King James Bible
"Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."
Jesus reminds his disciples of his earlier promise about his departure through death and his return through resurrection and the Spirit. This frames his leaving not as abandonment but as part of a divine plan that includes reunion. Jesus challenges the disciples' sorrow by suggesting true love would celebrate his return to glory rather than mourn his physical absence. His going to the Father accomplishes their salvation and enables the sending of the Holy Spirit. Within his incarnate state and earthly mission, Jesus acknowledges the Father's positional authority while maintaining divine unity. This statement reflects the Son's voluntary submission in his role as mediator, not an inequality of divine essence.