Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 - 6th Week of Easter - Tues
[Acts 16:22-34 and John 16:5-11]"Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." [John]
There is a lot of "coming and going" in the Gospel According to John. Scripture scholars speak of the overarching theme in this gospel of Jesus coming from the Father and returning to the Father ("exitus/reditus"). This theme is quite strong in the Farewell Discourse since Jesus is preparing the disciples for his "hour" to be "lifted up" and his "return to the Father." Today, the theme seems to be reversed. Jesus GOES and the "Advocate" COMES.
The consistent theme of conflict and judgment also appears because the Advocate will enable the disciples to confront the "world." The idea is very broad, as I mentioned a day or so ago when the principal consideration was "the world." This struggle is "cosmic" in scope but at the time of the gospel's composition, it was very local and particular because those who accepted Jesus as the One whom God has sent were being expelled from synagogues. But the struggle goes on for hearts and minds. The temptation to view the scriptures as a kind of antique and think, "That was then, this is now" ignores just how contemporary the Gospel According to John truly is.
After his resurrection Jesus will tell the disciples, "As the Father has sent me, so also do I send you!" It is in the power of the Holy Spirit (the "Advocate") that we are enabled to bear witness individually and together in our own time and circumstances. AMEN