The Advocate Will Teach Everything—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost Sunday, C (John 14)

 

John 14:8-17, 25-27 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. ¹⁷ This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

²⁵ “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

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                As we gather on Pentecost Sunday, the Revised Common Lectionary invites us to stay in the Gospel of John. Again, we return to Jesus’ Farewell Discourse. The reading for the day is viewed as John’s version of the Pentecost story. It is here in the Farewell Discourse that Jesus speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit, though John uses the word paraklēton (paraclete) to describe the promised one who will be with the disciples forever.

                When we think of Pentecost Sunday, our thoughts likely go to the story found in Acts 2. In that story, the followers of Jesus have gathered in an upper room to pray. This particular day happens to be when Jews gather to celebrate the harvest festival of Pentecost. According to Luke’s story, the city is filled with pilgrims when the Holy Spirit blows into the community like a mighty wind, empowering them to proclaim the good news in the various languages of the people milling around down below. This leads to a sermon, conversions, baptisms, and the birth of the church (Acts 2). I have engaged this text in many a Pentecost Sunday sermon. It is definitive. Yet, the Gospel of John has something important to say about the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is also a much quieter version than the one we read in Acts 2, since in John 20, the risen Jesus breathes the Spirit onto his disciples and then sends them out into the world with the power of forgiveness (Jn. 20:19-23). 

                With this reading, we return to the night before Jesus’ death on the cross. He shared a meal with the disciples, washed their feet, and then began a final teaching session. Our reading is part of that final teaching session. The reading begins in verse 8, with Philip’s request that Jesus show them the Father. Jesus’ answer suggests he is a bit perturbed by this request. “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:8-9). Jesus is the human face of God. He is the Word of God in the flesh. That is the message of the prologue (Jn. 1:1-14). It may be a message that is difficult to comprehend, but it is the message John has been conveying from the beginning. Jesus continues by asking Philip and his companions whether he believes that he is in the Father and the Father is in him. Why? Because the words of Jesus are not his own but those of the Father who dwells in Jesus. We see this message repeated throughout the Farewell address, including Jesus’ “high priestly prayer” (Jn. 17). If you have questions about whether the Father dwells in Jesus, just look at his works. These are signs that God is at work in and through Jesus.

                After making this claim, Jesus continues by letting the disciples know that if they believe in him, they will do the same works. In fact, they will do greater works than he did to that point. That is because Jesus is going to the Father, and he will do whatever they ask of him in his name “so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Now, we need to be careful with this promise. This is not one of those “name it and claim it promises” the prosperity preachers speak of. The point here is that when we act in the name of Jesus, and by that he means acting in the spirit of Jesus, he will be present in those actions. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in.   

                Jesus then tells them that if they love him, they will keep his commandments. He had just given them the commandment to love one another, so one would assume that by loving one another, they love Jesus. If they do this, then Jesus will ask the Father to send the Advocate (paraklētos) to be with them forever. Here is John’s version of the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which we celebrate on Pentecost Sunday. The translation here of Advocate is important in that it speaks in large part of the Spirit’s role as mediator between God and humanity. The Spirit will advocate on our behalf. We might draw here upon Paul’s word about the Spirit’s role in interceding when we do not know how to pray (Rom. 8:26-27).

                Not only does the Holy Spirit serve as our Advocate/mediator, but the Holy Spirit is truth. It is interesting that in our own age, which is often called a “post-truth” age, with alternate facts being prominent in our political/cultural milieu, John describes the Holy Spirit/Advocate as the spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive because it neither knows nor sees him. However, Jesus tells the disciples that they know the spirit of truth because the Advocate/Holy Spirit abides in them and will be with them. Thus, if we are to be followers of Jesus in whom the Holy Spirit abides, then surely, we must be people who embrace the truth, wherever it leads. In other words, at least in my view, to be a follower of Jesus does not allow for the kinds of anti-intellectualism present in our world that rejects the fruits of modern science.  

                The Revised Common Lectionary offers verses 25-27 as an optional addition. It is an addition worth considering because it provides a fuller picture of the Advocate that John’s Jesus speaks of. It is the Holy Spirit who will teach them and remind them of what he has taught them. Part of Jesus’ message here to his disciples is that while he must depart, he is abandoning them. He will remain present to them through the Holy Spirit, who will abide in them. That earlier word about doing greater works is a reminder that during his earthly life, Jesus was limited geographically. But his followers, who abide in the Spirit of Truth, can go forth into the world, led by and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to continue the work Jesus began during his earthly life.    

                The final word is found in verse 27. It is a word of blessing that speaks of a peace that surpasses understanding: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” So don’t be troubled or afraid, even if Jesus must depart. Be at peace, because they will not be alone. Therefore, as Stephanie Crumpton writes:

 When peace is this steadfast, the love we are called to demonstrate to the people of God cannot be weak or sentimental. Rather, it is a strong, deep, and healing love that brings us into communion with God and one another. This love is the sort of miracle that reminds us daily of the ongoing power of Christ at work in this world.  [Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship: 2 ( WJK Books, Kindle p. 335).]

Amen!