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Monday
Read John 16:1-11
The Advocate
This week’s devotional focuses on a few verses from Jesus’ extended discourse with His disciples in the Upper Room prior to His crucifixion (John 13:1—17:26). The first eleven verses of John 16 provide the immediate context of this week’s verses and help us understand them better. Jesus begins, “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away” (16:1), referring to what He shared with His disciples in chapters 13 to 15. Jesus was preparing His disciples for what was about to happen in His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
Within these first eleven verses, two points are worth noting to help us understand this week’s passage. First, after telling the disciples of the persecution they can expect from fellow Jews for being followers of Jesus, He mentions, “I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you” (v. 4). During His three-year ministry, Jesus was the primary focus of the opposition of the religious leaders of the day. Although occasionally the disciples were also criticized for their practices, Jesus was the primary object of their anger. Since He was with His disciples, He was able to shield them from the attacks He received. But now that He was going away, that would no longer be the case, so they needed to know what they should expect.
Second, Jesus states, “Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (v. 7). The word translated is “Advocate” in the NIV, “Helper” in the ESV and NKJV, and “Comforter” in many older translations (ASV and KJV). An English version of the original Greek word is “Paraclete.” Literally translated, Paraclete means “the one called alongside.” In Ancient Greece it was sometimes used in the legal sense of an advocate, but it also referred to someone helping, encouraging, or comforting another. Here it is clearly a title for the Spirit, whom Jesus will send to the disciples after His departure.
One practical implication of Jesus’ comments to His followers is that there are times when Jesus does not reveal to us all that lies ahead. He knows how much we need to know and reveals what is necessary.
Questions
In what ways is God’s Spirit an advocate, helper, or comforter in your life? In what current challenges do you most need His help?
Prayers
For His Children (FHC)
Pray for wisdom and guidance for the For His Children leadership team as they address the impacts of Ecuador’s political, social, and economic challenges.
Tuesday
Read John 16:12-18
As Much As We Can Bear
In yesterday’s reading we saw that Jesus kept information from the disciples about the kind of persecution they would face after His departure because He did not consider it necessary for them to know about it at the time. While He was with them, He was able to deflect much of the opposition they might have otherwise felt to Himself. There was no need to worry them about things that were for a future time.
In today’s text, Jesus states, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear” (16:12). Jesus affirms that He knows much more that the disciples need to know, but they are not yet ready to hear it. G. R. Beasley-Murray states, “Jesus speaks of a future which is beyond the ability of the disciples to imagine, and therefore the relevance of His teaching to those circumstances also beyond their present grasp.” Jesus not only knows what the disciples need to know, but also how much they are able to understand, and discloses or keeps to Himself that information accordingly.
We find an example of the disciples’ lack of understanding in the latter part of today’s text. When Jesus tells the disciples that in a little while they will not see Him and then after a little while they will see Him again (v. 16), the disciples begin asking one another what this may mean. Jesus explains it to them in the verses that follow, but this short vignette illustrates the limitations of the disciples’ ability to comprehend what was about to happen.
Can you identify with the disciples? I recall a time when God led my wife and me away from a ministry that I loved to an uncertain future with no explanation about what was next. I could not understand why God was silent about our future, but eventually God provided the guidance and provision we needed. From my vantage point today, I can see that it was an exercise in faith and God (as always) proved Himself faithful. Jesus wants His disciples to know that we can trust God to take care of us.
Questions
What current circumstances or future concerns weigh heavily on your mind? Rest assured that God tells us as much as we can bear.
Prayers
For His Children (FHC)
Pray for protection and provision for the children and families in the care of For His Children.
Wednesday
Read John 7:16-18, 16:12-15
The Spirit of Truth
In Monday’s devotional we saw that throughout this Upper Room Discourse (John 13—17), Jesus refers several times to the Spirit whom He will send as the Advocate, the One called alongside the disciples to help them. In today’s text, Jesus refers to the Spirit as “the Spirit of truth”: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all 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” (16:13). In making such a statement, Jesus identifies the Spirit with Himself, as He has already told the disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6). The truth the disciples can expect from the Spirit is not a new truth but will be consistent with the truth revealed in Jesus’ person and life.
Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus repeatedly emphasized that His teaching was not His own, but only what His Father had revealed to Him (see 7:16-18; 8:26-29, 42-43; 12:47-50). In stating that the Spirit will not speak on His own but will speak only what He hears, Jesus is continuing this theme. The Spirit reveals the truth of Jesus to the disciples, which is ultimately the truth of the Father. In this sense, the Spirit’s primary function in the life of the disciples is not to bring new revelation, but to help them recall the teachings of Jesus and understand those things they were not previously able to understand.
