John 4:24
God is Spirit
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
John 14:1-31
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
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 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.
John 15:1-17
The Vine and Its Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
John 16:1-33
The Advocate is to Come When Jesus Goes Away
1 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Each of us have our own certain desires and enjoy different pleasures in life...Sometimes what we desire does not line up with God's will...Sometimes we do not know that our desires are apart from His, but often we do...When we want to do His will, we can pray for what He might want us to do about a different situation or situations in our lives...Jesus always knew what the will of God was, and He always did God's will...And He was always praying to His Father...It seems the stronger our faith, and the closer we are to God, the more we want to do His will...And maybe the more we communicate and pray to Him the closer we are to Him and the stronger our faith...
If God is Spirit, would not a Spirit speak in a little different way than what we are used to hearing?...And the Spirit might do it in a way that we notice it even though it comes to us differently or we hear it differently...As we read St. John's version of the gospel and his chapters fourteen through sixteen, we get information on the indwelt Holy Spirit in us...Throughout these three chapters Jesus weaves His way in and out about the discussion of the Holy Spirit, and then seems to bring the conversation from the Holy Spirit and then mostly back to Himself and to God, and then with His Disciples...And all the while right in the middle of this listening and hearing and these chapters we see how they (the Disciples) fit in with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that Jesus promises to send them...And as we read these chapters, we might think that not only that God is Spirit, but even Jesus is Spirit, on the basis of the way He weaves the Holy Spirit into these conversations and in different parts of His teachings...
And throughout His words about God, about Himself, and about His Disciples, they are interlaced and weaved with Jesus speaking about His LOVE and about love...
Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commands...And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever— 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 in you...I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you...Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me...Because I live, you also will live...On that day you will realize that I AM in My Father, and you are in Me, and I AM in you...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.”...Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, LORD, why do You intend to show Yourself to us and not to the world?”...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...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...“All this I have spoken while still with you...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...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...“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...I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe...I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming...He has no hold over Me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I LOVE the Father and do exactly what My Father has commanded Me...
Jesus said that unless He goes away, the Advocate will not come to the Disciples; but if He goes away, He would send them the Holy Spirit...When the Advocate comes, He would prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in Me; about righteousness, because I AM going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned...“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear...But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the Truth...He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come...He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you...All that belongs to the Father is mine...That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what he will make known to you.”...
Jesus tells us that He will be sending the Disciples the Holy Spirit to help them...The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus...And by having this Holy Spirit, this Advocate the Disciples would not feel alone as orphans or feel alone at all, but would realize by receiving this Holy Spirit, Jesus is still with them...I would suggest that the Holy Spirit is One of the things that connects all Christians to Jesus...The Holy Spirit also connects fellow Christians...The Holy Spirit is a guide, that Jesus calls the Spirit of Truth...This Spirit of Truth is always trying to guide us to the Truth, and beyond our earthly desires that we have...All of His Disciples are being guided toward Him...The Holy Spirit is in a way our earthly connection to Jesus and His Father...The Holy Spirit receives its Word from Jesus and what He hears from Jesus will be made known to His Disciples...So when Jesus leaves the earth and goes back to His Father in heaven, which He soon would, their connection to Him on earth would now be the Holy Spirit that He sent...The Disciples would go from this physical connection of Him being with them to a Spiritual One...One of the Holy Spirit, being indwelt in them...
And I say this Holy Spirit is indwelt in each of us today...He is often hard, very hard to follow because being on earth and being grounded for years by our parents, families, men and traditions of this earth -we struggle to do the will of God and the work of the Holy Spirit...We block His guidance...We are greatly influenced by earthly things and by our earthly desires and pleasures...We easily find excuses and rationalizations not to follow the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent...We are more likely to do our own will than to do the will of our Heavenly Father, who He has sent to us, and more importantly for our guidance and our own good...But the nudging and commands of the Holy Spirit is given to us from the One who wants us to hear it the most...We need both discipline and faith to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and our own free will gets in our way...And maybe we need to listen better, and not only with our ears, but with all our senses...
Each day we are confronted with choices to make, and no doubt I can say I have not always chose the right ones...It is often easier to follow our past, or do what we have always done, or what we have been taught, and draw upon the experiences of how we were raised and how other different life experiences that have shaped us...It is just easier to do what we have always done in the past...Sometimes there is a discomfort in change and doing God's will and following the Holy Spirit...And this discomfort freezes us in our efforts to do His will and seems to block the Holy Spirit's ability to guide us...