Hi everyone. Welcome back to the podcast.
This is the daily gospel exegesis podcast where every
single day. We do a verse by verse exegesis
of the text. We're giving you the tools to
understand the literal sense of the text of the Gospel.
Reading that you would hear it today's mass.
So today we have A rich theological text.
There's a lot you could say about this one.
So John, chapter 14 verses 23 to 29.
Jesus said to his disciples. If anyone loves me, he will keep
my word and my father will love him and we shall come to him and
make our home with him. Those who do not love me, do not
keep my words. And my word is not my own.
It is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these Things to you while still with you.
But the advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send
in my name. Will teach you everything and
remind you of all. I have said to you.
Peace. I bequeath to you my own peace.
I give you a piece, the world cannot give.
This is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be
troubled or afraid, you heard me.
Say, I am going away and shall return.
If you loved me, you would have been glad to know that I am
going to the father for the father is greater than I I have
told you this now before it happens so that when it does
happen, You may believe. So that's the text we're going
to take a look at today. We want to start as always by
thinking about the context. So it's in the Last Supper,
Jesus has begun the farewell discourse and that goes over
quite a few chapters. Jesus has just said to his
disciples, anybody who receives my Commandments and keeps them
will be one who loves me, and anyone who loves me Will Be
Loved by my father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.
So that's what he said. And then Judas, He's a bit
confused and in fact, probably all the disciples are very
confused. So Judas, not Judas.
Iscariot the other one said to him, Lord, what is all this
about? Do you intend to show yourself
to us and not to the world. So that's what's come just
before this Judas is just ask him the question.
Are you only going to show yourself to us and not to the
world? Now, this might seem like a
funny question to us but think about the Jews in Jesus time.
The common belief was amongst the Jews that when the Messiah
came, he was going to do certain things.
And the disciples by this point of come to believe that Jesus is
the Messiah. But because of their beliefs
about the Messiah, they think that means that he's going to
triumphantly reveal himself to the world and re-establish the
nation of Israel in this really public glorious way.
So it was part of their belief that the Messiah would publicly
show himself to the world but now Jesus, is just said, I am
going to show myself to you and not to the world.
At least that's how the disciples have interpreted what
he said and that's news to them. So Jesus is now going to sort of
answer their question in an interesting way.
Verse 23, Jesus says in response, if anyone loves me, he
will keep my word and my father will love him.
Now, that's a repeat of what Jesus has already said.
But probably in effect. What Jesus is saying?
In response to Judas, is something like this, you heard
me correctly. That is what I mean.
So he does intend to teach that. Only those who follow his
Commandments will get to experience, or he'll reveal
himself to only them in some particular way.
Now, Jesus is going to unpack this a bit.
That mean to reveal himself to someone, he says, and we shall
come to him and make our home with him.
So the way he is, my Father and Jesus himself.
So the father and the son, this is a deep, mystical teaching.
We shall come to him and make our home with him.
Think about those words God himself, making a home within
people. So the teaching here is that for
those who cooperate with Jesus instructions and the promptings
of God's grace, they will Allow their hearts to be a place where
both the father and the son can do well.
So the Christian can participate in the Divine communion, this is
a very Catholic teaching, isn't it?
And many Christians who have progressed in the spiritual life
in might know some people like this.
They will testify that something like this has happened to them.
They will say that they can feel the presence of God in their
hearts. And it's a deep tangible reality
to them. That's what Jesus is talking
about here. If you love my Commandments, if
you follow in my footsteps and draw closer, Me, I will make my
home in your heart is essentially the teaching here.
Interestingly, the word here for dwelling.
So Jesus says, we will dwell within that person.
The word for dwelling is the same word that's used a couple
of chapters. Earlier, when Jesus says, there
are many Dwelling Places In My Father's House.
And we know from later in the New Testament, that each
Christian is considered to be a temple of the Holy Spirit a
dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.
That's a 1. Corinthians 3 verse 16.