In the final portion of verse 13, Jesus says the Spirit “will tell you what is yet to come.” Many commentators see in this a reference to the prophetic ministry of the church, which Paul often discusses as a spiritual gift (see Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10). In this context, however, “what is yet to come” more likely refers to the near future of the disciples, the things Jesus knows but the disciples are not yet able to bear. Jesus is assuring the disciples that although they do not yet understand what is about to happen, He will not leave them unprepared for the immense challenges they will face.
Questions
How do you see the Spirit of Truth at work in your life? How do you ensure you are familiar with Jesus’ teaching and the rest of Scripture so that the Spirit can bring God’s truth to you?
Prayers
For His Children (FHC)
Pray for favor and progress in the efforts to influence new national orphanage standards and adoption policies.
Thursday
Read John 13:31-33, 16:12-15; Hebrews 9:13-14
The Spirit Glorifies Jesus
As Jesus continues to teach His disciples, He states the Spirit “will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you” (16:14). Although “glorify” is common enough in the Bible, it is not usually part of our daily vocabulary. The origin of this word speaks of making something heavy or weighty, and when referring to a person, to honor. Given the Hebrew practice of writing poetry with synonymous lines, the psalmist’s encouragement to the people, “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3), helps us understand the way this term was often used. To glorify is to praise, exalt, and honor another. So, when Jesus says that the Spirit will glorify Him, we may see this as an affirmation that the Spirit honors Jesus.
However, in the Gospel of John when Jesus speaks of His own glorification, it typically refers to His death and resurrection (12:23, 27-28; 13:31-32; 17:1, 5). (Beasley-Murray) Jesus is glorified by His death and resurrection because that is the fulfillment of the mission for which the Father sent Him. And the Father is glorified by Jesus’ death and resurrection because by them the salvation He had planned for humankind is finally accomplished.
When Jesus says that the Spirit will glorify Him, He is linking the work of the Spirit to His impending death and resurrection. The writer of Hebrews captures this thought with the words, “How much more, then (compared to the blood of animal sacrifices), will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). The Spirit is not only the Advocate who comes to the disciples at Pentecost, but also the One who empowers Jesus throughout His ministry, especially in His death and resurrection.
The Spirit also glorifies Jesus by taking what He receives from Jesus and making it known to His followers. The Spirit does not seek glory for Himself but seeks to glorify Jesus and through Him also glorify the Father. This work of glorifying Jesus is the Spirit’s splendor (i.e., magnificence, grandeur).
Questions
How has the Spirit made Jesus known to you? What attributes of Jesus do others see the Spirit making evident in your life?
Prayers
For His Children (FHC)
Pray for increased financial support to sustain and expand the programs of For His Children.
Friday
Read John 5:16-23, 36-40; 10:15-17; 16:12-15
The Spirit’s Work
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus’ favorite name for God is Father. Jesus tells His disciples and opponents that He has been sent by His Father (5:36-37), comes in the Father’s name (5:43), does the works the Father has given Him to finish (5:36), is loved (10:17) and known (10:15) by the Father, is one with the Father (10:30), and is glorified by the Father (17:1). In today’s text Jesus affirms that all that belongs to the Father is His. “All that belongs to the Father” (16:15) is not so much what Jesus possesses, but His teaching and activities, which He claimed the Father had given Him to do. Throughout His teachings, Jesus claimed that He did not act on His own authority, but on the authority of His Father. When people opposed Him, He reminded them that they were opposing the Father.
With this background, when Jesus says, “The Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you” (16:15), He is linking the ministry of the Spirit to His own teaching and activities. The teaching Jesus shared with the disciples and the power He demonstrated before them over evil spirits, sickness, and even nature itself, will be available to the disciples through the Spirit of Truth. Truth, in this sense, is not only what is stated, but also what is demonstrated. In the book of Acts we see the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to His disciples as the disciples taught with power and conviction (Acts 2), healed the lame (Acts 3) and sick (Acts 5:12-16), and raised the dead (Acts 9:36-42). Indeed, the Spirit faithfully reproduced Jesus’ teaching and activities in the ministry of the disciples.
There are several implications of Jesus’ teaching here. Firstly, we should not be surprised when the Spirit works through Jesus’ followers in miraculous ways. As impressive as physical healings may be, even more impressive is the work of the Spirit to transform a person on the inside, changing their hearts and desires to be more like Jesus. Secondly, while the work of the Spirit is often amazing, it should always point back to Jesus and the Father. The Spirit’s purpose is to glorify the Father, not humans through whom He works. Finally, as Jesus’ followers we need to be receptive to the Spirit’s work in our lives. Thus, we experience the Spirit’s splendor.
Questions
How has the Spirit made Jesus known to you? What attributes of Jesus do others see the Spirit making evident in your life?
Prayers
For His Children (FHC)
Pray for unity, strength, and encouragement for the staff and volunteers of For His Children.
Sources
George Beasley-Murray, Word Biblical Commentary: John, 2nd edition (Dallas: Word Books, 1999).
