Sunday, May 15, 2016

John 14:8-17, 25-27


John 14:8-17, 25-27 (NRSV)

        8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 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’? 10 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. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 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. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

        15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 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.

                25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Year C
Pentecost Sunday
May 15, 2016
Cross~Wind
Presenting Jesus 

Introduction

Some of you might remember the 2014 movie “American Sniper.” Bradly Cooper played soldier Chris Kyle, who was a sniper in Iraq. It was a true story that ended sadly. I had seen the real life soldier in interviews. I must say, the actor did a great job “presenting” the soldier to us. Later, he was the lead actor in a quite different role. He was a master chef in the 2015 movie “Burnt.” This was not a true story, but I thought he did another good job “presenting”an eccentric chef to us. An interviewer asked him if it was difficult to play two such opposite roles. His response was something like, “Not really.” He is one who could adopt the role for the time needed, and then move on to the next role.

Our calling is to learn to be Christians. We have our vocation. It will last the course of our lives. We are not alone. Jesus has shown us the Father. The risen Christ abides in us. We abide in Christ. The Spirit is the one whom the Father has given us to live this life and fulfill our calling.[1]  

Application

            The way our passage discusses the role of the Holy Spirit to keep reminding us of Jesus and that our mission is to continue the works of Jesus has made me think of us as individuals and of us a congregation as having the mission of presenting Jesus to the world. The Holy Spirit guides us in our presentation.

            Our passage suggests how we are to present Jesus. 

Jesus presenters in garments of love

            Our calling is to wear the clothing of love. I hope that our longing is a simple one, that people would see Jesus through us.

            Does this sound unlikely, or even impossible? It should not.

Jesus says,  

The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do” (14:12).  

Then he prays that the disciples may be one, just as Jesus and God the Father are one. 

 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (17:23).  

There is to be a strong and seamless connection between Jesus and God and all of the followers of Christ, an unbroken thread of unity, love, and shared mission that ties all three very tightly together.

            If you imitate someone, you can pull it off externally.

At Disney in Florida, I went to an American history section. We went into a stage area, and at one point, Abraham Lincoln stood up and spoke. It was as if he was there. In that case, the figure was not human, but they sure made it appear as if it was.

The coming of the Holy Spirit should remind us that claiming to be followers of the historical Jesus is one thing. You might put on the external garments, grow the beard of a first century Jew, wear sandals, and even seek to live “in some way” the life of the historical Jesus. You might do that for a brief period. However, allowing the Spirit of the risen Christ to dwell fully in us is another matter. We do not just remember that Jesus once lived. We live and witness today in such a way that we as members of the Body of Christ invite people to see Jesus in a new way.

Christians are to make this work ontologically, that is, we found our new identity in our relationship with Christ. You are not just to be yourself. You are to be the person you are in Christ, as the Spirit of Truth guides you now. Through the Spirit, we are in Christ and Christ in us. We are new creations in Christ, and therefore on the way to being who we are.

Now, we need to ask a challenging question. 

Are we hesitant Jesus presenters?

            Christians often obscure Jesus rather than present Jesus.
            We may have neighbors, co-workers, and family members who engage in behavior we do not think are in line with the Bible. This observation has always been true. For heaven’s sake, each of us falls short of presenting Jesus in the way we would like or should. Yet, we can often cast a judgmental eye toward others. My point is that regardless of their words or behavior, our calling is to exhibit care and love. We can go back to creation and remind ourselves that God created this person in the image of God. We can also remind ourselves that God loved this world enough to send the Son.

Of course, I have been trying to keep up with our General Conference as it meets in Portland, OR. I wish I could say this event in our denominational life clearly presents Jesus to the world. Sometimes, of course, it does. All too often, it obscures Jesus.

If you are on the Left or Right side of the political spectrum and a Christian, your calling is to love those with whom you disagree. Your calling as a Jesus presenter is to love. People have been concerned for a long time that we seem to have an increasing rage in this country, where I am on the side of God and my opponent is a soldier of Satan. We need to have far more concern about our imperfections and far more concern with showing compassion toward others than we do. 

The problem is that people in our world really do want to see God, even if they are not aware of it.

             Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied” (John 14:8). 

I see evidence of this in the continuing quest in spirituality, meaning, and purpose. Of course, much of this search is more like an aimless search.  The Christian response is simple.   

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?”’(14:9-10a). 

If we are not sure how to describe God, we look to Jesus. Then, as those who model their lives on that of Jesus, we are able to show God to the world.

Jesus loved God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. All too much of the misery of humanity descends from a perversion of what we love, whom we love, and when we love. We need to love God above all.

Jesus loved his neighbor. All too much of the misery we bring on ourselves descends from our failure to love our neighbor well and properly.
            When we contribute a bag of canned goods to a food pantry, we are making the statement that God wants no one to go hungry.
            When we mentor a troubled youth in Kid’s Hope, we are showing the world that the Lord cares for every one of the lost sheep of humanity.
            When we organize a small group in church, of which we presently have ten, we are reflecting a divine desire for spiritual nourishment.
            When we engage in the political process at a local, state, or national level or when we work with the community in some of its pressing needs, we are showing the community that our Lord is concerned about justice.
            When we befriend a lonely coworker, we are making the statement that God is love.
            When we write a check to the church, we are helping the church fulfill its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ here and around the world, showing that our God is the Lord of life, not death.
            In all of these ways, we are revealing the power and character of God. We are doing the works of Christ, and continuing his ministry in the world.
            We are presenting Jesus.

            Fortunately, we do not function alone or in isolation. We also have an association of Jesus Presenters we call the church.

            From this body we get guidance, encouragement, discipline and inspiration, plus the odd and enlightening experience of hanging around with a large group of people who are trying to project the same persona.
            We certainly do not all look the same. We certainly can learn from one another, especially if we treat each other with kindness and mutual respect. Even more importantly, we do our work knowing that the power of God is working through us. Jesus continues to be active in our lives, promising that he will do whatever we ask in his name, meaning that he will answer us when we ask for help in revealing the power and character of God.
            In addition, the Lord God gives us the Holy Spirit, the one who teaches us, and reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us (v. 26). If we are going to be persuasive and powerful Jesus followers, we really do need this help, instruction, and guidance.
 

Conclusion
            Jesus has selected each of us to join his association. This passage invites us to become one with God and Jesus, and to let the Holy Spirit work through us. This passage asks us to perform the works of Jesus, and through these works to reveal the power and character of God to the world.

Our congregation does this imperfectly. Our denomination does it imperfectly. The global church does it imperfectly.
            If we accept this invitation, maybe people will see and hear Jesus through us.

Let it be so. 

Going deeper

John 14:8-14 is part of the larger segment of John 14:1-14, where the theme is that Jesus is the way to the Father. Jesus is sharing his final words with his disciples. What we are going to hear is the intimate connection between the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father sends the Son. We are going to hear about having faith or belief in this relationship. After all, Christians have said from the beginning that if people want to know God, they need to look to Jesus. We are going to hear about the close connection between loving Jesus and keeping his commandments. In this Gospel, though, this means the “new commandment,” that of loving each other. As often happens in the New Testament, faith and love come close together. We also learn that Jesus is asking the Father to send the Spirit of truth. As Jesus goes to the Father, his followers will have the Holy Spirit living in them. The role of the Spirit is to remind us of Jesus. The Spirit does not glorify himself. The Spirit glorifies the Son. We are also going to hear the word “world.” In this Gospel, that is his shortened way of referring to people who do not believe or resist the preaching of the apostles. The point is that if you allow the Holy Spirit to live in you, you will have to put up with a certain strangeness in relationship to the rest of the world. The world will not understand you and your values. At times, you will not understand why the world does what it does. He will talk about prayer “in the name of Jesus,” qualifying what it means to ask anything in prayer. What I want to stress, though, on this Pentecost Sunday, is the close connection between the Father, Son, and Spirit. The works of Jesus will continue in the works of the disciples, through the power of the Spirit. The Spirit keeps presenting Jesus to us. We are to keep presenting Jesus to the world, and the Spirit will help us do that.