So there is this interesting background link here between the
dwelling of God being the temple and what that means in terms of
the New Covenant. So God, dwells to come in a
believer's heart before they come to to dwell with him in
heaven. And if you've read Teresa of
Avila, you'll know that she develops this your idea into the
famous interior castle where she talks about an individual
Christians, heart being like a castle that has different rooms
that God wants to progress into another way of looking at this
passage where Jesus says, we shall come to him and make our
home with him. It's essentially a fulfillment
of one of the Old Testament, prophecies about what God is
going to do in the last days. Ezekiel 37 verse 27 says, my
dwelling shall be with them, I will be their God and they will
be my people. So notice the word their my
dwelling shall be with them. This is probably the Fulfillment
of that. So really quite meaningful words
that are well worth meditating. Verse 24.
Then Jesus says what happens to the other group of people, those
who do not. Love me.
Do not keep my words. So Jesus, probably here wants to
make the point that no, he isn't going to reveal himself to the
world, only to those who love him.
He then says my word is not my own.
It is the word of the one who sent me.
And if you've been following through our series on the Gospel
of John, you'll know that this is a pretty consistent theme in.
Jesus words. Do not.
Don't come from himself. They come from the father.
Other translations have this as the father who sent me.
So they actually put the words, the father in there.
Rather than the one who sent me in context, Jesus, he probably
intends to say that those who do not keep his words.
Not only do not love Jesus himself but because Jesus speaks
the words of the father. These people also do not love
the father. That's what Jesus is getting
across and we need to Grapple with that.
There's lots of people in society today who say that they
love God or their But not religious or and there's all
sorts of variations on this. But Jesus says, one who really
loves me and loves the father, is one who keeps my
Commandments, there is no other way.
Verse 25. I have said these things to you
while still with you. So Jesus, he says he's going to
leave them soon and he's given the apostles, all of the
instructions that he can basically.
So he's in the are going to talk about how someone else is going
to take over that his teaching role after he's gone.
And remember, he's talking to the apostles here, he's giving
the apostles confidence that he's not leaving them alone.
He's going to send someone who will continue to guide them.
And here's who it is in. Verse 26, The Advocate, the holy
spirit will teach you everything.
So, let's unpack the word, The Advocate, the Greek word here is
parakletos, and that means roughly counselor but not
counselors in a psychologist. Counselor is an illegal
counselor in a courtroom. So that word parakletos had a
very specific meaning in this particular context and this is
one of these times I think when digging into the literal sense
and the context of that culture is going to really help us
understand what Jesus intends here.
So a paraclete toss in a Roman What room with someone who could
provide help and assistance to a person in a trial.
So it's kind of, I guess what we might think of like a barrister
today, someone who defends the defendant.
So the paraclete else would give counsel plead the person's cause
and intercede with the judge. So you might start to see some
parallels here with the Christian Life.
The basic idea here by Jesus calling the Holy Spirit, the
paraclete office, or The Advocate or counselor is that
the Holy Spirit fights on behalf of the Apostles to help them
succeed against the devil. Jesus knows that after he's
gone, they're going to battle the world in the devil.
And the parakletos is going to be like their legal helper, the
one who's going to give them counsel and defend them.
He then says the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my
name. So the father is going to be the
one to send the Holy Spirit to the church.
Although, in other places, Jesus says that he will send the Holy
Spirit himself. So, clearly, both the father and
the son are involved in the ascending and descending.
And that's actually an interesting goes into an
interesting theological discussion about the Trinity,
because as you might know, historically, the Orthodox
Church did not, Re with this expression of in the Creed,
which says the Holy Spirit proceeds, from the father and
the son, the Orthodox Christians would have preferred to just say
from the father, but there are verses in the New Testament,
which talked about this, the sun sending the Holy Spirit as well.
So, that's just an interesting aside if you're interested in
getting into the complexities of trinitarian theology.
So the father here, as in other places, the it appears that the
Holy Spirit, cannot be sent and till the sun's work is
accomplished and has returned to Heaven.
There's other places where Jesus says, it is good for me to go so
that the Holy Spirit can come. So, there's this idea that the
Holy Spirit can't come until Jesus goes back to Heaven, which
is interesting. He says whom the father will
send in my name. He will teach you everything or
more literally will teach you all things.
