Call on the Advocate - October 20, 2019

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John 14: 15-31 This is a powerful passage in Jesus’ relationship with his disciples. As Dan said, it was the night of the Passover, before Jesus went to pray in the garden of Gethsemane, before he was betrayed, before he was tried, and before he died on the cross. It was before the disciples’ grief at having lost their teacher, but in anticipation of all that would come, all they would struggle with, and all they would need to know after he was gone from their presence.
In many ways, it strikes me as one of those conversations you don’t understand at the moment. The words make sense, you can take something away from it, but the heart of what’s being shared won’t make sense until you have a

little bit of hindsight. We have that hindsight but the disciples didn’t.
This story is about Jesus and his disciples…those he’s grown closest to over the last 3 years. These are his students and his friends. He’s been deeply invested in who they are and how they are relating to other people. And Jesus is anticipating their anxiety and fear and uncertainty when he dies and eventually when he ascends to heaven and is no longer physically with them.
This is a thick section of scripture. Actually, Jesus’ “farewell discourse” as it’s called, spans all of John chapter 13 through Chapter 17. He has a lot to say. And it’s kind of like a graduation speech…he’s trying to pack in all the content, all the highlights, into this teaching to make sure the disciples have it all. To really understand it, you have to slow down and unpack it bit by bit.
Which is kind of the same thing I said two weeks ago about a different passage. Which is to say, scripture is rich with nuance and meaning and it’s worth taking our time to slow down, dig in, and understand it. I’m not going to keep you here all day; we’re not going to get at every piece of this passage. We are going to pull on a few key pieces in regard to the Holy Spirit.
Remember Jesus is with his disciples. This matters so much because sometimes people read this passage as if Jesus is talking to all the non-Christians in the world. But he’s not. He’s with his disciples. This lesson is for them. Jesus is anticipating their grief and anxiety.
Think about it like losing someone you love dearly. If you know they are dying, what do you do? We often spend time with them. And if they’re lucid, we pick their brains…we ask about memories, favorite stories, the secret recipes, right? We fish for the highlights and the things we hope never to forget. And if we don’t know they’re dying. If they die unexpectedly without the chance for final conversations, we often yearn for those same bits of story…names of family members, who is in which picture, the name of the spice they always used in their signature dish but never talked about….we want to pick up all the best parts and hold tight to all of it. Right?
And in our story, the disciples know what’s coming, sort of. Jesus has talked about it, but they don’t really see it…it’s not clicking yet. He’s said it to them, though sometimes a bit in code….destroy the temple of the Lord and on the third day, I will raise it. So, it’s not like the disciples were simply ignoring him, but it’s not making sense yet. Which means, they aren’t really preparing for his death. It’s not as though they’re asking all the questions. But Jesus knows what’s coming and he knows what they need. He totally understands that they’re going to crave the recap, the highlights to really remember what was most valuable and important to him. So he shares those things over the course of the Passover meal.
Including this passage, which basically starts with…I’m not going to be here, but I’m going to ask God the Father, God the creator, to send you someone else in my place. The Advocate…technically, Jesus says the “other” advocate (which leads us to assume Jesus was the first). The advocate, “paraclete” in the Greek, also known as the counselor, or the helper will come and be with you. You’re going to be freaking out because I’ve been right here with you these last 3 years and you’re going to wonder what to do without me here to answer your questions or show you the way. But, take a breath, and know God’s got you covered. The Spirit is going to come and you’re going to have someone to guide you, and teach you, and remind you of what I’ve said.
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And if you’re really listening to the text you can read between the lines and almost hear their objection: BUT WE WON’T HAVE YOU!!!!! But you will, because you do. I have the Father, the Father lives in me, and you have me, I live in you. We’re all connected.
BUT WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!?! If you love me, if you agape me, if you love me unselfishly as God loves, then you will follow my commandments…which I’ve said is to love and serve others. That’s what you’re supposed to do. Love and serve others. You’re going to be ok. I promise. I will live in you and the Spirit will come to teach you and remind you and comfort you and help you.
BUT HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE OK!?!?! I know it’s hard to see it now, but you’re going to be fine. I’m giving you my peace. My peace that passes all understanding. And I give differently. I’m not going to take this away from you. It will be yours fully and forever. My peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. I’m not abandoning you. I’m not forsaking you. I’m not leaving you in the wind. You have me in your hearts. You have the Spirit to guide you and teach you. And you have my peace.
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And the beautiful thing about what Jesus shared with his disciples it that he wasn’t just a man and the Spirit wasn’t just for them. He was fully human and fully divine. He persists past the limitations of time and space. And, the Spirit is available to each of us—to provide for a living connection with this amazing God. We don’t have to say, “Oh I wish I could have known him!” We get to have a real, dynamic, relationship with Jesus because he is part of the living God and because that God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to engage in a relationship with God.
The Spirit is our companion. The Spirit is our immediate connection to the divine. And the Spirit is our paraclete—our advocate, our counselor, and our helper. Jesus isn’t stuck back in history. He’s with us, living in us as God the creator lived in him. And the Spirit is here to be our helper, connecting with us so we can have a real relationship with God and teaching us what Jesus taught. Illuminating the lessons of scripture to make them real for us today. And helping us to live the commandments that Jesus gave—to love and serve others.