Scripture

John 14:15-17 NRSV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

Consider

In the hours before his arrest, Jesus spends private time with his disciples, encouraging them to carry on his ministry after he is taken from them. “Don’t be scared,” he says. “Remember the love we’ve shared. Continue the Father’s good work as you’ve seen me do and as I’ve taught you to do.” Jesus further reassures them that they will have help in obeying his commands. “I will ask the Father to send you another Advocate, the Spirit of truth, who will always be with you.”

This Advocate, or the Holy Spirit, is the continuing presence of Christ with his disciples and with all believers, including Christians today. This holy Presence, this Christ-with-us, encourages and enables us to live in obedience to Christ’s teachings. As the Spirit of truth, this Advocate communicates God’s truth to us, helping us to wisely interpret events and discern right from wrong with the mind and heart of Christ Himself.

Our ability to hear and understand the Advocate comes to us through faith. For this reason, the unbelieving world cannot understand the truth we see or be convinced of the truth by logical argument. God’s truth can be known only by experiencing God, that is, by believing in the Son and receiving the Spirit into our lives. As a result, Jesus’ rules for relationships—to love one’s enemies, to forgive those who hurt and betray, to pray for the unrepentant—puzzle and offend those who cannot see or hear the Spirit. For the Christian, however, these rules make sense because the Advocate reveals to us the loving and peaceable kingdom that God desires. At the same time, he exposes the pain, bitterness, and defensiveness in our lives that keep us from obeying Christ’s laws of love, and he helps us to overcome them.

Pray

Gracious Father, what a marvelous grace to have Christ’s uninterrupted presence in our midst from the time of the apostles until now. Thank you for choosing to reveal truth to us and to share glimpses of the wonder and beauty of your plans for your creation. Sharpen my senses, Lord, that I may perceive and understand the Advocate. Give me faith to trust what I hear and to obey your commands with courage and joy.

Reflect

Matthew 5:43-45; Colossians 3:12-13

Ponder

How sensitive am I to the Advocate’s presence in my life? What might I do to sharpen my awareness?