Better Without Jesus?

For those who are followers of Jesus that title probably sounds a little strange. Can I really be “better without Jesus”? In John chapter 16, Jesus is talking to His disciples and He says the following words: 5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 

I don’t fault the disciples for not understanding what Jesus was saying. They didn’t and couldn’t have understood His death and resurrection. But I’m interested in the phrase, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you”. Could the disciples really be better off without Jesus? Can Jesus’ absence actually be a positive for the disciples? I’m not quite sure I understand everything about what Jesus is saying but I’m pretty sure that I understand one thing. When we become followers of Jesus, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit indwells us, comes to live inside of us. And He goes with us wherever we go.  The presence and power of God are actually with us. While on earth, Jesus confined Himself to a human body. He could only be one place at a time. In the church age, after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit is here with each of us, all around the world and at all times.

This truth doesn’t minimize the importance of the presence of Jesus. Rather, this truth maximizes the importance of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let’s live with the knowledge that God is with us each and every day.