares the same substance and essence. So if you see Jesus, you see the Father. By looking at Jesus, you can discover the Father’s will. Jesus did and said exactly what the Father would do and say. His life, attitudes, and actions were the absolute manifested will of the Father, for the two were united in nature, in character, in thought, and in deed.

As Jesus teaches the disciples about the Holy Spirit, He takes this truth one step further. Just as Jesus is the exact image of the Father in every way, now Jesus unmistakably tells the disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will exactly represent Jesus in every word. That’s why the word
allos
is used to make this point. It leaves no room for doubt that the Holy Spirit will be exactly like Jesus.

The word
allos
tells us the Holy Spirit perfectly represents the life and nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus did only what the Heavenly Father would do, and now the Holy Spirit will do only what Jesus would do. As Jesus’ Representative on earth, the Holy Spirit never acts on His own or out of character with the life of Jesus Christ.

You see, the Spirit of God was sent to bring us the life of Jesus. Just as Jesus told Philip, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father,” now He is telling us, “If you have the Holy Spirit, it will be just as if you have Me.”

I’ve often heard Christians ask, “I wonder what it must have been like to walk with Jesus. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to walk with Him and to hear His voice and talk to Him?” But believers who ask these kinds of questions don’t understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If they did, they’d know that having the Holy Spirit with them is just like having Jesus right at their side!

You and I must stop looking backward and grieving over what we missed by not living 2,000 years ago. Instead, we must learn to let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, just as He did in the Early Church. Jesus’ physical absence didn’t stop the early believers from performing miracles, raising the dead, casting out demons, healing the sick, or bringing multitudes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Because the Holy Spirit was with them, the ministry of Jesus continued uninterrupted in their midst.

Never forget — as a child of God, you have the Holy Spirit working within you and alongside you every moment of every day. And because the Holy Spirit is the exact representation of your Lord and Savior, it’s just like having Jesus right there at your side.

Jesus’ last words to His disciples revolved around the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. That’s how serious this message was to Jesus! Since Jesus considered this subject to be so important, why don’t you open your heart to the work of the Spirit today? Let the Holy Spirit represent Jesus to you, your church, your family, your business, and your city, just as He did to believers who lived during the time of the book of Acts.

Your last words to a person, or your final words on a matter, establish a defining moment. Whatever may have transpired before, or whatever may follow afterward, is to be understood and viewed through the lens of those concluding words.

As you consider Jesus’ final words to His disciples, think about those individuals for whom you care deeply. If you knew you were slipping into eternity or permanently changing locations, what would your words be to them, and why?

Jesus gave an in-depth description of the Holy Spirit to His disciples. He even told them it was to their advantage that He was going away, for then the Holy Spirit could come into their lives. Unlike Jesus, who at that time could only be
with
them, the Person of the Holy Spirit would move among Jesus’ followers collectively and dwell within them individually.

Imagine a scenario in your life in light of this knowledge that you have that kind of supernatural help to you. What distinct advantages open up to you as a result of having constant access to a wise Counselor who is willing to help you in every conceivable way and to give you the right solution to every possible situation?

In what specific ways are you pursuing a deeper relationship with the Person of the Holy Spirit?

Chapter 2:
Wounds of Betrayal

Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend or by someone you dearly loved? When it happened, were you
shocked
? Did it feel like that person put a knife in your back by violating your trust and revealing things that should have been kept in confidence? Did you marvel that such a trusted friend could turn out to be so disloyal? Did you wonder,
How in the world could a person so dear and close be used so viciously by the devil to attack me in this way?

It’s painful when a friend betrays you. It’s even worse when the person is your best friend or someone you’ve known and trusted for many years.

Betrayal is something that has happened to people since the beginning of time. It is simply a fact that the devil is a master at distorting and ruining relationships. He knows how to lure people into situations where they end up feeling offended or hurt; then he coaxes them into nurturing their offense until it mutates into strife that separates even the best of friends and the closest family members.

Don’t forget — Satan was kicked out of Heaven because of his unique ability to create confusion, discord, and strife. Heaven is as perfect as an environment can be. Yet in that perfect environment, the devil was still able to affect one-third of the angels with his slanderous allegations against God. Angels who had worshiped together for eons of time now stood opposed to each other over issues the devil had conjured up in their minds.

That should tell you how clever the devil is at creating discord and strife! If the devil is persuasive enough to do this with angels, think how much easier it is for him to deceive people who live in a far-from-perfect environment and who wrestle daily with their own imperfections and self-image!

Satan watches for that opportune moment when a person is tired, weary, or exasperated. Then he waits until someone does something that person doesn’t understand or agree with. Suddenly it is as if the devil shoots a fiery arrow of rage straight into the person’s emotions! Before long, strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, and division begin to mount. Friends who once stood side by side and cherished each other now stand facing each other as hostile rivals.

If this sounds familiar, be encouraged! This same scenario happened to
Jesus
! After working with Judas Iscariot for three years, the devil found his way into Judas’ soul, turning him so sour against Jesus that this disciple became His betrayer.

But we need to ask:
What opened the door for this deception to occur inside Judas?

In John 13:2, the Bible gives us a very powerful insight into the way the devil establishes a foothold in people’s minds. Back in John 12:3-7, Mary brought a pound of spikenard and poured it on Jesus’ feet. Judas thought her act of love was a waste of money and took issue with Jesus about it. But Jesus told Judas to leave Mary alone and allowed her to continue. John 13:2 then tells us, “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.”

What was the exact moment that Satan put this thought into Judas’ heart? Apparently, it was when Judas became offended with Jesus about the spikenard. Perhaps Judas didn’t agree with Jesus’ decision, or maybe he didn’t like the fact that Jesus told him to leave Mary alone. Or maybe it was because Judas was a thief. As the ministry treasurer who stole regularly from the moneybag he held, he probably didn’t like it when money was spent elsewhere instead of being placed in the treasury!