The Spirit Of Christ

If we want to discover the spirit of a country, then we need simply explore how it reacts to a major event, such as a natural disaster, a financial crisis, or a painful war.

Likewise, we can uncover the spirit of a person by seeing how they endure a crisis, watching how they display their true colours as they instinctively react to difficult and painful events.

For this reason, the night before Jesus’ death gives us a remarkable and candid insight into the spirit of Christ, as we see what was at his heart as he approached his crucifixion.

What he said and did on his final night was a powerful and intimate display of his spirit.

We saw this in how he acted to humbly serve his disciples, and how he then dedicated himself to caring for them and their grief, even as he approached unimaginable suffering of his own.

Yet, the most significant event of that darkest night was when Jesus spoke of how the Father would send the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, upon his disciples:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.” (John 14:16-17)

Jesus revealed his spirit in more ways than one: he showed what was at his heart, but more than that, he revealed what life would be like when his Holy Spirit was poured out on them bringing comfort, assurance, and an empowerment to boldly proclaim the gospel.

Over the next two months we’re looking at John chapters 13 to 16, and as we witness Jesus’ reaction to his coming death, we’ll also see the blessing of receiving his promised Holy Spirit.

JODIE McNEILL