Now all doesn't mean the same as it does in English today.
When it says all things basically, that's a Jewish
phrase, which roughly, it will, it doesn't mean everything about
everything. It's not.
I'm going to tell you 100% of all knowledge there is but
rather it means something like this.
He will teach you everything you need to know.
So that all kind of means something a bit different.
Notice that he will teach you everything as in everything that
you need to know, who's he talking to?
He's talking to the apostles. This is a promise that Jesus
gives the apostles about what the holy spirit will do for
them, not for all Christians and that makes sense.
Jesus is saying that in the early years of the church, when
the whole when the apostles are around, the holy spirit will be
there to guide the apostles and to communicate God's truth to
them. If you read the book of Acts
you'll see that coming Very pretty strongly.
Particularly if you look at the Jerusalem Council where the Holy
Spirit actually guides them in their decision, what this means
is that the early church is work in the book of Acts and in the
Years following its really God's work.
God is with them through the Holy Spirit.
Now, notice this matches. Well, this idea that the holy
spirit will be with the apostles matches, the Catholic teaching
about the Canon. If you know much about the
Bible, the Catholic teaching is that the Canon of public
revelation of scripture writing was closed after the death of
the last Apostle. So the holy spirit is promised
to the apostles here in this verse and we know it's the holy
spirit that allows the scriptures to be inspired so it
makes logical sense to say that after the last Apostle died, Is
the holy spirit is not going to be as active in the same way.
So from that, we can reasonably infer that the scriptures the
inspired word of God was finished writing after the well,
at the death of the last Apostle and there was no more movement
of the spirit in that same way that Jesus promises it to the
apostles here. So I do think that that's a
legitimate thing that we can take from this verse.
He then says this, the holy spirit will remind you of all I
have said, To you. Now that's an interesting
promised. The holy spirit is going to help
the apostles memory. Now, that's a lot of things
because Jesus has said a lot of things to them during his
ministry. And Jesus here says, in order to
help them. Remember all the things that
he's said, he's going to send the Holy Spirit.
We see this actually happened. Several times in the gospels,
the gospels themselves after Jesus resurrects.
It talks about how the apostles remember things that happened
earlier in the ministry. So if you look at John 2:17 and
then John 12:16 John, their talks about, he talks about the
event in the life of Jesus and then he adds a little editorial.
Comment the apostles did not understand this until after
Jesus resurrection. So clearly the Holy Spirit was
helping the apostles, understand everything that Jesus said to
them. Even very soon after this after
Jesus, resurrection. So the idea here is that the
Holy Spirit helps the apostles make links to earlier teachings
of Jesus but this could also be extended as well.
Many scholars believe that this promise that the holy spirit
will remind the Apostles of Everything Jesus has said, maybe
that could extend to the writing of the gospels.
We know that the four gospel writers, two of them who are
Apostles, Matthew and John, when they wrote their gospels, they
were inspired. So Even though there's some
things in there, gospels, that seems like it would be hard for
them to know that these things happen.
For example, Jesus, in The Garden of Gethsemane.
One of the things that's often pointed out is he was too far
away for the apostles to hear what his prayer was.
Although, somehow in the gospels, there are able to
record what his words were saying with the woman at the
well in John's gospel, it's a private conversation between
Jesus and the woman. So how did the gospel writers
know what Jesus said in these conversations?
Well, according to some Scholars, this particular
passage in John 14 says it gives us an explanation of how the
gospel writers knew what Jesus said in those private
conversations, the Holy Spirit told them when they were writing
their gospels. And I think that that's quite
possible. Verse 27.
Jesus Neil says to his disciples.
Now notice the audience. He's not talking to all
Christians. He's talking to the apostles in
particular piece. I bequeath to you my own peace.
I give you. And of course those words are
familiar to you from Mass. We say that at the sign of
Peace. What does that mean in the
context though? Peace.
I bequeath to you my own peace. I give you.
So Jesus is speaking to the apostles.
He knows that he's going away and the apostles.
