Bible Study for Sermon on May 27 2012

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
These verses occur in the middle of what is known as The Farewell Discourses (13:12-17), a “testament” saying in which a leader gives words of comfort, advice, and instruction before dying. Farewell speeches were common in both the Jewish and Greco-Roman world (cf. Genesis 48-49; Deuteronomy 33; Joshua 23-24; Acts 20:17-38). In this part of the discourse, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to the disciples. The phrase can be translated in a number of ways: Comforter, Encourager, Defender, Helper, Counselor or Advocate(The word means advocate or defense attorney). This legal connotation corresponds with the language of “testifying” that appears in both verses 15:26 and 15:27. The Spirit defends Jesus in response to and in spite of what the “world” does and says (15:18-25). The Spirit, therefore, defends Jesus by testifying about him.
The phrase the, “Spirit of truth,” does not only appear in John (cf. 14:17; 16:13; 1 John 4:6) but also appears in other Jewish documents. In John’s gospel, the Spirit of truth connects with the person of Jesus, who is the truth (14:6) and becomes part of a distinct contrast prevalent in John’s gospel — the world vs. Jesus and Jesus’ disciples. The world cannot receive the Spirit of truth (14:17) just as it cannot receive Jesus who is the truth (1:11-12; 7:28; 8:19; 16:3), but the disciples who do not belong to the world (17:16) even as Jesus does not belong to the world (17:16) can receive the Spirit of truth. Thus, even the Spirit’s activity continues the dichotomy begun in chapter 1 in which Jesus comes to the world and the world does not know him (1:10-11). Along with the Spirit’s testifying, the disciples themselves will testify concerning Jesus as well. Both the Spirit and the disciples work together to ensure that the testimony concerning Jesus goes out into the world.
  A similar phrase in 15:27, “from the beginning,” appears in 16:4, “from the beginning.” Jesus announces in 15:27 that the disciples will testify concerning him since they have been with him from the beginning, a needed qualification for testifying about him. Jesus also says in 16:4b that he did not tell them these things earlier because he was with them, indicating that his presence precluded the need to speak the important things he now conveys to them. In 16:5, the theme of “sending,” continues with Jesus declaring to the disciples that just as God had sent him and he was now returning to “the one who sent”  him, he also would send to the disciples (15:26). His return to the Father precipitates his own sending of the Spirit.
  Jesus’ statement in 16:5 that no one asks where I am going seems to contradict what occurs in 13:36 and 14:5, where both Peter and Thomas ask him this question. Thus, this statement is not easily explained. Perhaps Jesus speaks temporally, suggesting that at this moment when he declares his departure that no one asks this question, whereas they had asked this question in the past. At any rate, Jesus seeks to comfort his disciples who become unsettled at his declaration that he is about to leave. He attempts to convince them that his departure will be for their benefit.  In 16:8, the legal language of 15:26 returns by describing the Spirit as the one who “convicts.” The verb can also mean “prove” (NRSV) or “reprove” but given the forensic context of this passage, “convict” seems more fitting. Consequently, we have an expansion of the Spirit’s role previously given in 15:26. The Spirit will not just serve as a defense attorney by testifying on Jesus’ behalf, but will also become prosecutor, convicting the world at large. However, in a sense, this prosecutorial role still serves to defend Jesus since the Spirit verifies Jesus’ identity through the very act of conviction.
  Hence, the Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. One of the ultimate sins in John’s gospel is unbelief (16:9; cf. 8:24; 15:22; 20:31). Throughout the gospel a contrast exists between those who believe in Jesus and those who do not. Even the writer of the gospel declares in 20:31 that one of the main purposes of the book is to instill belief in its audience. The reference to righteousness may point to Jesus’ return to the Father as vindication of his life here on earth and his status as the eternal logos who was with God from the beginning (1:1-2). The words judgment,and condemned,  (16:11 NRSV), come from the same Greek root and so can be translated similarly. The ruler of this world stands condemned in that Jesus triumphs over him, demonstrating that his reign over this world will not last. In 12:31, Jesus announces that the ruler of this world will be cast out, and in 14:30, he declares that even though the ruler of this world is coming, this ruler has no power over him. These statements foreshadow Jesus’ statement in 16:11. The ruler of this world refers to the devil whose activity in the gospel includes enticing Judas to betray Jesus and entering into him (13:2, 27). The devil is also referred to as the evil one in 17:15.
  Verses 12-15 move from the Spirit’s work in the world to the Spirit’s work among Jesus’ followers. The Spirit guides the community of believers and also speaks on Jesus’ behalf. The fact that the Spirit does not speak on his own but only what he hears, illustrates that Father, Son and Spirit are integrally connected. Moreover, the Spirit is like Jesus who also does not speak on his own but speaks what he hears from the Father (5:19, 30; 8:26-28; 12:49; 14:10; 15:15; 17:7-8). The Spirit’s role of announcing things that are to come suggests that prophecy is one of the functions. But what exactly does mean? A number of options for this phrase include reference to Jesus’ passion, the new age inaugurated by Jesus, the foretaste of the eschaton and revelation of the difficult times that the community will face in Jesus’ absence. Perhaps all of these suggestions are in view here. The last option in regard to suffering corresponds with Jesus’ own foreknowledge of the things coming to him in 18:4, which link the disciples’ future suffering with Jesus’ own suffering and death (Craig Keener, The Gospel of John, [Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003]: 1040).
  The non-autonomous nature of the Spirit continues in the last verses of this passage. The Spirit glorifies Jesus, takes what belongs to him and declares it to his followers. Yet, whatever belongs to Jesus also belongs to the Father. The question of what Jesus means by what is mine can only be determined by context, and therefore, seems to reiterate what we find in 15:15, in which Jesus tells the disciples “I have made known to you everything that I have heard from the Father” (NRSV). Thus, “what is mine” in 16:14-15 suggests that here Jesus speaks in regard to words he has heard from the Father. The Spirit, then, continues Jesus’ work by speaking to the disciples and the community of faith Jesus’ and the Father’s own words. As one who speaks for both the Father and the Son, the Spirit’s words will be heard by those who know the shepherd’s voice since the Spirit, who comes from the Father (15:26) and is sent by the Son (15:26), speaks with the shepherd’s voice and authority (10:3, 14-16).