John 14:23-29 Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come from me, but from the Father who sent me. I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you. I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid. You have already heard me say that I am going and that I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am. I am telling you this before I leave, so that when it does happen, you will have faith in me.
Context: This passage is a somewhat indirect reply to the question posed by Judas (not Judas Iscariot but the other disciple with that name) who asked in verse 22, "Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?" Jesus has been preparing the disciples for his departure for awhile and they just don’t seem to get it (so what else is new … would you?) In this last evening before Jesus begins the long journey to Golgotha and his crucifixion … Judas is struggling to understand what Jesus has said … something he has already said (John 14:19) yet something that continues to be strange and difficult to understand. Jesus tells them again and again that he will leave (by physical death) but he will return (in resurrected form) …
There are 3 promises of “presence” Jesus makes to followers that he does not make to the “people of this world”
1. First of all, who are the ones Jesus will show himself to? He will show himself to those who love (agape {ag-ah'-pay} sacrificial and unconditional love) him and who embody that love by their obedience tereo {tay-reh'-o} which means to attend carefully, to take care of and to guard the teachings of Jesus. Jesus believes our obedience is enhanced by our understanding of Jesus and his relationship to God the Father, who is the “sender” of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus promises us that Father and Son will come to live in those who are “obedient” in love.
2. Next, trust in the Spirit pneuma {pnyoo'-mah} a movement or rush of air in the physical sense but also the spiritual movement of “the power by which the human being feels, thinks, and makes decisions.” We come to know the Holy Spirit as the manifestation of the resurrected Jesus. Jesus knows the Spirit as Comforter, Helper, Advocate, and Counselor. God the Father sent pempo {pem'-po} Jesus and now Jesus promises that God the Father will send pempo {pem'-po} the Holy Spirit to teach, instruct, explain didasko {did-as'-ko} and to recall to the mind or bring a sense of remembrance hupomimnesko {hoop-om-im-nace'-ko} of all that Jesus has taught. Although the Greek word pempo {pem'-po} is simply translated “sent” this word has a sense of transformation that is embodied through its use in this passage.
3. Finally, Jesus gives extends the promise of peace eirene {i-ray'-nay} to us all which means to live in a state of national tranquility, to be exempt from the rage and havoc of war, to exist within a state of harmony between individuals, security, safety, prosperity, felicity, and to be receptive of the Messiah's peace … the way that leads to peace emerging from the salvation, or healing/wholeness found in Christ, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ. Finally, Jesus gives them a sense of what they may feel when he leaves. He tells the disciples not to be worried or afraid tarasso {tar-as'-so} which means agitation, troubled within, inward turmoil, disturbance, disquieted, restless, stirred up, fearful, filled with dread, anxious, and distressed. Easier said than done!
Going Deeper: Throughout the farewell discourse in the book of John, Jesus has made it clear that his followers love him by serving others. Love for Jesus is not just an emotional feeling. Love for Jesus is love that results in action. Whether we know it or not, to live that kind of love in action, we will need the constant presence of God in our midst which is promised by Jesus in this passage. Through the power of Spirit, we are enabled to do for others what we cannot do in our own power. Halleluah! Praise God!
How can we surrender our feelings of abandonment when God seems to disappear in the hour of our greatest need? We can take a deep breath and remember the Spirit who lives with us and in us and all around us. The Spirit carries us, undergirds us and keeps us from crumbling in the face of trials and tribulations.
Remember this beautiful poem … One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?” The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.” -- True Author Unknown but claimed to have been written in slightly different versions under different titles by at least 4 different people: Mary Stephenson, Margaret Fishback Powers, Carolyn Carty, and Burrell Webb
Pondering: The disciples were facing a great testing of their faith. By all accounts they failed in their faith even though Jesus had promised God’s presence in the Spirit. Have you ever faced deep trials and tribulations? Have you ever felt abandoned by God in your greatest hour of need? How did you make it through from one side of your suffering to the other? How was your faith strengthened by your experience?
Jesus knows the Spirit as Comforter, Helper, Advocate, and Counselor. How do you experience the Spirit in your life? How would you describe the Spirit to someone who was seeking to know how God works in your life? How could you help them to see the Spirit working in their life?
How do you understand the relationship of the Trinity? Are you more comfortable with the more traditional Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or does the more contemporary Creator, Word, and Spirit resonate in your soul? Why?
Jesus seems to indicate that we express our love for God when we love others. How do you express your love for God through your service to others? When you think about issues of the world that affect others negatively where do you have your most passionate feelings?
Jesus said, “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give.” Have you ever felt the kind of peace that Jesus gives? How would you describe it? How does the peace of Christ manifest itself in your life? What would you recommend to someone seeking this peace? When you say the words, “Peace be with you” what are the implications of that in your relationships with other people?
Prayer: Pray this Prayer to the Holy Spirit as a communal prayer … sensing the communion of saints surrounding you spiritually … Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy your consolations through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.
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