16“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19“After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20“In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
25“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 28“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 30“I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; 31but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.
Interesting Words
another
(ἄλλος – Greek) – allos ► another of the same kind; another of a similar type – Matt 12:13; 13:7-8;
Helper
(παράκλητος – Greek) – paraklétos ► advocate, intercessor, consoler, comforter, helper, (from pará, “from close-beside” and kaléō, “make a call”) – properly, a legal advocate who makes the right judgment-call because close enough to the situation – John 15:26, 16:7; 1John 2:1;
truth
(ἀλήθεια – Greek) – alétheia ► truth, but not merely truth as spoken; truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straightforwardness – John 1:16-17, 14:6, 16:13, 17:17-18; James 1:18;
receive
(λαμβάνω – Greek) – lambanó ► receive, get, take, lay hold of by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered), “accept with initiative” emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver – Matt 13:20; John 16:24; Acts 1:8;
Cross References
▪︎ Only believers receive the Spirit – 1Cor 2:12;
▪︎ The truth of the Word sets us free – John 8:31-32;
▪︎ Jesus speaks the Truth – John 8:45-46, 47;
▪︎ Jesus’ works are God’s works – John 5:36, 6:38-39, 7:16-17, 8:28, 9:4-5, 10:18, 33, 37-38, 12:49, 14:10;
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus tells the disciples that he was going to send “another” helper. How would you explain His use of the adjective “another”?
▪︎ Jesus, God incarnate, had been with them intimately for about 3 years.
▪︎ The Helper, God the Holy Spirit, when He is sent, will be another similar comforter, supporter.
▪︎ He would teach them in the same way that Jesus did.
▪︎ He would explain what God is doing and how they fit into that plan going forward.
▪︎ He would provide support to them through some of the most challenging times during the beginning of the church age.
2. What are some examples you can use to describe a “helper from close beside”?
▪︎ Similar to Jesus, He will help, but from a different perspective… from the inside.
▪︎ He will be inside our brain, our soul… so close it will be hard to tell the difference between Him and our own thoughts.
▪︎ He will be experiencing our situation the same way we are experiencing it… probably better, more accurate.
▪︎ He interprets and communicates our feelings accurately, directly to God in ways we can’t articulate (Rom 8:26).
▪︎ He intercedes for us according to the will of God (Rom 8:27).
▪︎ He communicates God’s responses and messages directly to us, taking us to the right passage of Scripture.
▪︎ He guides us and gives us His peace in making decisions (John 3:8).
3. How would you describe the Spirit of truth?
▪︎ A very, very close friend, a trustworthy friend (John 15:14-15).
▪︎ He sees and understands an accurate, unvarnished view of the reality we face moment by moment.
▪︎ His assessments are accurate and completely true… (John 14:6, 4:23).
▪︎ He communicates to us when we are wrong (Ps 139:1-3).
4. What are the results that the Spirit of Truth brings to us?
▪︎ He communicates and explains God’s truth to us.
▪︎ He gives us a better view of the reality around us.
▪︎ He will reveal the truth about God (John 16:13, 14)
▪︎ He brings God’s words back into our memory (John 14:26)
▪︎ We will know that Jesus is in God, and that we are in Him and He is in us (John 17:23)
▪︎ He allows us to understand the mysteries of God (Deut 29:29).
▪︎ Jesus and the Father come and make their abode with me!
▪︎ He will give us His peace (John 14:27, 16:33)
5. Put yourself in the shoes of Judas (not Iscariot)… Why did he ask the question (John 14:22)? How do you understand Jesus’ answer (John 14:23-24)?
▪︎ Jesus brought all kinds of new concepts to the disciples… 1. The suffering Messiah, and now… 2. Not everyone will be in the Kingdom.
▪︎ Delineation will be made between men based on their response to God’s call, specifically their obedience to God’s plan as presented in the Word.
▪︎ Jesus will disclose Himself only to those who keep His commandments and thus show that they love Him.
▪︎ This is not Jesus unilaterally making this statement but it is a joint statement from the Father and the Son, no doubt the whole of the Trinity.
6. How do benefits of the Spirit (question 4) support or contribute to John 14:27?
▪︎ Having the Spirit allows us to be with Him today in reality (Col 3:1, 2-3),
▪︎ No matter what happens, we will be with Him, just as He spoke to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43).
▪︎ This brings closure to Jesus’ call at the beginning of the chapter (John 14:1, 2-3)
▪︎ They knew that they believed and had left everything to be obedient to and to follow Christ (Mark 10:28-29)… They are confident, assured. They can rest in His peace.
▪︎ I walk with Him and talk with Him, and He tells me I am His own.
▪︎ We have an increasing knowledge of God and the truth.
7. Compare John 14:31 with John 5:19… What are the similarities? What are the differences? Note other interesting cross references (also listed above)… John 5:36, 6:38-39, 7:16-17, 8:28, 9:4-5, 10:18, 33, 37-38, 12:49, 14:10;
▪︎ Jesus did the ultimate work of God, completely fulfilling the plan of God in sacrificing Himself for the world (John 10:18). Nothing compares to that (John 15:13)
▪︎ We have to carefully be on the lookout for something that God is doing, and He wants us to join Him in that (John 5:19).
▪︎ He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4) to do His will in every instance of life (John 6:38-39).
▪︎ When we witness or teach, we need to be fully aware that they are not our words but His that we speak (John 7:16-17). When we hear a sermon, it too is God speaking.
▪︎ Take initiative from God and follow thru (John 8:28, 12:49, 14:10).
▪︎ Work the works of God while you can (John 9:4-5; Matt 5:14-15).
▪︎ Have faith that God can and is working thru you (John 10:37-38, 17:21) and not some lesser being (self or even worse, satan… John 10:33).