Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - 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]
Reading and reflecting on the Last Supper discourse in the Gospel According to John (ch.14-17) can be rewarding but challenging in many ways. It is "impressionistic" and not given in logical sequence - a kind of stream of consciousness text. One must look more to themes and ideas that are repeated but not exactly the same way each time. And there are those little inconsistencies that can drive a logical mind to distraction. For example, in today's passage from chapter 16, the text has Jesus saying, "I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'" But earlier in chapter 14: 1-6, Thomas did ask Jesus where he was going. Also, at the end of chapter 14, Jesus seems to bring an end to his discourse by saying, "Get up, let us go!" But the discourse goes on for three more chapters (15-17)!
Today, we see the big theme of Jesus as the one whom God has sent and the consistent theme of confrontation and testimony. The Holy Spirit will place the believer in an adversarial position to the "world." As we near the celebration of Pentecost, the passages from the Last Supper discourse will reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit as understood from the perspective of the Gospel According to John. In the passages from the Acts of the Apostles, we are given a somewhat different but entirely compatible understanding. There is a further two-step process that offers benefits. 1) Read the Last Supper discourse in the light of the whole Gospel According to John, and then 2) read the Gospel According to John in relation to the other three gospels. The bigger picture is the one urged by the teaching authority of the Church in a wonderful document entitled THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCH. All of this may seem a lot of work but it can be very rewarding in understanding the Word of God. AMEN