John 14:8-17, 25-27 (NRSV)

        8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” [Again, Philip is not quite getting the spiritual level at which Jesus is speaking.] 9 Jesus said to him, [note the disappointment]“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’? 10 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. [He is the true Son - the Child of the Heavenly Father. He and the Father share an essence, an access to power, and a relationship that allow the full exercise of that power. As Barth sees it, the terms Father and Son in John are such that the content of the one presupposes the other, and there follows the declaration that from knowledge of the content of the one there can be knowledge of the content of the other. In John, one is form, the other is content.[2] He also offers the opinion that the believer can have confidence in the providence of God because our creator is also a gracious Father to the children of God. In this verse, we can see that the Christian belief in providence sees the Father, and therefore God over us, and therefore the Lord of the world process. The will that rules the history of created being is not concealed. Word and work complement each other. In addition to this most unique and overt naming of Christ's divine power, John also relates unique teachings of Christ, unparalleled in the other gospels, which make clear his plan for the disciples and for the faithful who will come after them. Phillip's question implies the desire for a vision.  Jesus' answer is that now that he is here, Jesus is the only vision they need.[3]] 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 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. [Verses 12-14 have the theme of the power of belief in Jesus. The disciples can wield the same authority, do the same actions and even greater acts, if they will only believe that they, too, share this familial bond with God through Christ. As Dodd puts it, Christ is “coming again” in the mighty works in the disciples. The miracles of Jesus were signs of the revelation and salvation he brings.  The works of the disciples continue this ministry.[4]] 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. [Pannenberg says that the Spirit makes it possible to pray to the Father “in the name of Jesus,” to which Jesus promises a hearing. All of this suggests that their works are, in reality, Jesus' works - and by extension the works of God the Father. [5]]

                [John 14:15-21 has the theme of Jesus promising to his disciples the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.] 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. [Jesus is asserting his right to have them love him and obey him, even as does the Lord in the Old Testament. While love is important throughout the New Testament, only in John do we find the object of love to be Jesus.] 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 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. [Pannenberg stresses that here the Spirit is not present to believers in the way the Spirit will be given later. [6]  Barth stresses that the Spirit gives instruction to Christians in a way that never becomes identical with their own spirits, so to speak. The Holy Spirit is superior to us as believers. As our teacher and leader, the Spirit is in us, but in a way that the Spirit remains Lord of our lives. For him, the entire notion of Paraclete in this passage is relevant to this discussion. He notes the difference in the notion here of “the Spirit of truth.” For Barth, God is establishing and executing the divine claim to lordship over us by this immediate presence. [7] "Paraclete" means advocate, intercessor, counselor, protector, and supporter.  There is a close parallel between the work of the Spirit and that of Jesus. Barth says this word refers to a calling, summoning, inviting, demanding, admonishing, and encouraging, an address that both corrects and comforts. The Spirit will be for the community and individual Christian the great paraclete. It describes the Spirit as the mediator, advocate, and spokesperson of Jesus Christ to the community of believers. The Spirit speaks both of Christ and for Christ, as the representative of the cause of Christ, seeking to make the cause of the community and the individual to become the cause of Christ. The Spirit sees to it that neither individual followers nor the community forgets Christ.[8] Pannenberg opines that John distinguishes more sharply than does Paul the Son and Spirit. Here, the Spirit is the “other Advocate” whom the Father will send in the name of Jesus.[9] He offers the opinion that the material difference between the types of statement regarding the giving of the Spirit is not great. After all, in each case both Father and Son work together in sending the Spirit, whether it be that the Father sends the Spirit at the request and in the name of the Son or that the risen Lord pours out the Spirit whom he has received from the Father. Regardless, he points out that the purpose of the sending is to continue the work of revealing Jesus. The Spirit glorifies Jesus as the Son of the Father by teaching us to recognize the revelation of the Father in the words and work of Jesus.[10] Pannenberg says that in this passage we see that the Holy Spirit is present to the church through the glorifying of Jesus Christ as the one whom the Father sent. For him, this passage suggests an immediacy of individuals to Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit brings.[11] Pannenberg views it as a decisive step in the train of thought in John that Jesus himself, by the work of the Spirit, is with his own, being “in” them as they are “in” him. [12] The people who have his commandments and keep them are those who love him. The Father will love those who love Jesus. Further, Jesus will love them and reveal himself to them.]

