Session 22: November 19, 2022
Scripture Reading: John 14:15-31
15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments. 16 Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept because it does not see him or know him. But you know him because he resides with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you. 19 In a little while the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. 20 You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. 21 The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.”
22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. 24 The person who does not love me does not obey my words. And the word you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.
25 “I have spoken these things while staying with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.
27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father because the Father is greater than I am. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me, 31 but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up, let us go from here.
Main Themes
If You Love Me, You Will Obey My Commandments
To love is to obey. That is certain to evoke a nearly visceral reaction in our modern culture. Honestly, I think that for us modern readers (myself included) even understanding such a statement is difficult. That is why we should take a minute to explore it in detail.
Let’s consider this statement from two angles.
Covenantal Terms
First, let’s remember the Old Testament background to statements of love and hate. In the Old Testament we find God making covenants with people, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, and David. These bĕrît were common in the ancient Near East. So common, in fact, they followed a particular format. We do this kind of standardization today with common contracts as well, such as with bills of sale. Covenants also used particular language. We also do this today. Have you ever read a deed? It probably includes a phrase such as “conveys to Grantee to have and to hold it to Grantee and Grantee’s heirs, successors, and assigns forever.” Someone unfamiliar with our legal system may not understand that such language is legalese for “convey in fee simple.” What are we missing when we read ancient covenants? Consider the following quotation:
Blessings were another important feature of a bĕrît. These were the benefits promised if the contract were maintained. Curses were the consequences if the contract were violated. Covenant loyalty (“lovingkindness” or ḥesed) was the objective of the agreement. The parity treaties report that the partners are now brothers; the suzerain/vassal covenants speak of the parties as father/son or lord/servant. To abide by the contract with one’s suzerain was to love him, and to betray the suzerain or to fail to keep his stipulations was to hate him. Is any of this language sounding familiar? It should be! The Bible is riddled with it. Why? Because this is the terminology associated with the international politics of the ancient Near East, and the Bible is describing Israel’s relationship to Yahweh in terms of a bĕrît. Yahweh has become Israel’s suzerain and Israel has become his vassal. Richter, Sandra L.. The Epic of Eden (p. 79). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition [emphasis added].
Forgive me for belaboring the point, but we really need to understand covenants in some detail before the “New Covenant” really makes sense to us. For that, let’s consider the format of the Old Covenant—the suzerain/vassal covenant that God made with his people Israel:
I. Preamble/Title: “I am Yahweh your God . . .” Gives title of superior party Exod 20:2a; Deut 5:6a
II. Historical Prologue: “. . . who brought you up out of the land Furnishes the basis of obligation of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” and the motive for accepting the covenant’s stipulations as binding Exod 20:2b; Deut 5:6b (cf. Deut 1—3)
III. Stipulations/Obligations Imposed: “You shall have no other gods before me. . . .” Exod 20:3-17; Deut 5:7-21 (cf. Deut 12—26)
IV. Deposition and Provision for Periodic Reading of the Treaty Before the People: Treaty text archived in the temple of the vassal’s chief deity (i.e., the witness to his oath)
“Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand . . .” (Ex 32:15) “. . . and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give you.” (Ex 25:21; cf. Ex 40:20; Deut 10:5) “At the end of every seven years . . . when all Israel comes to appear before Yahweh your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, in order that they may hear and learn and fear Yahweh your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.” (Deut 31:10-12; cf. Ex 24:7; Josh 8:30-35)
V. List of Witnesses: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today . . .” The deities of both parties are summoned to act as witnesses to the oaths taken Deut 4:26; 30:19-20; 31:28
VI. Curses and Blessings: “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you will obey Yahweh your God . . . But if you will not obey Yahweh your God . . . all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.” Deut 27:11–28:68 These acts of treaty-making were sealed by means of a ratification ceremony involving oath and sacrifice (Ex 24:3-8; cf. Gen 15:17-21; Jer 34:17-20; Mt 27:22-25). [emphasis added]
Richter, Sandra L.. The Epic of Eden (pp. 83-84). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
It is in this covenantal context that we find one of the most well-known verses of the whole Bible:
You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
As a clarification, I am not claiming that all references to love and hate in the Old or New Testaments are part of covenantal language. They are certainly not. However, when they are, we need to make sure we understand how the meaning can be affected.
