Jesus promised his followers that he would not leave them as orphans (John 14:18), which may have seemed strange for them at the time. At this point in their discipleship journey they probably had very little idea of what was to come - they didn't yet understand the pain and heartache that lay in the future. However, I am sure that these words from Jesus (v.18) came back to them, as they grieved his death.
It is interesting that the Greek word 'orphanos' is used in this instance, which is easy for us to see how we come up with the English word 'orphan.' Most scholars believe that what Jesus was saying was deeper than, "I won't leave you without a Father," but that it could also mean, "I won't leave you without a teacher."
We should remember that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is that He is our teacher and He helps us to understand the words of Scripture. I love the fact that the person of the Holy Spirit is so multi-faceted, that He is hard to confine to a single definition.
Thought: In what way have you experienced the Spirit as a Father or as a teacher?
Living in Grace
D3LM3
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