[To Raymond Brown, John offers a profound reinterpretation of the post-resurrection period and directs us to the real gift of this period, which is union with Jesus. The appearances are not an end in themselves. They initiate and point to a deeper type of presence. Even in Matthew 28:20, the risen Jesus says, “I am with you always until the end of time.” Barth says that world history, having attained its goal in Christ and in his death, cannot continue as though nothing had happened. His community, Christians, is now present in the world as witnesses to Christ. Yet, God does not leave them to their own devices. They cannot be without Christ in the world. [13]]

            [The theme of John 14:25-27 are the final thoughts of Jesus before his departure. In verses 25-26, we find the theme of the sending of the Paraclete to teach. We find an unhappy reminder the time of Jesus with his disciples is running out, preparing the way for another reference to the Paraclete. Now, the focus is the function of the Paraclete as teacher. For Pannenberg, the significance of this passage is that it shows that the Spirit continues the reconciling work of Jesus in the world. In fact, the Spirit brings to completion the reconciling work of the Son.[14]] 25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, [as prayer is in the name of Jesus] will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. [Brown notes the use of the personal pronoun, “him,” suggesting that for John, the Spirit was more than a tendency or influence. Further, the fact that the Holy Spirit will teach them everything means that the Paraclete will enable the disciples to see the full meaning of the words of Jesus. The Father will send the Spirit in the name of Jesus. Now Jesus mentions for a second time the imminent arrival of another who will be "Advocate," "Helper," even "Counselor" to the disciples once Jesus himself has returned to the Father. The Paraclete will teach, completing the mission of Jesus. The Paraclete will enable the disciples to see the deepest meaning of the words of Jesus. One should understand the "everything" this Holy Spirit will teach as "everything you need to know about what I have said." Jesus also reveals just how this Holy Spirit "teaches" - by making his disciples remember all that Jesus had already taught them. Jesus assures the disciples that the Father will send another personality, the Paraclete, Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name to teach them and remind them of what Jesus has taught them. The relations described between Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit suggests a unified purpose and coordinated effort. The words of the Father are those of Jesus, and the Spirit will in turn teach these words. In the gospel writer's perspective, the goal of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is to build the community of faith, and to sustain them in their belief. Their activities of sending, coming and going work is to establish that community and to build up its belief. The promise of the Spirit's presence is a promise that the presence of the Spirit will sustain the community in the instruction of Jesus' words. The revelation of God in Christ goes on. Indeed, seeing this takes special eyes, the eyes of a believer. This posture of belief is what John holds out for the community at the close of the unit. Jesus, according to John, has told these things to his disciples so that when these events do transpire, John's community will remember Jesus' words and come to believe. Indeed, John issues this goal of belief toward the end of the gospel in John 20:31 as the book's entire purpose. Belief in Jesus encourages the gospel writer's readers, both ancient and contemporary, that we will find our secure dwelling as the church, and that in this we will abide together in God. For Pannenberg, this fact shows that the Spirit is the Spirit of truth, for the Spirit does not direct people to the Spirit but to the Son. Distinct from the Father and the Son, the Spirit belongs to both.[15] Bultmann points out that teaching and reminding are aspects of the same function of the Holy Spirit. Carl Ludwig Nitzsch uses this verse as a basis for his new definition of revelation that gave direction to the age that followed. He differentiated the external and public revelation of God from the inner and private revelation that the biblical authors received and which one might more properly call inspiration. He equated the content of revelation with moral religion. He distinguished between the historical form of revelation from the matter of revelation. He thought of his view of revelation superior to the notion of identifying revelation with the writings of biblical authors, which could fall to the ground if they were in error at a single point.[16] As in verse 16, Pannenberg does not view this as materially different from other forms of the statement. In each case, both Father and Son work together in sending the Spirit, even if the text refers to the risen Lord as sending the Spirit. The purpose of the sending by the Son is to continue the work of Jesus in revelation.[17] He also thinks that in this passage, the emphasis is on the spontaneous coming and working of the Spirit.[18] In a discussion of prayer, he refers to the sending of the Spirit by the Father “in the name of Jesus,” a thought consistent with the notion of prayer “in the name of Jesus.”[19] He will also stress that the Spirit of Christ reminds Christians of Jesus.[20] ] 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. [In verse 27ab, we find the parting gift of peace. “Peace” is a departing “shalom” to the disciples, but not just a thoughtless salutation, but the gift of salvation. “Peace,” along with “grace,” became part of the traditional greeting from one Christian to another, as we can see in Romans 1:7 and I Corinthians 1:3. Despite frequent usage, it retained its religious meaning, as we can see in Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts.” Twice in this farewell discourse, in 14:27 and 16:33, Jesus focuses on the parting gift of peace.  Jesus offers peace, while the tribulation of the world stands waiting.  What is this "peace" that Jesus mentions?  It describes, rather, a special and desirous gift from God. The Gospel of John equates the term variously with "light," "life," "joy" and "truth." Peace is a positive, active presence.  Peace is a gift selected to salvation. All the benefits the believer receives because of the saving gift of Jesus Christ are components of this peace. Receiving Jesus' peace is personally receiving God's gift of salvation. Because the disciples are to receive Jesus' own peace, there is no reason to be troubled, no cause to be afraid. There is some grammatical debate over how one should understand the second line of verse 27. It is not clear whether Jesus' subject is the peace - "not like the peace the world gives, do I give to you," or the act of giving - "such giving is not the kind of giving exhibited by the world." The gospel writer may have intended some ambiguity here, for theologically it is evident that this author would declare that both statements are true. The "peace" this world holds out is a false peace, based wholly on the momentary success of one force (person, country, ideals, status) over another. Since the world never fully holds such a peace, true peace is not something the world gives. Any "giving" gesture made by the world is empty of content and promise.] Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. [In verse 27c-29, the theme is the departure of Jesus. Thus, Jesus stresses that their love is possessive instead of generous. In going to the Father, he accomplishes the purpose of his life. Any human love that fails to recognize this is not real love. Implicitly, he connects faith and love closely.]

