Module 7 · Lesson 33
Glorification and Pentecost
Why the Spirit was "not yet" given.
18 minutes
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"But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:39)
- Ask why John says the Spirit "was not yet" given
- Compare this with the Spirit of Christ in the prophets (1 Peter 1:11)
- Follow the link between Jesus' glorification and the giving of the Spirit
- Discover why the Comforter had to be a "Divine-Human" Spirit
- See the beautiful Old Testament typology of Pentecost
Start with a question The Spirit was at work in the Old Testament. The prophets had the Spirit's power. The disciples had the Spirit's power during Jesus' earthly ministry. So why does John say in John 7:39, "the Holy Ghost was not yet given"?
John's explanation "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" (John 7:38–39)
John gives a specific reason: because Jesus was not yet glorified. And Jesus says the exact same thing: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." (John 16:7)
The Spirit would not come in this new, promised fullness until Jesus went to the Father and was glorified.
An apparent problem Peter says the Spirit of Christ was already in the prophets: "Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." (1 Peter 1:11)
So the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets, and yet the Spirit "was not yet" because Christ was not yet glorified. How do these fit?
It is not a matter of quantity; it is a matter of quality. The Spirit of Christ had always been present, but now it comes as the Spirit of the One who has lived human life, faced human temptation, died human death, and risen in glorified humanity. John is speaking of something entirely new that came into being through the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.
The link between glorification and the Spirit Look at the prayer in John 17. Jesus is hours away from the cross:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12) “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:4–5) “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” (1 Peter 1:10–12)
Jesus says He has glorified the Father "on the earth"—in human flesh. He asks the Father to glorify Him "with thine own self." Peter says at Pentecost what happened next:
"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2:32–33)
Three things happened:
- Jesus was exalted by the Father.
- He received from the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost.
- He shed it forth on His people.
The Father gives, and the Son pours out. This is the exact same pattern we have seen all through the course: of whom and by whom.
The Son's humanity and the Comforter Why did it have to happen this way? Why couldn't God just send a "third person" from heaven?
Because the Comforter must be able to sympathize with us. The Spirit we receive is not just the eternal, untouched divine Spirit; it is the Spirit of the One who lived our life. As The Indwelling Hope highlights, the humanity of Christ is the absolute key to the impartation of the Comforter. Without the humanity of Christ, there would be no Comforter as the One promised by Jesus.
Hebrews teaches that Jesus' experience as a human being qualified Him to help us:
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:10) “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:14–18) “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:45–48)
"For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted" (Hebrews 2:18). The Comforter who comes to dwell in you knows what it means to be human. He knows what it means to be tempted. He has been where you are.
Paul writes: "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45)
He calls Christ "the last Adam" and "the second man" (v. 47). The names stress His humanity. The risen Christ, the God-Man, is the source of life for those who are His. The Word was made flesh to dwell among us, and the flesh was made a quickening spirit to dwell in us.
Two illustrations (not proofs) Some have found a beautiful picture of Pentecost in two Old Testament scenes. We offer them as illustrations of this profound truth.
1. Aaron's anointing.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalms 133:1–3)
The oil ran from the head (Christ) down to the body (the church). In the same way, the Spirit poured out on Christ, the Head, flows to His body, the church (Ephesians 1:22–23; 4:15–16).
2. The sprinkling of blood.
“For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:” (Hebrews 9:13) “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:15) “Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.” (Hebrews 9:18)
At Sinai, Moses sprinkled the blood of the covenant on the people (Hebrews 9:19–20). Blood represents life (Leviticus 17:11). Jesus said of the cup: "This cup is the new testament in my blood" (Luke 22:20). In the new covenant, the people do not just receive a set of rules; they receive the life of Christ, sprinkled into their very hearts.
Where this leaves us Paul brings it all together: "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." (Ephesians 4:10) "Christ, who is our life." (Colossians 3:4) "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life." (1 John 5:11–12)
What the Father gives, He gives in His Son. The Spirit we receive at Pentecost is not a substitute for Jesus. It is the very life of the glorified Son, in whom the Father dwells, poured out to fill all things.
- John 7:39 ties the giving of the Spirit to Jesus' glorification.
- Jesus had to go away, be glorified in His humanity, and return to the Father for the Comforter to come.
- Jesus received the promise of the Spirit from the Father and poured it out.
- The Comforter is the "Divine-Human" Spirit of the risen Christ, able to sympathize with our temptations because He lived our life.
- The Spirit we receive comes from the Father, through the Son, and is the very life of the Son dwelling in us.
- How does knowing that the Comforter has "been where I am" and faced human temptation change how I pray when I am struggling?
- What does "the last Adam was made a quickening spirit" tell me about the nature of the Holy Spirit?
- How does the illustration of the oil running from the head to the body help me understand my connection to Christ?
Acts 2:33
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If the Holy Spirit is the Father's Spirit given through the Son, what does "Christ in you" mean for daily life? How do we receive it, and how does it grow? That is the question of Module 8.