This is one of my favorite sections of Scripture. But before I go any further, let me shoutout Ryker (The Hamonator) Hampton who will proof-read this devotion as soon as it is published and will point out an obvious grammatical er,ror.
PROOF:
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
To keep the commandments is to accept that often it means willingly lowering yourself for the sake of another. To love like Jesus is to serve.
For example: When the God of all creation washed feet in John 13.
Please note: This is a conditional statement. IF... YOU WILL.
And you probably don't like that I'm saying that, but I think too often in our efforts to remain pure from "works righteousness" we take for granted the works of the righteous. They don't merit your salvation, at all.
But where the saved are, there you should find good works.
16 "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
This is the paraclete from the Greek word "parakletos". This is the advocate, the intercessor. One who acts on your behalf and defends you. Imagine a courtroom, there's the one who prosecutes you, accuses, attacks you, levies condemnation against you.
And there's the Paraclete. Your defender, your rebuff against the accuser. A perfect lawyer.
Jesus was the first Helper sent. And now, this Spirit of truth that is being given is of the same nature, for the same purposes. This Spirit will guide you, teach you, reveal to you the truth about God, about His Son, and about His plan for salvation.
I was curious to know whether or not the word used for "dwell" in verse 17 was the same used in John 1:14... ἐσκήνωσεν which means "to encamp or tabernacle" that have some obvious connections to the OT tabernacle. It is not, and yet, I still like to think of the Spirit of God, His abiding presence, making its earthly tabernacle in Christ's disciples forever.
Whereas, in the OT, there were instances where God's presence was seen "leaving the building". For instance, the presence of God leaves the Temple in Ezekiel's vision in chapter 10. When God's presence was removed from amongst His people, it was a decidedly bad thing. But you do not need to have that fear.
Our world cannot receive the Spirit of truth, which should tell you something about our world. About our world's claims regarding truth.
Jesus makes exclusive truth claims. A lot of the world would tell you there's a subjectivity to truth. Jesus disagrees.
This often puts us in a difficult position of having to openly disagree with the world's truth, which does not feel very good and it doesn't make us very well liked. Jesus will have more to say on this in John 15.
For extra reading: A former professor of mine named Leopoldo Sanchez has some really great theology on the Son and the Spirit. Click here for a link to some of his stuff on Amazon.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you."
Imagine a father comforting his children in a difficult situation.
Which might seem weird because these are grown men. But at this time, they understand only as children do, which is to say "not very well".
But they're clinging to these promises because of who is making the promise. And that's not all that different for us, in my opinion.
In the grand scheme of things, I understand very little. But I know the guy making the promises and because of the Spirit I have received, that's somehow enough for me.
There's a lot happening in verse 20, but I'll try and simplify it: To see the Father, is to see the Son, to see the Son, is to see His disciples through the Spirit.
21 "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
The righteous in faith live righteously.
There is great benefit and reward to obedience.
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me."
Judas (not Iscariot) asks a pretty reasonable question. "Lord, if you're going away, how then are we going to see You?"
Jesus more or less repeats Himself. Love Me. Keep my Word. In My Word, the Spirit richly dwells. And where the Spirit dwells, there the Father and the Son dwell. This is incredible Trinitarian theology. I don't care how many scholarly papers, theological books, or how well you've studied the Augsburg Confession, this is as good as it gets.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." 27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I."
One of the last things Jesus offers to them, before His death, is peace.
And the first thing He offers to them when He comes to them after the Resurrection is peace.
In Luke's account of Jesus' Resurrected appearance to the disciples, Jesus more or less repeats His words here... "Peace be with you... Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?" I have come to you! I promised you I would.
He'll go on to say in Luke 24, "These are my words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms." The text goes on to say, "He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."
Well, John gives us a little more insight about how their minds were opened. Just like in Luke, Jesus opens by saying, "Peace be with you." But in John's Resurrection appearance, the following text is included, "...he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"
Pentecost -- In Acts 2 -- is the full outpouring of the Spirit upon the disciples. And you see the effects immediately in a guy like Peter! This is a guy who often just didn't get it, but by the power of the Spirit, he is able to preach one of the greatest sermons of all time.
It is that breathing out of the Spirit upon them, that makes understanding possible. The Spirit allows them (and us) to receive Christ, to see Him, to remember all that He had taught them (and us).
Jesus now intercedes for us, before the Father, which you can read about in Hebrews 7... Plus, I'll throw in a link to a podcast I did about Hebrews 7. Click here. (By the way, I apologize for the appearance of myself and my co-host, Jack. This was recorded in the bowels of the lockdown.)
29 "And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here."
If you've ever doubted the wide-spread power and corrupt influence of the evil one, let this verse assure you that his tendrils are everywhere.
But not in Jesus. He has no claim on Jesus. And because you are in Christ, and Christ is in you, He has no claim on you.
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