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John 14:8-17, (25-27)

Writer's picture: Danny QDanny Q

The Day of Pentecost serves as an important reminder for the church that we are not left alone after the Ascension of the Lord. The Holy Spirit has been given to empower the church to continue the mission that Jesus began in his birth, life, death and resurrection. And the gospel reading on the Day of Pentecost serves to remind us that the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was a promise made by Jesus himself. This promise comes long before Pentecost and even before Jesus’ death; John is reminding the church that sending the Holy Spirit was a central part of Jesus’ mission.

Like much of John’s gospel, this passage has some deep theological implications that we can easily get caught up in. For those who will be preaching from this passage this week, it will be important to not get bogged down in them. The focus this week should be on the presence of the crucified and resurrected Christ that comes in the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 14 begins with Jesus saying to the disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” This comes just after Jesus has mentioned several things that are indeed troubling. Chief among these is the departure of Jesus. The disciples have come to be dependent on the presence of Christ in ways that they may not even be aware of. It is because of the despair of Jesus’ departure that Philip asks to see the Father and Jesus responds by pointing to his presence with the disciples and the promise of his continued presence even after he leaves by asking the Father to send the Spirit.

The name that Jesus gives to the Holy Spirit has long been a topic of debate among theologians and translators. The word “Paraclete” is often translated as “Advocate,” “Counselor,” or “Comforter.” H. Ray Dunning cites the despair that the disciples were experiencing as the reason that he chooses “Helper” as the best translation for the word.[1] Dunning argues that as the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit will help the disciples in the specific way of continuing the work of Jesus. “Now Jesus is promising them to provide another Helper, One who would continue this work that He had been providing and in a more internal, consistent, and uninterrupted fashion.”[2] 

We see that the sending of the Spirit is for a specific purpose: to remind the disciples of Jesus. (v. 26) The Paraclete is a teacher not of something new but of all that Jesus has already taught the disciples while he was with them. Just as Jesus is the original Paraclete so is he the first teacher of this radical new way of living. It is important that this is not described in such a way that the Holy Spirit seems less important than Jesus. Too often has the role of the “third person” of the Trinity been diminished. Scripture doesn’t do that and neither should we. I make this comment as an important note, but, again, this is not the primary task of this scripture in the Lectionary this week.

The promise that Jesus makes is of his continual presence. This promise is certainly to comfort the disciples but that is not all. The purpose of the sending of the Paraclete is very explicitly to help the disciples as they are to be the Body—the presence—of Christ in the world. Many of us will sing worship songs on Pentecost Sunday imploring God to be poured out onto us. The Gospel reading can help us to see that this is not just for our benefit so that we can be comforted that God’s presence has not abandoned us. While this certainly is true of the Day of Pentecost, the reason the Holy Spirit is poured out is to help us as we do our best to continue the mission of Christ. When we pray for the Spirit of the living God to fall fresh on us, we are praying for the ability to be the Body of Christ in the world.

A plea for God’s presence is a plea for strength and faithfulness. Pentecost should serve as a reminder that the Holy Spirit is not just given to us to comfort us until Jesus comes again. Pentecost is a reminder that God has called us to remain faithful to the mission of Jesus and that God has not abandoned us to that task. On Pentecost Sunday, let us be empowered by the Spirit that is breathed out by the crucified one (John 20:22) so that we can fulfill our calling to be the presence of the resurrected Jesus in our world; so that we can be proclaimers of new life and freedom from sin. Jürgen Moltmann states this powerfully:

“People who ask for the Holy Spirit to come to us—into our hearts, into the community we live in, and to our earth—don’t want to flee into heaven or to be snatched away into the next world. They have hope for their hearts, their community and this earth…The petition for the coming of the divine Spirit to us frail earthy people implies great, unbroken affirmation of Life.”[3] [1] H. Ray Dunning. Grace, Faith, and Holiness (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1988), 416.  [2] Ibid. [3] Jürgen Moltmann, The Source of Life (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997), 11-12. 
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A Plain Account

A free Wesleyan Lectionary Resource built off of the Revised Common Lectionary. Essays are submitted from pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars from multiple traditions who all trace their roots to John Wesley. The authors write from a wide variety of locations and cultures.

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