John 14:22-26

The Holy Spirit is often ignored in non-charismatic American churches. I grew up in these types of churches, where the pastors vaguely discussed the Holy Spirit without ever outlining the unique role He plays. Why is that? Pastors often ignore dissecting the individuality of members of the Trinity, specifically the Holy Spirit, for two reasons. First, the Bible contains less information about the character of the Holy Spirit than Jesus or the Father. There are less passages about the Holy Spirit, so we hear sermons about it less. Secondly, pastors are often fearful of striking doubt and discord concerning the unity of the Trinity. Discussing the unique roles of each member, or perceived differences, clash with our human understanding of unity and sameness. Churches are so concerned about attendance and pews filled that they abandon teaching passages with interpretative difficulties, attempting to commercialize and dilute the Gospel in search of evangelism. American Christians are often anemic in their connection to the Holy Spirit because of this failure. Today, in an attempt to avoid this intellectual fallacy, we are continuing our study of John 14. Open your Bibles to John 14:22-26 and your copy of Take Every Passage to Prayer, Volume 2- The Gospels by Charles Wagner, pages 642-647, for a deeper study of this passage.

In response to Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit, listing its attributes, a disciple named Judas asks Jesus a question. However, this man is not Judas Iscariot! We know that a lot of the disciples had multiple names, and scholars believe that this Judas in John 14 is most likely Thaddaeus (Matthew 10, Mark 3). Regardless, Judas asks Jesus how He is able to reveal Himself to the disciples, but not the world. Jesus answers by telling us that through love and obedience, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are able to connect with the Creator of the universe. 

I think this is such a unique concept, considering Jesus is not asking for sacrifices, which would have been the custom of the day, nor supernatural rituals and rites, which modern spiritualists consider more reliable. Jesus asks for real, tangible actions that are only possible through connection with the Spirit. Sacrifice requires human initiation, where God responds to the request for atonement. Spirituality requires divine initiation, where humans respond to God’s request for connection. Instead, Jesus talks about obeying His commands to love God and love others, which is a human initiation of connection. The Holy Spirit, however, is a divine initiation of connection. Each party takes a step towards each other, bypassing the metaphysical gap between them. Jesus is ushering in a new age of connection by introducing the Holy Spirit. For the first time in the history of the world, each and every believer will have a direct and internal connection to God. The Holy Spirit is living and active evidence of God’s desire to communicate with us. He wants to know us, hear us, and speak to us.

On the other hand, this passage has clear instructions for us, too. We are to keep the example Jesus set for us. In this way we are living out the love and connection that the Holy Spirit gives us. Knowing God is multifaceted. God reached down from heaven to send us a Savior, and left us with the Holy Spirit as a down payment on returning to restore the universe. He initiated Jesus and the Holy Spirit, not because He had to, but because He wanted to. When humans are faced with this gift, they must respond in some way, whether positive or negative. Jesus says that if you want to accept the gift, the Holy Spirit will empower you to love God and love others, which is the central command of Jesus’ teachings. The empowerment of the Holy Spirit purifies our hearts and changes our desires to align with God’s will. Over time, the heart responds to this. Wagner comments that Jesus’ “ways are satisfying and fulfilling far beyond whatever sin might offer us,” which beautifully displays how the heart changes once the Holy Spirit enters it (645). It is a living and breathing relationship, instead of the one-sided call and response of sacrifice and pure spirituality. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to empower our love and obedience, so that we may better know Him.

Dear Lord Father, 

We thank you for sending us Christ to suffer and atone for our sins. We have done nothing to deserve your grace. Not only did you send your Son, but you sent us your Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for empowering our love and obedience, so that we might know God more intimately. Your gifts are bountiful and merciful, and we can’t help but respond with resounding praise!

Amen.