Today's Gospel comes from the upper room where Jesus and His disciples ate the last Passover. In a few hours they would be in Gethsemane. Jesus would soon be arrested and taken before Annas and then Caiaphas, the high priest. The next morning, Jesus would stand before Pontius Pilate. He would spend much of the next day on a cross and in less than twenty-four hours, Jesus would be dead and buried in a borrowed tomb. Then on the first day of the next week, Jesus would bodily rise from the dead.
We, with our 20 /20 historical perspective, know that all these things will soon happen to Jesus. Jesus … knew that they would happen. The disciples … DID NOT. Jesus had told His disciples that these things would happen, but the disciples weren't ready to understand what Jesus told them. There is a tension and a drama that arises from the fact that Jesus must prepare His disciples for events that they can't understand until after they have happened.
The Gospel of John brings out this drama and tension as John gives an account of Jesus' words in that upper room. John the Evangelist dedicates five whole chapters of his Gospel to those words. Jesus, in His great love for His disciples, is giving them preparation and comfort for the upcoming ordeal. Even though the disciples don't understand - even though the disciples will endure terror and sorrow during these events - even though the events of the next few days will overwhelm them - the words of Jesus will sustain them through this ordeal.
Today's Gospel begins at an unusual place in those dramatic and comforting words. Jesus took a few moments to look out beyond the next seventy-two hours. He was looking forward to a time when this frightened little band of disciples would be the Apostles of His church. They would be the ones who transmitted His teachings to the next generation with their speech and, out into the ages, with their writings. He also knows that they will not be prepared to do this until after they have witnessed His crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus was looking at the work that the Holy Spirit would do among these disciples.
Jesus said, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." It wasn't that Jesus' teaching had been incomplete. He had taught them everything that they needed to know. It was just that they couldn't receive the full benefit of that teaching until after they had witnessed His death and resurrection.
Jesus then told the disciples that by the power of the Holy Spirit they would nderstand the things that Jesus had taught them. He said, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." With these words, Jesus assured the disciples that the Holy Spirit will cause them to remember everything that Jesus had taught them. They would remember and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they would finally understand. The Holy Spirit would amplify and deepen the things that Jesus had already taught them.
In a few weeks, we will celebrate that special day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit revealed Himself with miraculous signs. These words of Jesus point forward to that day - the day when Jesus began to teach through the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is easy to understand why these words were so important to the disciples, but why are these words important to us? How does it help us to know that the Holy Spirit deepened their understanding? How does it help us to know that the faith of these disciples matured under the guidance of the Holy Spirit?
The fact of the matter is that we too must somehow participate in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just as the disciples doubted, denied, and abandoned their savior, we too, fail to live up to God's commands as we live out our lives. Just as the disciples repeatedly failed and needed forgiveness, we too, need forgiveness for all our sins. Jesus earned that forgiveness for us with His perfect life and His suffering and death on the cross. We have the assurance of that forgiveness through the resurrection of that same Jesus. We have the comfort of Jesus with us through His ascension. We have all these things, but they do us no good if we do not know about them. That is where today's Gospel gives us such comfort.
Jesus has promised that the Holy Spirit will help the disciples, not only for their benefit, but also for our benefit. We are the recipients of the teachings of those disciples as we read their writings. Jesus' words in today's Gospel tell us that the teachings of those disciples are the very teachings of Jesus Christ Himself. They are the teachings of Christ because Jesus Himself tells them, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." This promise of Jesus to the disciples assures us that their teachings are the truth.
That means that, through their words, we can learn about the holy life that Jesus lived for us. We can learn about the torture that Jesus suffered for us. We can learn about His death for us. We can learn about His resurrection for us. We can learn about all that God's love accomplished through Jesus Christ for us. We learn that, although we sin much every day, it is all forgiven for Jesus' sake.
We don't just participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus by hearing about them. Through the words of the Apostles the church receives Christ's gift of baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul says this about baptism. [Romans 6:3-5] 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. These words teach us that we participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through Holy baptism. In His death we die to sin and through His resurrection we live with Him. The words of Jesus in today's gospel assure us of the true benefit of this gift.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles also share the gift of the very body and blood of Jesus as given and shed for us on the cross. Again, the Apostle Paul says this about the Lord's Supper. [1 Corinthians 10:16] 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? From these words we learn that we are participating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The body and blood that we eat and drink are the body given and the blood shed on the cross. Never the less, these are not dead body and blood, but living, for Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and lives forever more.
We know about all these things because the Holy Spirit worked through the disciples to give us the teachings of Jesus. The teachings of Jesus are not just His words that are recorded for us in the Gospels. Jesus Himself said that the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms are about Him. With the words that we have in today's Gospel, we know that the words of the Apostles are also His teachings.
That means that the entire Bible is the Word of Jesus. Since Jesus is both God and man - that means that the Bible is the Word of God. Since God is perfect, His Word is without error. We can trust it.
What is the main message of this Holy Word of God? Peter said it well at a time when many were abandoning Jesus. [John 6:67-69] Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." The Bible is God's love letter to us in which He gives us the words of eternal life. The Bible does not say, "God so loved the world, that he gave us the Ten Commandments." The Bible does not say, "God so loved the world, that he showed us how to live." The Bible does say, [John 3:16] "God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
The words of today's Gospel tell us that these words of love and eternal life through the Holy Spirit's gift of faith in Jesus Christ are absolutely trustworthy and true. We can participate in Jesus Christ and live with Him forever. Amen.
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