Sat.’s Devo - Jesus’ Intimate Words With His Disciples

Read: John 13:31-15:17; Mark 14:27-31; Matthew 26:31-35; Luke 22:31-38
I read today’s reading out loud to my granddaughter, Alanna. There is something powerful about reading the Word of God out loud. This was Jesus intimate last words with his disciples once Judas had left. Jesus told them that he was going back to the Father and that they would not be able to come now. It must have been hard for them for the truth to set in that he was not going to set up an earthly kingdom and save the day on earth. Little did they realize that they were going to demonstrate the kingdom here on earth after he left. This was a very scary time for them.
Instead of talking about logistics, he talked about loving one another and doing the things he had done and greater. He told them that they would deny him and scatter. They had become a close-knit family with him as their leader. Everything was about to change. He even told them to have a sword and be prepared physically to travel and have to flee.
He promised them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit that has been with them. Now it will be in them like he was in Jesus. Jesus told them that he loved them and would always be with them through the Holy Spirit just as the Father has always been in him. This holy Spirit would teach them everything they needed to know and remind them of everything Jesus told them. That is why we have the gospels that were probably written years after Jesus died and rose. Their job now would be to go and produce good fruit.
That is our commission: to do the things that Jesus did and greater because the Holy Spirit lives in us and to love one another and produce good fruit for the kingdom.
Lord help us to do all of these things.