John & The Spirit

Right now on Sundays in our Jesus Breathed series, we are exploring the role of the Holy Spirit for our ongoing mission as Jesus’ followers. We spent last week in John 14, and in our bible studies this week, we looked at John 16. These chapters (13-16) all spring out of the reality that Jesus is trying to impress upon them: that he’s ‘going away’, and they won’t ‘see’ him any much more. What he means is, he’s going to die and won’t be around much more (save those few – but vital – resurrection appearances of course!).

They are crushed, heartbroken, and grieving their pending loss.
 
We’ve all been there, no?

On top of it, Jesus gives them a head’s up that things are going to get rough for them. The ‘world’ will be against them, and they’ll get kicked out of their religious communities and families because of their faith in him.

Their savior will die the death of a criminal, the worldly powers will win, evil will prevail, and they’ll suffer because of it. God will seem distant; Jesus will not be present like he was.

Times will be tough.
 
We’ve all had tough times, no?

That’s the context into which Jesus speaks in these intimate, critical chapters. But there’s more. These words from Jesus are unique to John’s Gospel. Matthew, Mark, and Luke don’t sound like this. Biblical scholars, pastors, and bible readers have wondered why.

The consensus about the Gospel of John seems to be that it was written as the Apostle John was going to die in his good old age. Matthew, Mark, and Luke had already written their accounts of Jesus decades earlier, and the family, friends, and church community surrounding John encouraged him to get his account on papyrus finally. And so he did. But the way that John wrote was with his family, friends, and church communities in mind.

At this point in time, scholars believe, John’s churches were feeling the distance from Jesus. They were wishing they could touch, hear, and see Jesus first-hand. They were feeling the absence of God. They were suffering like Jesus said they would. Jesus’ supposed victory on Easter was feeling like one big defeat by the powers of the world and the power of evil. Maybe they were wrong about Jesus, about his victory – about God.

They were experiencing the rough times Jesus warned about.
 
We’ve all been troubled by God’s seeming absence, no?

So when John sat to write it all down, he didn’t give us just another version of Matthew, Mark, or Luke – they did a fine job anyway. He chose memories and teachings from Jesus that would better address the moment his churches were struggling with. That’s what we have in the Gospel of John. And in these chapters that John has composed,

what is it that Jesus highlights for this group of his followers who are feeling his absence?

First, that the ‘absence’ of Jesus is somehow…a good thing.

I know I wish I could just sit down with Jesus and see him, hear him, have a burger with him. But Jesus tells us that it’s actually better that he’s gone, and instead, his Spirit is with us. As one of the guys said in bible study this morning, it forces us to actively seek him – rather than just sit back. It also means that his Spirit can be everywhere and anywhere, not limited to one place or time on earth (i.e., when Jesus was in his bodily form).

Second, that we can’t ‘see’ Jesus doesn’t mean he’s not with us.

Often times, we struggle in life and faith because don’t ‘see’ God’s presence or provision or activity in things. Because we don’t ‘see’ God’s presence, we think God’s left us. Among other things, what these chapters tell us is that even when we can’t see God’s presence or see His hand in things, it doesn’t mean he’s actually not with us. Instead, it reminds us that his Spirit is with us and though we can’t ‘see’ the Spirit – just like we can’t see the wind, we can most certainly know his presence – just like we can feel the wind and see it move the trees. In fact, the ‘physical’ (observable, tangible) absence of God simply means his ‘spiritual’ presence will be all the more powerful. Jesus says as much when he promises that once he’s gone, you “will do greater things than” when he was still around (14:12).

Third, that the Spirit really brings God to us, and us to God.

To a group of disciples who are distraught that Jesus will not be with them any longer, and by extension, to a church that is feeling the absence of Jesus acutely, Jesus promises them that as they keep his word, the Spirit will be given to them – and the Father and the Son by the presence and power of that Spirit – “will come to them and make our home with them” (14:23). It might be the most amazing verse in all of scripture, and the most important, powerful, and empowering truth to behold: God makes his home with us. If, as, and when we feel like God is far and like Jesus is absent – when we feel it acutely – recall this truth.

There’s much more to say, of course, but those are some big thoughts. Throughout the Gospel of John, we see a picture of the Spirit that his role is to convince us of and comfort us with this truth, to reassure and help and encourage and empower us with Jesus’ presence, and through us, to bring the truth and reality of God’s life-giving presence more and more into the world that God loves. What a power! More to come this Sunday along these lines!

Thanks for reading, if you’ve gotten this far!!!