Another Advocate

John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 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.

"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

Commentary

The Holy Spirit who is with us.
The Gospel passage in today’s reading is framed by human anxiety about the absence of Jesus and ultimately about the absence of God.

The Chapter opens with the words, ‘Do not let your heats be troubled…’, Jn 14 v 1; and closes with the passage, ‘Peace I leave with you… …do not be afraid’, Jn 14 v 27). John does not seem to try to deny anxiety or distress, but in the centre of the passage, our reading today, he records a promise confirming that the presence of God will be with us for ever whatever our circumstances. A presence of God which offers us love, comfort, peace and support and which are inextricably intertwined with an obedience to the divine nature and will of God. A command to love, coupled with the requirement for obedience and the promise of the Spirit. The Spirit who assists all believers from the moment of their first encounter with God through on into everlasting life. The Spirit who helps believers to put their faith into action, to love others, to be obedient to God and to have real peace. The Spirit who’s presence is both continuous (right now) and eternal (forever).

As He speaks in this passage Jesus is preparing His disciples for the day when He will no longer be with them as a physical presence, an event we remember on Ascension Day this coming Thursday. On Ascension Day we recall the moment when Jesus seemed to part from His disciples - and from the world. One of the hardest things to do is to part from those we love and it must be even harder when we have to part form someone on whom we have relied. The disciples had come to rely on Jesus. They had shared a common life with Him for three years, they had seen the great things He had done - and found that they shared some of His gift for healing and proclaiming the Kingdom. Jesus had conquered death and many of the disciples probably assumed He would therefore be with them forever. That was not to be the case, Jesus was going to leave them in bodily form, but He was not going to leave them as orphans with no-one to protect them. He would still be with them, but not in a way that they expected or understood. He was to be with them in His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of love and truth which comes from the Father and the Son, the third Person of the divine Trinity. The Spirit through which He is with us. The Spirit through which we are able to enter into eternal life.

There are various translations for the word Holy Spirit (Paracletos) which are used in the original Greek version of the passage for the Holy Spirit. Comforter, advocate and “someone who walks with you to give comfort, counsel, or strength in time of need” are all used. The Holy Spirit was to comfort the disciples in their time of sorrow, loss and fear. He would be their advocate as they sought justice for the alienated and mercy from God. He would walk with them at all times, leading, guiding and supporting them on our journey through into eternity.

In Bette Midler’s song, ‘From a distance’, the lyrics speak of a God who is watching us from a distance. This may be true and God may indeed be watching us from a distance. But He is not a distant God. He is here with is now through His Holy Spirit in a relationship which is close, intimate and real. As we experience that relationship, the same relationship as the disciples experienced, we begin to catch a glimpse of what it means when Jesus says, "On that day, you will understand that I am in My Father - and you in Me and I in you”. Understand that those who love God and follows Jesus' commands will know and be loved by God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Understand that they will be in God, and God will be in them. Understand that through the Holy Spirit we become no less than part of the mortal and divine nature of God Himself.
Sam Cappleman.