He's going away as well. He's already promised to give
them the Holy Spirit and now, he's giving them something else.
He's giving them a special gift of peace for the difficult
times. That he knows are going to be
ahead for the apostles. Now, the language here, applies
an active giving. It actually implies that Jesus
is giving them some sort of Supernatural, gift of Peace.
Which is passing from him to them.
My peace, I give you, this is my gift to you, so it does appear
that he's bestowing a supernatural, peace on.
Them here. He says it's a peace.
The world cannot give. Or as other translations put
this not as the world gives do I give to you.
So the world is able to offer some consolation and peace.
Although if you think about it, the kind of peace that the world
could give in that Society was kind of like the Roman Empire
piece. So it's like a political piece
which is always a bit unstable. And Jesus says, my piece is not
like that, he's giving them a supernatural kind of Peace which
gives us Comfort regardless of our circumstances.
How does Jesus get this piece? It's from his relationship with
the father. And now he passes on that
special Supernatural peace to his closest followers who are
going to be the leaders of his church.
The background for this is probably this Jewish idea of
Shalom, that's the Old Testament word for peace and that carries
the idea of well-being or everything is made right in
shalom. Interestingly in the Old
Testament God promises to have an outpouring of this special
Shalom. On his people in the final
eschatological age of Salvation, which of course is fulfilled in
Jesus. And you can see that in Isaiah
52 and 54 in Jeremiah 33 and in Zechariah 9 verse 10.
There's all these references in the Old Testament where God
says, one day, I will pour out my piece on my people and this
is probably a fulfillment of that.
He says this is my gift to you. So the language here, implies a
piece, a supernatural peace. That's passing from Jesus to the
apostles. Now it's possible that Jesus
doesn't actually give them this piece, right?
Then, and there because as we know, they, they do scatter, as
soon as they see Jesus being arrested, some people, some
scholars. Believe, he actually gives them
this piece at the resurrection. Remember, on Resurrection
morning. He appears to them in the locked
room and he shows them his hands and his feet and he says to them
peace be with you, so it's possible that that's when he
actually gives them the peace. Why does he give them peace
while they're going to need it for the ministry?
Arguably, if you look at the book of Acts, you could say that
they do have a special gift of peace with them while they're
active in the book of Acts based on the way that they respond to
leaders and when they're in prison, they seem like pretty
peaceful people. He finishes by saying do not let
your hearts be troubled or afraid.
Now, Jesus wants that to be true for all believers, fear and
anxiety stops us from trusting in God.
So, Jesus wants us once our hearts not to be troubled or
afraid. And those are great consoling
words for all of us. Verse 28, you heard me?
Say I am going away and shall return.
So Jesus has said this several times already in the farewell
discourse, and then he says, if you loved me, you would have
been glad to know that I am going to the father.
So by this point, the apostles are quite sad and anxious about
Jesus leaving. But Jesus says, I want you to be
happy and the reason he wants them to be happy is not because
he's leaving, but because of his destination where he's going
notice. This is a Diction of the
Ascension. I am going to the Father which
is what he does do on the Ascension Day and then he adds
for the father is greater than I.
So the reason he wants them to be, glad that he's going to, the
father is because the father is greater than I.
What does that mean? So it seems to be something like
this being with the father is a good thing because he is the
Supreme good. Something like that is probably
what Jesus means here. Some people have found this a
bit controversial because it's the sun speaking.
In the son, says, for the father, is greater than I does.
That contradict trinitarian theology about all three persons
of the Trinity being equal, no, because the Catholic teaching is
the three persons of the Trinity are equal in nature, but not in
the roles they play. So, there is a relational
hierarchy among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and the
father is in a sense, greater than the Son, and the Holy
Spirit in a sense. Because he is entirely without
origin, whereas the Son and the Holy Spirit, and not entirely
without origin, and that gets into some complete complexities
of theology, verse 29. I have told you this now before
it happens so that when it does happen, you may believe.