The New Covenant—the covenant that God makes with all believers in Christ is also a suzerain/vassal covenant. It can be expressed in the same format as before. I encourage you to take each of the six sections above and fill in the blanks for the New Covenant.
What is the point of all this extended discussion on covenants? A covenant is a deal, like an ancient contract. Both sides have responsibilities. There are benefits for following the deal and penalties for breaching it. And notice that in this deal, one who follows the deal is said to love the other party. In covenantal terms, obedience does not result from love, obedience is love. So to say, “if you love me, you will obey my commandments” is nearly to express a tautology.
Of course, the New Covenant is quite a one-sided deal. Christ is the sacrifice by which the contract is sealed (see part VI above) and nearly all the stipulations (see part III above) are placed on Christ too. He must be perfect and fulfill the law, not us. What do we have to do? Believe. No more, no less. But if we really believe in someone or something, won’t that affect our behavior? Absolutely. This takes us into the next point.
Faith Implies Obedience
Let’s consider this verse from a different angle. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus encourages his disciples to persevere. I do not mean only the twelve disciples, but all the people who place their faith in Jesus. Throughout the story many fall away. Jesus requires too much for them.
Consider what that means. What does disobedience imply? A lack of trust. An example is useful. If I were invited to go bungee jumping, there would come a point when I am standing before a great fall. I am told, “jump!” Assume I don’t. I just stand there. I cannot get over the fear that the elastic rope will snap. I step away from the edge and go home. What went wrong? I did not have faith in the rope. I did not believe in the rope.
Those who love Jesus will obey his commandments because they trust him. They trust that what Jesus says is good is truly good and worthwhile. They trust that what Jesus says is bad is truly bad and worth avoiding. They believe Jesus words about this life and the next.
Christians are often accused of obeying out of fear. The accusation is not completely wrong. Leaving questions of salvation aside for a moment, God designed the world a certain way. Opposing that design will generally have bad consequences, which we are right to fear. But notice that the overarching reason to obey is trust. If a doctor I trusted told me I needed to take some vitamin every day, I would do it even if I did not know what would happen if I did not. There might be no fear of consequences, but there would be trust that following his directions would lead to a better life.
He Will Give You Another Advocate
Once Jesus departs, he tells the disciples, the Father will send another “advocate.” At least that is the word used by the translation we are using. Other translations may use a different word. Here’s translator note 37 from the NET Bible, which sets up the issue quite well:
Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklētos). Finding an appropriate English translation for παράκλητος is a very difficult task. No single English word has exactly the same range of meaning as the Greek word. “Comforter,” used by some of the older English versions, appears to be as old as Wycliffe. But today it suggests a quilt or a sympathetic mourner at a funeral. “Counselor” is adequate, but too broad, in contexts like “marriage counselor” or “camp counselor.” “Helper” or “Assistant” could also be used, but could suggest a subordinate rank. “Advocate,” the word chosen for this translation, has more forensic overtones than the Greek word does, although in John 16:5-11 a forensic context is certainly present. Because an “advocate” is someone who “advocates” or supports a position or viewpoint and since this is what the Paraclete will do for the preaching of the disciples, it was selected in spite of the drawbacks.
We could get caught up in the weeds of this translation dilemma. For example, the translation of “Consoler” dates back at least to Origen (circa 200 AD). The “Comforter” translation dates back to the Wycliffe translation (circa 1390). The translation “Advocate” is arguably most consistent with Rabbinic uses of the term. At the end of the day, the context should dictate the proper translation. And which translation fits the context best? That is tough to answer. Instead, let’s explore this idea of the Paraclete in more detail. A great starting point is to ask: how does the Paraclete compare with Jesus?
