The resurrection of Jesus is a glorious topic, and there is so much to learn from that doctrine. But for today's communion meditation I want to show how His going away and sending the Spirit was to our advantage, and His spiritual presence with us is a glorious part of the meaning of the Lord's Table. In John 16 Jesus had been giving a great deal of instruction at this last communion meal. And in John 16 verse 7 He speaks both of His physical absence (very significant!) as well as His Spiritual presence. John 16:7 says, "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." This verse is packed with doctrine. It supports the Filioque Clause in the Nicene Creed that we just recited that says the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. There are enormous implications of that doctrine, and we won't have time to deal with them. If you are interested, you can read about it in Rushdoony's Foundations of Social Order. This verse also demonstrates the unity and indivisibility of the Holy Trinity. It also opposes subordinationism among the Persons of the Trinity. It also shows the differences in role between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It informs our Christology, the changes that have come to the New Covenant, the Lord's Table, etc. And so, like I say, this verse is absolutely packed with doctrine. And we won't examine them all of those implications.
But today I want to look at the implications of Jesus leaving and the Spirit coming. In what sense did Jesus go away? He did not go away as to His deity. As to His deity He is omnipresent, right? As to His deity, He promised, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." So He didn't go away as to His deity. He was always with them. Instead, He went away as to His humanity. He was saying that His body would be absent from them. As to His humanity, He is seated at the right hand of the Father. His body is not omnipresent or it wouldn't be a body. I think this verse is obviously a testimony against both the Roman Catholic and the Lutheran view that Christ's body is present with us and is eaten by us. And most Protestants say, "No. As to His body, He is absent." This verse completely contradicts the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.
Second, Jesus says, It is to your advantage that I go away... So when we deny the physical presence in the sacrament and we speak of the Spiritual presence in the sacrament, we are not talking about a second best. Jesus says that we have it far better than the disciples did when Jesus was still physically present. It is the Reformed view of His Spiritual presence and His human absence that is advantageous to us.
Third, Jesus says, "If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send Him to you." Christ's death, resurrection and ascension to His throne purchased and guaranteed the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in the church. The Holy Spirit is not just given to extraordinary men and women in the New Testament era like He was in the Old Testament era. Now His presence is guaranteed for all believers. These visible elements in the Lord's Table are the reminder that all that was needed to receive the Holy Spirit has been purchased by Jesus. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to those who ask. That means that this is not just the age of the Messiah, it is also the age of the Holy Spirit. True, the Holy Spirit was given in provisional ways in the Old Testament, but He was given in fullness only in the New Testament. And in the Lord's Table we claim the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Of course, I began this service by asking that the Holy Spirit would be poured out in His fullness upon you. It is something that we should regularly pray for.
And then, finally, the Holy Spirit is being sent as our Helper. I love that name for the Holy Spirit -- our Helper. He helps us in our weakness. He helps us to do the things that we are not able to do on our own. He empowers and enables us. Helping us is not just something that we hope might happen. Helping us is so close to His heart that He calls Himself our Helper. That's one of His names. Praise God!
So as we come to the Lord's Table, let's not feel gipped, deprived, or cheated that we don't have the physical presence of Jesus with us. We celebrate what His body and blood accomplished and when He says, "this is my body" and "this is My blood" to the disciples, He wasn't saying that His body was omnipresent. He says that we are much more advantaged that His physical presence is in now in heaven, not on earth. And we are advantaged because we have the overflow of the Holy Spirit in His giftings and graces. Let's lay claim to the Holy Spirit in this meal, and let's commit to walking in His power. Amen.