So Jesus gives the apostles this prediction so that when the
Ascension does take place, which would be around 40 days later
they can look back on this prophecy that Jesus has given
them in the last supper and Faith, that Jesus is indeed the
Messiah. That makes sense, because at
this point, the apostles do believe, he's the Messiah
certainly, but after his crucifixion, they sort of lose
faith in that because they weren't expecting the Messiah to
be killed. So, when Jesus dies on the
cross, they a lot of them seem to fall away from the faith and
they stopped believing his, the Messiah.
So Jesus here says that on the day when I Ascend, you can look
back on this prediction and believe that I am the Messiah.
So it's kind of a almost Jesus predicting that they're going to
need a faith booster. Remember who's writing this?
This is the Apostle, John, and he's one of the Apostles.
So, presumably, when the Ascension happens, 40 Days
Later, he's one of the people there, that's able to look back
on Jesus words. So that's the end of what we
have today. And there's a lot in that a lot
to think about the farewell discourse continues in the
lectionary, in the coming, week days.
So, if you keep listening, you'll get to hear more of the
farewell discourse, which keeps going into John 15.
There's a few really interesting.
Catechism, paragraphs that we want to take a look at which may
clear links to what we've seen here.
So I'll just read out a few of them.
Paragraph 647 is about the resurrection and it talks about
how this idea that Jesus is only going to reveal himself to
Believers. Could actually be applied to the
resurrection appearances of Jesus.
It says, although the resurrection was a historical
event that could be verified by the sign of the empty tomb.
And by the reality of the Apostles encounters with the
Risen Christ, still it remains at the very heart of the mystery
of Faith. It's something that truly And
sends and surpasses history. This is why the Risen Christ
does not reveal himself to the world, but to his disciples to
those who came up with him, From Galilee to Jerusalem, who are
now his witnesses to the people. There's also a reference to it
in paragraph, 2615 about prayer. It says, even more what the
father gives us when our prayer is united with, that of Jesus is
another counselor to be with you forever.
Even the spirit of Truth, this new dimension of prayer and of
its circumstances is displayed throughout the farewell
discourse in the Holy Spirit, Christian prayer is a communion
of love with the father not only through Christ but also in him,
here the two I have asked nothing in my name, ask and you
will receive that your joy may be full.
Paragraph to 60 is a discussion about the Trinity.
It says, the ultimate end of the whole Divine economy is the
entry of God's creatures into the perfect, Unity of the
Blessed Trinity. How incredible is that?
That's what we as Christians get to have access to entry into the
perfect Unity of the Blessed Trinity.
So it goes on, but even now, we are called to be a dwelling for
the Most Holy Trinity. If a man loves me says the Lord,
he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will
Come to him and make our home with him.
So that entire paragraph paragraph, 260 about how we
should understand the Trinity and its relationship to us, is
informed largely by John chapter 14 here.
Paragraph 2. 4 3 is says a little bit about how Jesus sends
the spirit, so I'll include that in the show notes and then
paragraph, 263 summarizes. The trinity in this way, the
mission of the Holy Spirit sent by the father, in the name of
the Sun and by the son, from the father reveals that with them.
The spirit is one and the same God with the father and the son
who is worshiped and glorified, Paragraph 69 to about the titles
of the holy spirit says when he proclaims an advisors the coming
of the Holy Spirit, Jesus calls him, the paraclete literally one
who is called to one side. Advocaat has paraclete is
commonly translated by consoler, and Jesus is the first consoler.
Paragraph seven to nine talks. A bit about how Jesus relates to
the Holy Spirit and so I'll include that show note that in
the show notes to and then, lastly, this is a nice thing to
finish on paragraph. 1099 says, primarily in the Eucharist and
by analogy in the other sacraments, the Liturgy is the
memorial of the mystery of Salvation.
The holy spirit is the church's living memory.
So that's a really interesting. Simplification not only did the
Holy Spirit bring to memory of the Apostles, the things that
Jesus said, and did we have access to that same kind of
memory function for the Holy Spirit as well?
The holy spirit is the church's living memory.
So all of that will be in the show notes for you to look at.
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Thanks, please tune in again tomorrow as we continue the
farewell discourse.