Paraclete Christ
14:16 given by the father 3:16
14:16–17 with, in, by the disciples 3:22; 13:33; 14:20
14:17 not received by the world 1:11; 5:53 [sic:43]; (12:48)
14:17 not known by world (only believers) 16:3; 8:19; 10:14
14:17 not seen by world (only believers) 14:19; 16:16–17
14:26 sent by the Father cf. chs. 5, 7, 8, 12
14:26 teaches 7:14–15; 8:20; 18:19
15:26; 16:7, 13 he comes (from the Father into world) 5:43; 16:28; 18:37
15:26 gives testimony 5:31ff.; 8:13ff.; 7:7
16:8 convicts the world (3:19f.; 9:41; 15:22)
16:13 speaks not from self but from what is heard 7:17; 8:26ff.; 14:10
16:14 glorifies his sender 12:28; 17:1, 4
16:13ff. reveals, discloses, proclaims 4:25; (16:25)
16:13 leads into fulness of truth 18:37; 14:6
15:26; 14:17; 16:13 is Spirit of truth/is truth 14:6
14:16 (etc.) a Paraclete (14:16); 1 John 2:1
Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John : 2 Volumes (p. 965). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (citing Burge)
The proximity, or better yet, the continuity between Jesus and the Paraclete is incredible. The Paraclete is like another Jesus. And that is exactly the point. Jesus has not “abandon[ed] us as orphans.” He is with us in a real way. Indeed, he is in us. (John 14:20)
The Paraclete is not simply a personification of Wisdom. Notice how closely the Apostle Paul identifies the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God:
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. 11 Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:8-11, emphasis added)
Did you catch the striking looseness of Paul’s language? He goes from the Spirit, to the Spirit of God, to the Spirit of Christ, to Christ! And then back to the Spirit! God, Christ, and the Spirit all act in concert, on behalf of one another. So Paul can confidently claim that to have the Spirit is to have Christ is to have God.
The point I am trying to make is that the Paraclete is not some kind of metaphor, like a personification of Wisdom. The Paraclete is God. The Paraclete is one with Jesus and the Father. And the Paraclete is just as personal (as in, it has personhood) as Jesus and the Father.
The last topics of discussion will be the characteristics of the Paraclete that are emphasized in the remaining verses of chapter 14.
Paraclete as the Invisible Successor
Jesus does not abandon us as orphans. He sends the Holy Spirit to continue doing all the jobs Jesus was doing (see the chart above). But the Spirit is invisible to the world. Then how can the Christian mission continue moving forward?
First, we need to understand what John means by “world.” The world refers to those people who are not in Christ. Oftentimes John divides all humanity into two groups: believers and the world. So I will repeat the question above: if nonbelievers cannot see the Paraclete like unbelievers could see Jesus in the flesh, how can they ever come to believe in Jesus?
This brings us to the second successor of Jesus—the Church. I know I am going off script a bit since the Gospel of John does not emphasize the motif of the Church succeeding Christ. This motif is found mostly (although not exclusively) in the writings of Paul. Nonetheless, I must mention it so we get a full picture.
Just like Jesus as a human person has a body and spirit, Jesus’ presence on this earth continues to have a body and spirit—the Church and the Paraclete. That is why we can answer the question above. The “world” cannot see the Spirit, but they can see Jesus’ body, just like they could see Jesus when he walked on the earth. The Church as a body indwelled by the Spirit of God is to continue the work that Jesus started.
Consider the following verses:
Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. 7 To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. 8 For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things.
12 For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body—though many—are one body, so too is Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not a single member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. 16 And if the ear says, “Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. 17 If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell? 18 But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided. 19 If they were all the same member, where would the body be? 20 So now there are many members, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.” 22 On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, 23 and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity, 24 but our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another. 26 If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it. (1 Corinthians 4:26)
Notice that Paul is not using the word body as figuratively as we may use it. We may speak of someone’s “body of work,” in which case the word takes on the meaning “aggregate.” We may also refer to a group using the word “body,” such as a “legislative body.” This second use gets much closer to what Paul means, but it is still not quite there. Paul does not use body as a simple aggregate of all believers or as a synonym for the “group” of believers. He really does mean that we make up a functioning organism. Paul seems to use the word “body” as when we say that many cells make up one human body.
