Returning to the Father

Returning to the Father

Throughout these farewell discourses, Jesus has been preparing the disciples for his departure. He has made it increasingly clear that there will be a major division after he has gone. On his side there will be those who remain in his love and in the Father’s by abiding in the vine and loving one another with the Spirit as their ‘helper’. On the other side, there will be opposition—from the world in general, from the Romans and from “the Jews”. These same themes recur in this chapter as the discourse comes to an end, but in the reverse order: it begins with the certainty of opposition, and then moves through the assistance of the Spirit to Jesus’ going away to his Father…