John 14:28-31 – You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’ for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you may believe. I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

Jesus says here that if the disciples loved Him, they would have been happy because Jesus is going back to the Father because He is greater. This tells us two things. First, the disciples didn’t really love Jesus correctly yet, and second, Jesus was not as great as the Father. Both of these things may be difficult to understand so I want to talk a little more about them.

The disciples were not really able to love Jesus correctly yet because, as we now know, the Holy Spirit hadn’t come and given them the power to love the way Jesus was expecting them to love. We need God to live His life in us or else we can’t live the way He wants us to. We are completely dependent on Him to do what is right.

Secondly, Jesus was in an “un-glorified” state. He had been reduced to human form to be with us, experience what we experience, live a sinless life, and die as our sacrifice for sin. He was still God, but at this time, the Father was greater. If the disciples had understood that Jesus would be going back to the Father and be “glorified” they would have known that it would have been the best thing for the one that they cared so much for. It would also give them an “insider” to the throne of the Father. That is really what we need! God can take care of all of these little problems here on earth, but the problem in our hearts was keeping Him from being able to be close to us.

Now, our relationship problem has been solved and God is committed to helping us.