Friday
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
(John 14:15-27, NIV)
Chapters 13-17 of the Gospel of John record the Upper Room Discourses of Jesus shortly before his betrayal, arrest and crucifixion. After the triumphal entry into Jerusalem during Passover week, Jesus pours out his heart to his disciples, who are confused by their teacher’s response to the cheers of the people who hail him as the “King of Israel” (John 12:13). Rather than seizing the opportunity to mobilize the crowds, Jesus withdraws from public view and, in the privacy of a rented room used for a meal with his twelve disciples, washes his disciples’ feet and then predicts his own betrayal.
As you read through these four chapters of John, you can sense the intensity of Jesus’ words to the disciples. This is their last time together before his death and Jesus uses this precious opportunity to explain to his closest followers what they will witness. Today’s verses contain Jesus’ promise about the gift of the Holy Spirit. In words that are beyond the comprehension of the disciples until the experience of Pentecost, Jesus tells the Twelve that the Holy Spirit – “the Counselor” or “Helper” – will “teach them all things” and will remind them “of everything I have said to you” (v. 26).
Jesus summarizes his message in the word “peace,” the gift he will give to his followers, a gift promised by the Old Testament prophets. His gift of “peace” is not something that the “world” will understand, but it is a fulfillment of his life, death and resurrection. The “victory of the cross” brings new hope for God’s people. Despite all the trauma that the disciples were to experience in the next few days, Jesus tells them not to be afraid. The Lord God, through his Holy Spirit, is offering to believers a shalom that will remove all fear.
Prayer
Triune God, we praise you for the gift of your Son and his sacrifice on our behalf. We praise you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, who teaches us and reminds us of what Jesus taught. Help us to trust in your peace and not to be afraid. Amen.