seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 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[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone 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.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, 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. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave."
c. John 14:17 Some early manuscripts and is
This definition is from the blueletterbible.org site.
He will give you another Helper: Helper translates the ancient Greek word "parakletos. " This means "a person summoned to one's aid," and may refer to an advisor, a legal defender, a mediator, or an intercessor.
According to the news broadcast this morning.... we have lost 450,797 friends, family, coworkers, neighbors and strangers to COVID. Most of the early ones... died without saying goodbye. Most of the early ones left the healthcare workers destroyed in their inability to help their patients survive. Those same healthcare workers go home to loneliness because they work directly with the virus.... and brining it home would have deadly consequences.... so they live in quarantine.... so their family won't have to leave without saying goodbye.
In the days of Jesus.... people were hung on a cross as a warning. Everyone had to do exactly as they were told or the Romans would hang them naked on a cross. The Romans were a little more civil than the Persians. The Persians rammed the pole right through the body.... people were displayed outside of town like popsicles on a stick. The Romans tied or nailed their victims to the cross and the victims soon died because hanging like that makes it impossible to breath after a while. It's a torturous death.... being hung on a cross or a pole.... it is not the way to go.... but it was on display every day.... right outside of town.... it was like a human billboard.... "don't mess with the Romans".
Jesus knew His Mission was just about complete. He was about to go to the cross so He could overcome that death sentence Adam and Eve caused. When humans murder a blameless man on the cross.... well that just destroys the "well he deserved it" excuse. Now there's doubt... maybe the guy didn't deserve it... which makes death "unfair"... and "unfair" can be taken care of by God. So... Once Jesus has been hung on the cross.... Jesus can say "that's unfair" and God will excuse it. But to get there... He has to get on that Cross.
Jesus knew... once He went to the tomb... He would be unable to guide the Mission. He wouldn't be here to lead or teach those humans He'd grown so fond of over the last few years. He trained them up... and now they had to complete the task. Jesus knew they would scatter when He went to the cross. He knew they would go back to their old ways.... but there would be something inside... a "nagging desire" urging them to get back to the Mission.... that "nagging desire"... is "an Advocate".
Jesus told them they would not be alone. He was going to be replaced by "an Advocate". This advocate would not be a skin and bones advocate. This advocate would be "invisible" to anyone else. It's a really hard concept to digest.... and hard to explain. "an Advocate would be a conscience....a leading force.... a hint or a whisper in the ear when no one is around. This Advocate would be a "nagging desire" to complete the Mission".
Jesus knew the disciples would have a hard time with the arrest. He knew as soon as the soldiers led Him off... His disciples would be confused and afraid. He knew if there was not some kind of guiding force... the Mission would end. Jesus told them they would be ok. It's not like they hadn't been alone during those last three years. Jesus sent them out on Missions without Him. That's what the "two by two" is all about in the New Testament. He sent them out with a witness.... to keep them safe.
These men needed to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, bring sight back to the blind... help the crippled walk.... and drive out demons. These men were to spread the Word that the Messiah was here... and He's coming back to get them. That was the Mission.... that was their job.... and He was going to send a "nagging desire" to complete the Mission.
Once a human has excepted Jesus as their Messiah.... there's a nagging desire to be kind to someone. Check it out.... find someone to be kind to.... and do a kind act. You don't have to heal the blind or buy hotdogs for everyone who shows up at the stadium for the game. All you have to do is do a kind act for someone else every day.... and soon... you will have a "nagging desire" to do it again.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone figured out that being kind to someone every day is a good thing? Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone figured out that being kind to someone scratched an itch deep inside? Wouldn't it be wonderful if being kind to someone every day became the Mission of all the Believers? Soon all the Believers would be searching out anyone who needed a kind hand..... and being kind would be that "nagging desire".
That's what the "the Advocate" was all about.... The advocate creates that "nagging desire".