Notice that the Spirit is the one assigning roles (by means of gifts) to each part of the body. That is a key role of the Spirit, which is mentioned albeit in less detail in John 14.
Paraclete To Teach and Remind
In verse 26, we are told that the Paraclete will come to teach and remind of “everything.” The first question, and a rather simple one, is whom will the Paraclete teach and remind? Only the disciples? The context makes clear that the scope is broader. The verses just prior indicate that “anyone who loves [Jesus]” will be loved by the Father, and the Father will “take up residence with him.” The Holy Spirit will teach every believer “everything” and remind every believer of “everything [Jesus] said to [the disciples]”.
The second question, and a more challenging one, is what is the scope of the teaching and reminding? The reminding action is unambiguously limited in the text by the clause “everything I said to you.” What about the teaching action? Can the Holy Spirit teach us new revelation that goes beyond what is revealed in the Bible? Could the Holy Spirit lead us into new revelation that contradicts the Bible? Let me give you some reasons why I do not think that is correct.
First, to what does the phrase “everything I said to you” apply? Above, I said it unambiguously applies to the action of reminding, but that does not mean it cannot apply to something else too. Notice the grammar is ambiguous as to the action of teaching. The phrase could properly apply to one action or both. Therefore, the context will dictate what is being qualified by that phrase.
What is the context? In this section, Jesus repeatedly demands obedience to his commandments. He also portrays the Paraclete as a continuation of Jesus. This alone rules out the possibility that the Spirit would teach anything contradictory to what Jesus taught during his earthly ministry. But this is also a strong indication that the Spirit will act within the confines of Jesus’ words. Put simply, this is strong indication that the Paraclete will “teach you everything [I said to you] and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.”
Additionally, this interpretation of teaching is in line with the Jewish halakah tradition. Halakah was (and still is) the totality of laws and ordinances that evolved since biblical times to regulate religious observances and the daily life and conduct of the Jewish people. Therefore, if we interpret “teaching” as a first century Jew might have done, it would have meant lessons based on the scripture. Perhaps such teaching could go “further” than the scripture in teaching practical applications of it, but not in creating entirely new themes.
Finally, we have John’s other writings to help us decipher this. Consider 1 John 2:18-27
18 Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us.
20 Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you that you do not know the truth, but that you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.
24 As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 Now this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life. 26 These things I have written to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27 Now as for you, the anointing that you received from him resides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as it has taught you, you reside in him.
Notice that in 1 John, the author repeats a strikingly similar idea: God’s anointing will “teach you about all things.” But what does it mean? To quote verse 24, “As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you.” God’s anointing leads the believer into knowing and remembering what was “heard from the beginning.” The teaching is about residing and remaining, not about growing into new knowledge.
Peace I Leave with You
Jesus promises peace after his departure. Indeed, he promises “his peace.” What does he mean?
In the ancient world as in the modern world, peace applied to war and human relationships. In those contexts it means the absence of conflict. Peace, however, also had and has other meanings. It could refer to tranquility in the midst of hardship, to bliss after death, and for the Jews in particular it could mean an eschatological hope—i.e., heaven.
The context of chapter 14 continually alludes to future troubles. The whole farewell speech makes little sense if once Jesus is crucified the disciples will lead lives of comfort, with little to no conflict. The entire Gospel of John emphasizes perseverance in the faith despite opposition, with that opposition sometimes coming from those closest to the embattled believer.
Consequently, Jesus is not leaving us peace in the sense that we are promised a life without struggles. Instead—given the near guarantee of struggles—Jesus leaves us “his peace” as a farewell comfort. I think this peace is a tranquility in the midst of hardship because the Paraclete will assure us and remind us of the bliss to come in our heavenly hope.