Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 - 6th Week of Easter - Tues
[Acts 16:22-34 and John 16:5-11]For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
Some scripture passages make scripture scholars scratch their heads. This is one of them. I can only offer my response which is based on other elements of the Gospel of John. Those elements appeal to my "lawyer" instincts. The term that we might interpret as "crisis" comes from a Greek word that means judgment. There is a lot of confrontation in the Gospel of John. Jesus seems to predict that the coming of the Holy Spirit (which he would give after his resurrection) will result in a kind of confrontation between faith and non-faith
At the time the Gospel of John was written, this kind of confrontation was taking place in the actual living circumstances of the community! Preaching about Jesus could lead to expulsion from a synagogue. We know from St. Paul's experience that the results could be very painful. The early community needed encouragement to endure and persevere. Jesus' assurance of the authority of the Holy Spirit is intended to provide that encouragement! The immediate audience was the disciples at the Last Supper. !The next audience was the community for whom the gospel was composed. We are the audience now and we need encouragement too! AMEN