Scripture John 14:8-17 (NRSVUE)
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”
Sermon “The Quiet Pentecost”
I saw the following conversation on Instagram and had to share it with you. It has been cleaned up for our PG audience.
Friend: So, what’s it like parenting a toddler?
Me: Why?
Friend: Just curious.
Me: Why?
Friend: I don’t know, nevermind.
Me: Why?
Friend:
Me: Why?
Friend: Hey, forget you, man.
Me: Yes, that’s it exactly.
I laughed for five minutes. I remember those days like they were last week. The incessant questions that eventually made me understand the answers of previous generations, “Because that’s the way it is.” And “Because I said so.” But questions are wonderful. I treasure the people who ask them, whether in Bible Study, or at a Session or Deacons or Committee meeting, or in Confirmation Class, and, yes, in my memories of my own children at that age.
Questions, among other things, reveal a mind at work. They show engagement. They can also show courage. For the littlest among us, they show the development of the young brain, fascinating sponge that it is, reaching out to absorb every bit of knowledge it possibly can.
I say this because, this morning we are once again in that fourteenth chapter of the gospel according to John. This is again that night of the Last Supper, and Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, and then giving them a new commandment, to love one another as he has loved them. We are in that portion of John’s gospel in which Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples—his friends—for his departure from this world. They have questions.
And their questions are reasonable. Think of it from their perspective: Jesus is talking about going away, but not really being clear about what that means. Jesus predicts his death in all four gospels, but he does it in much more subtle language in John’s gospel. He has said things like, “I am going away,” and “Where I am going, you cannot come” (John 8:21). He has also said things like, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I Am” (John 8:28), meaning, when I am lifted up on the cross, you will see that the Father—the Great I Am—and I are one. But you can see how these things might not be understood at all. In John’s gospel, Jesus sometimes speaks obscurely, and the disciples, understandably, want to know more.
Still, when Philip says, “Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied,” Jesus’ answer reveals his frustration. He replies, if you have seen me, you have already seen the Father, you have already seen God, because I am the image of God on this earth. In fact, Jesus goes on to say that, yes, the disciples have seen him do great things—all the signs of his power, from turning water into wine to raising Lazarus from the dead. And, he says, you will do even greater things than these.
What a thing to say. What a shocking declaration to his friends, who have seen it all, and may well be… let’s say, skeptical about a claim like this. Who, us? You’ve got to be kidding—would be an understandable response.
In fact, I imagine a long pause, filled with shocked silence. I imagine Jesus reading the room. And I imagine him thinking to himself. The need more. They need something to hold on to.
I will ask God, Jesus says, and God will send you the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. And a few days later, on the day of his resurrection, Jesus does just that. Remember that evening, when he is with the disciples—the door is locked but he appears in the room anyway—and he says, “Peace be with you,” because he knows they are not at peace. They are hiding. They are terrified. And he says, “Peace be with you” again, and then, he breathes on them, and he says to them, receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:19-23). It is a quiet moment, a private moment. But Jesus is fulfilling the promise he makes to his disciples right here in chapter 14.
What a contrast to the Pentecost story told in the Acts of the Apostles, with wind, and fire, and crowds in the streets, all hearing the gospel in their own languages.
This couldn’t be more different. Jesus has given his disciples the Advocate.
A few years ago, I compiled a list of all the different translations where ours has “advocate.” All these based on a Greek word translated a dozen different ways. I’m going to share them again here. The Spirit is:
Advocate… one who pleads our case for us.
Comforter... one who cares for us.
Companion… one who accompanies us on our journey, literally, one who breaks bread with us.
Consoler… one who dries our tears.
Counselor… one who can advise us, help us to understand.
Friend… one who can simply be with us, who has our best interests at heart.
Guide… one who shows us the way.
Intercessor… one who conveys our needs to another.
Helper… one who lets us know we don’t have to go it alone.
Paraclete… one who comes alongside us.
Spirit of Truth… one who enlightens us, helps us to see clearly.
Strengthener… one who helps us when we feel weak.
Standby… one who is ready for duty or deployment.
All these are God’s way, Jesus’ way, of planning to remain with his disciples, even when he has returned to his home in the celestial spaces. All of these are God’s way, Jesus’ way, of planning to be with us, even now, these two-thousand years later.
And on that quiet Pentecost, Jesus comes into the space where the disciples are scared, and confused, and hiding out in fear for their lives. This is when the Spirit comes! And the Spirit will come into our spaces in those very same kinds of times. Times a lot like the time we are living through now. When we are fearful. When we are angry. When we are confused. When we want nothing more than to climb under the covers and stay there.
Will the Spirit answer all our questions? Maybe. Will the Spirit help us to ask the right questions? Almost certainly. God’s plan was to come to this world to be with us in Jesus, and to never leave us again, emphasis on the “us.” There are no solo acts in our faith. From the outset, Jesus brings us together to form community. Jesus empowers us through the Spirit, the Spirit enlightens us so that we can go forward together. In the times of greatest fear and peril, the Spirit is with us, among us, and within us, and nothing—neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation—can ever change that.
Thanks be to God. Amen.