St. Andrew's Bible Study    Lesson 17   March 12/14, 2008

John 14

 

             What is Comfort? 

      "Do not let your hearts be troubled.

      Believe in God, believe also in me.

      In my Father's house are many dwelling

      places....I go to prepare a place for you.

      I will come again and will take you to myself

      so that where I am, there you may be also." 

Let's just set the scene again.  Jesus is in the Upper Room, celebrating

the Last Passover with his beloved disciples. They've been busy eating,

serving, talking, wondering about Jesus who seems preoccupied.  One

commentator observed that they are like children busy with their

activities and just happen to look up and see their parents putting on

their jackets.  They are immnediately aware that something is changing.

They have three questions: 

      Where are you going?

      Can I come along?

      Then who is going to stay with us? 

(Fred B. Craddock, "John", Knox Preaching Guides, 98) 

Frances Taylor Gench opens her study of John 14-17 with this example. 

Some of you may have read this in the Presbyterian Women Bible Study

several years ago which she wrote.  We've already noted in previous

lessons that the disciples often acted like children so this seems an apt

description! 

 

However, to carry forward the theme of the Gospel of John which is to

give encouragement to the early believers who were experiencing

persecution and substantial threats to their belief, we can see very

directly in these lengthy chapters of Jesus' words how John addresses

one of the major crises of the church:  the departure of Jesus.

 

We already know from our lessons in John that his gospel was the last

one written and that he most likely encountered many of these questions

as he ministered to the early Christians in several locations in the First

Century Roman world.  He chooses to address these concerns by having

various disciples ask Jesus the questions.  The first, posed by Thomas,

is their primary concern: 

 

      "We don't know where you are going,

      so how can we know the way?"

 

Jesus' answer attempts to put that concern to rest by using the word

"dwelling"--indicating a permanent residence where He and the Father

will be.  The Greek word for room is "mone", a place of residence

there with him.  "This word is related to the common Johannine verb

"meno" meaning to remain or abide.  To "remain" with Jesus is the

highest virtue in John's Gospel (15:4-10), and he is promising that

death will not interrupt intimacy enjoyed with him."  (NIV Application

Commentary)

 

And that, too, is the answer to the second question:  "YES, you can come

along!"  In fact, "His Father's house is great and spacious, an eternal place

of dwelling with many rooms."  (The Preacher's Commentary Series, V. 27) 

So combining those two questions:  1) Where are you going?--"to my

Father"; and 2) Can we come along?--"I will even come back and receive

you to myself" are answered.  But I wondered how that was going to happen.

 

There are several different opinions on that ranging from the 1,000 days of

Christ's rule on earth to the judgment at the Second Coming.  However,

one commentator had a comforting understanding of the phrase:  "receive

you to myself".  Not only will we be joined with Christ when we die and go

to heaven with him at that time, but we are joined in an intimate relationship

with Christ NOW that will never end, continuing into eternity which we will

spend with Christ in our dwelling place.    So the disciple who is united with Jesus--who abides in Him--is at home, "receiving Christ" in this present life

as well as in the future in the Father's house.

 

If we live with Christ here on earth, he abides in us and this intimacy is

known in the here and now.  We don't have to wait and wish for Christ's

presence in heaven.  Precisely because Jesus died and left this earth, His

presence continues to affect the disciples in a unique and different way

and opens the way for these men to live in union with Him and with His Father.

And this is our comfort--the Holy Companion that Jesus promises can only

come when he leaves.  And this is the answer to our third question: 

"Then who will stay with us?"

 

The Greek word "Parakletos" is a rich, powerful word that has no single

English word for a translation.  It's often translated as "comforter" and means

"called alongside to assist."  We usually think of "comfort" as soothing

someone, consoling her, and to some extent this is true.  But true comfort

strengthens us to face life bravely and keep on going.  That sounds like a

Stephen Minister, doesn't it?   It does not rob us of responsibility or make it

easy for us to give up.  Some translations call the Holy Spirit "the encourager"

and this is a good choice of words. 

(Warren Wiersbe, "Be Alive, Be Transformed")

 

Perhaps the best word is a legal term such as a legal counselor, an ADVOCATE,

one who represents you at court and stands at your side to plead your case. 

This Spirit of God would come to them and dwell in them, taking the place of Jesus....The Spirit of God is not different from the Son of God, for both are

God.  The Spirit of God had dwelt WITH the disciples in the person of Jesus

Christ.  Now He would dwell IN them."  (Wiersbe)  The ongoing work of the

Spirit will be a continuation of the work that Jesus did during the disciples'

lifetime.  (NIV Application Commentary)

 

As Jesus removes himself from earth, he must explain to his disciples why he is

leaving since they are so distraught at this prospect.  From our perspective we

see the Jesus' death was not an ending, but a way of getting to another place. 

Henri Nouwen asserts that "death through the eyes of Jesus...was fruitful in

itself, and of enormous benefit to his disciples."  (Nouwen, "Finding My Way

Home", 127)  Jesus kept repeating the theme:  "My death is good for you,

because my death will bear many fruits beyond my death.  When I die I will

not leave you alone, but I will send you my Spirit, the Paraclete, the

Counselor.  And my Spirit will reveal to you who I am and what I am

teaching you.  My Spirit will lead you into the truth and will allow you to

have a relationship with me that was not possible before my death. My Spirit

will help you to form community and grow in strength....The real fruits of his

life will mature AFTER his death.  That is why he adds, "It is good for you that

I go."  (128)

 

God  has shown himself in the person of Jesus.  "He who has seen me has seen

the Father"--a unity of essence and from this unity proceeds the Spirit.  The

Holy Spirit ushers to us the presence of Father and Son to indwell us and to

share fellowship with us.  (NIV Application Commentary)  God was at work on

the cross in Christ to save us, so now God is at work in the Spirit to transform

us.  THIS is the GOOD NEWS!

 

To have the Spirit is to have the catalog of gifts listed:  powerful works

(v.12), effective prayer (v.13), and the peace of God  (v.27).   Additionally,

the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in building community among the various

disciples and helping them to grow in strength and become bold witnesses

for Christ.  Just read the Book of Acts to see how these fearful and timid men

had changed.  The first generation of believers exhibited all these gifts and

glorified God.  They believed "...in a life shaped not by Jesus' absence, but

by the unending presence of God."  (Gail R. O'Day, "The Women's Bible

Commentary", 777) 

 

We in the 21st Century have entered a new millienium.  How are we showing

the glory of God to the first generation of this century?  Is the experience of

the Holy Spirit real for us?  Does the world around us see our lives gifted

with the Spirit:  doing powerful works, experiencing effective prayer, and

having the peace of God which allows us to live in unity and love?

 

Let us close with this prayer by John Henry Newman  (1801-1890).

 

      Come, O Holy Spirit. 

      Come as Holy Fire

      and burn in us,     

      Come as Holy Wind

      and cleanse us within,     

      Come as Holy Light

      and lead us in the darkness,     

      Come as Holy Truth

      and dispel our ignorance,     

      Come as Holy Power

      and enable our weakness,     

      Come as Holy Life

      and dwell in us. 

      Convict us,

      convert us,

      consecrate us,

      until we are set free

      from the service of ourselves,

      to be your servants to the world. 

      Amen.