Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, or
ten days after His ascension, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples
gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-2). This day is one of the most important
events in the history of the Christian church. The coming of the Spirit is the
long-awaited fulfilment of the prophecies in the Old Testament (cf Joel
2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21), which also initiates the last days. Contrary to many
interpretations, the last days are not one-sidedly scary. Although the last
days are characterized by earthquakes, calamities, and terrible events (Matt
24-25), the last days are also good days. The last days, according to Acts 2, will
be characterized by terrible events with blood, fire, smoke, darkness, and
blood moons (2:19-20). But they are also great and glorious days because there
is salvation for those who call on the name of the Lord (2:20-21). This is why
Paul can say to the Corinthian believers that “now
is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2). These are
the days when the Holy Spirit is at work in the world. As Jesus said, “when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin,
and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (John 16:8, NLT). It is now “the time of salvation,”
when hearts are cleansed and people are “born again” as “new creation” (2 Cor
5:17). This age is when the Spirit is hovering over the earth (Gen 1:2),
seeking to give life over against chaos and decay. This is the age of life,
when God breathes the Spirit of life into the nostrils of creation, making life
out of dust (Gen 2:7; Ezek 37:4–10).
But the coming of the Holy Spirit has great significance
not only to the peoples of the world. The primary recipients of the coming of
the Spirit were Jesus’ disciples. They were the ones who were directly impacted
by the Spirit’s coming.
It is very important for us to realize that
it is in the context of Him saying farewell (John 13-17) that He promised the
coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. The night before Jesus was
crucified, He said His farewells to the disciples. Jesus was very concerned
about them, which was why He spent a lot of time during His last night to
teach, encourage, and even pray for them (John 13-17). He admonished them not
to be troubled (John 14:1). He knew that the disciples will suffer greatly when
He leaves them. For three years, their lives have revolved around Jesus Christ.
They went where He went. They have placed their hopes in Him. So when Jesus
said his farewells, they were quite unwilling to accept things. When Thomas
asked “how can we know the way?” (John 14:5), he was seriously asking how they
may be able to follow Him. They definitely did not want to be left alone. So in
order to comfort the disciples, Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit:
“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” (John 14:16-18).
Not
Orphans (14:17)
Jesus assured them that even though He was
leaving them (John 14:28; 16:16), He was not abandoning them. He said “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18).
This is an interesting statement. Jesus realized that the disciples were
extremely dependent on Him. Apart from Him, they would become nothing. They
would lose their confidence and even their sense of identity. Jesus knew
that the moment He is taken away from them, they would be scattered, which was precisely
what happened (Matt 26:31; Mark 14:50; John 16:32). He knew that they would be
afraid, which also came true (John 20:19). For Him to be crucified and then
ascend to the right hand of the Father, Jesus knew that His disciples will be
completely at a lost. Indeed, they would become like orphans, with no one
depend on and rely upon. They would become orphans whose future will be bleak
and uncertain.
But Jesus told them that His
absence will not result in this state of affairs. He promised to them the Holy
Spirit, who would come to “help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16). In
the physical absence of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit would be the one to guide
them and help them just as Jesus did when He was with them. This is why the
coming of the Holy Spirit is the coming of the Comforter (John 14:16, KJV). Because
Jesus knew that His departure would leave the disciples sorrowful and fearful,
the Holy Spirit would come to give peace to the disciples. Jesus said: “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” (John 14:27). These
words find greater meaning in John 20:19-23. As Jesus predicted, after His
death, the disciples became afraid, so He came in their midst and said “Peace
be with you” (20:19, 21) and “Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:22). The coming of
the Spirit is the coming of peace.
Just like Jesus who stayed
with them and was with them, the Holy Spirit will remain with them. In short,
the Holy Spirit is sent from the Father and the Son in order to dwell with
God’s people. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “lives with you
and will be in you” (John 14:17). Yes, it is true that Jesus was about to
leave them. But this does not mean that God would abandon them. God does not do
this to His own people. His promise to His people since the beginning of His
covenant with humanity was to be with them:
“The
LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail
you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut 31:8)
“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your
God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9)
The coming of the Holy
Spirit is the coming and indwelling presence of God in our lives. In the Old
Testament, we see Yahweh dwelling among the Israelites (Exo 29:45; Lev 26:11;
Num 35:34; Deut 7:21). In the Gospels we see Jesus dwelling among us (John
1:14). This is why Jesus is also called Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt 1:23). And
now the Holy Spirit is also mentioned as dwelling among us (Rom 8:9, 11; 1 Cor
3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; 2 Tim 1:14). We are not orphans. We have God with us!
Another Advocate
The truth of
the Holy Spirit as someone with us is
summarized by Jesus Christ when He called the Spirit Parakletos (John 14:16), which means “one called alongside.” Just
as Jesus Christ was God with us, the
Holy Spirit is also God alongside us.
The Spirit stays with us and walks alongside us.
But the term Parakletos does not only refer to “someone
alongside us.” This is not about mere space and geographical proximity. In
Greek culture, a Parakletos is
someone who stands with someone in court, advocating for someone’s pardon and
cause. Picture someone accused to wrong doing in court, and someone is with
him, advocating for his pardon and release. That is the Parakletos.
What is interesting in John 14:16 is that the
Holy Spirit is called another Parakletos.
Quite simply, the coming Holy Spirit is the second Parakletos. Like Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is also God alongside and for us. Jesus is also a Parakletos:
“If anybody does sin, we have an advocate (Parakleton) with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). What
is the work of Jesus Christ as Parakletos?
Paul writes in Romans 8:34, “Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who
died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God--and
He is interceding for us.” Jesus is our High Priest at the right hand of the
Father interceding for us (Heb 7:25). Truly, “Christ did not enter a man-made
copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our
behalf in the presence of God” (Heb 9:24). Jesus is our Advocate before the
Father.
This means that in the coming of the Holy
Spirit, we have two Advocates. Jesus is our Advocate in the presence of the
Father and the Holy Spirit is our Advocate on earth. In what way is the Holy
Spirit our advocate? The Holy Spirit is our advocate before the world. As we
already know, the world is violent against God. As Jesus said to His disciples,
the world will hate them and the church (Matt 10:22; 24:9; Mark 13:13; Luke
21:17; John 15:18-19, 21). The world will slander God and will throw at us all
kinds of nasty accusations and condemnations. The world will challenge our
faith. But Jesus said that the Spirit is our Advocate as “the Spirit of truth”
(John 14:17). Jesus continued to say: “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” (John 14:26). The Spirit will
defend us from the world by reminding us the words of Jesus.
Conclusions
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