[This passage speaks of a sending by the Father in the name and at the request of the Son.

For J. Zizioulas, this passage is basic to an understanding of the work of the Spirit in the Eucharist, especially to grasping it as “remembrance” in the context of the invocation or calling down of the Holy Spirit.[21]



[1] Pentecost was the catalyst for the explosive growth of the church as the Spirit moved among them. However, that same Spirit would move many of those same people into a strange world that did not value Jesus or the Spirit the way they did. This made them rely fully on the Spirit of the indwelling Christ — the only “Advocate” they would have as they lived and witnessed in dangerous situations. If we take the Spirit seriously as the guide for our lives we may find ourselves living quite uncomfortably. Jesus promised the Spirit, but he did not promise that life would be easy.
As one seminary professor told an incoming first-year class, “Folks, when God calls you, he’s not doing you a favor.” There’s some truth to that!
 
[2] (Church Dogmatics, I.1 [5.4] 176)
[3] (ibid., III.3 [48.2], 29)
[4] (The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, 1940, p 395)
[5] (Systematic Theology, Volume 3, 204)
[6] (Systematic Theology, Volume 1, 267)
[7] (Church Dogmatics, I.1 [12.1] 454)
[8] (Church Dogmatics IV.2 [64.4] 326)
[9] (Systematic Theology, Volume 1, 270)
[10] (Systematic Theology, Volume 3, 5)
[11] (Systematic Theology, Volume 3, 134)
[12] (Systematic Theology, Volume 3, 16)
[13] (Church Dogmatics, IV.2 [64.4] 326)
[14] (Systmatic Theology, Volume 2, 450-454)
[15] (Systematic Theology, Volume 1, 315)
[16] (De revelation religionis externa eademque publica prolusiones academicae, 1808, 5)
[17] (Systematic Theology, Volume 3, 5)
[18] (ibid., 15)
[19] Systematic Theology Volume 3, 204.
[20] Systematic Theology Volume 3, 275, 307.
[21] (“ L’Eucharistie: quelques Aspects bibliques,” in L’Eucharistie, 1970, p. 13-74)

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