An Exegetical Reflection on
the Gospel of the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C, John 14:23-29, Year C, May 5,
2013
THAT WITH THE death of Mao Zedong in 1976, there was a struggle between
the left wing and right wing over the control of China, the former advocating
the continuation of revolutionary mass mobilization, the latter the overhauling
of Chinese economy—this quite illustrates a normal feature in transition
periods. One of the problems that a
country, community, company or movement faces in the process of
institutionalization is the prospect of the death of the founder. Sometimes it happens that the original vision
of the founder is lost once a new one is installed. What he said and did is barely recalled and
hardly influences the direction the community takes in a new situation. In China, the Gang of Four suffered defeat,
while the reformers under Deng Xiaoping prevailed. Usually, though, this does not happen to a
democratic nation, because the Supreme Court is there to interpret the original
vision enshrined in the constitution, but this does not prevent the new leader
from revising the constitution. But this
cannot happen in the Christian community that Jesus founded; or it would be
divided and lose it continuity with the divine source. Today’s Gospel shows us how it cannot.
Like the previous Sunday’s, today’s Gospel forms part of
Jesus’ farewell discourses placed by John in the context of the last
supper. Though, historically, these
discourses could be understood in a situation wherein the community of John was
expelled from the synagogue, yet they are meant to answer the problems spawned
by Jesus’ physical departure from the disciples. Once Jesus sits at the right hand of the
Father in heaven, who will continue his teaching and work? Like any other historical person, Jesus could
not have taught everything to his disciples, nor could he have, considering the
circumstances of his death, done it completely.
And even without adverting to Mark’s portrait of the disciples who
frequently misunderstood Jesus, it was simply impossible for them, as
historical persons, to understand everything he taught them. And there are other related problems. For instance, who will sustain the disciples
in the aftermath of the shattering experience of Jesus’ death? Will his departure spell the end of the
community?
It is on account of these problems that in John the
supper discourses look beyond Jesus’ death to the resurrection. After his physical departure, Jesus will
remain with the community of disciples through his spiritual presence: “I will
ask the Father to give you another Paraclete—to be with you always” (John
14:16). The Spirit is thus none other
than the spiritual presence of Jesus.
Jesus is the first paraclete, and the Holy Spirit is another. Jesus and the Spirit resemble each other:
both are sent by the Father (3:17, 4:26) both remain with the disciples (14:20;
14:17), and both guide them (14:16; 16:13). Moreover, even if the world of men
and sin hates the community, they are assured of not falling into the lie and
the devil, because the Spirit is a Spirit of Truth (14:17), who will guide them
into all truth (16:13). Of the functions
of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel mentions two of them: to teach all things, and
to bring remembrance: “The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will instruct you in everything, and remind you of all that I
told you” (14:26).
Since Jesus is the once-and-for-all revelation of God
(Heb 1:1), the Holy Spirit will not make any new revelations. That is not his work. Nothing is to be added to what has been
revealed by God in the life and person of Jesus. Rather, it belongs to him to help—Paraclete
means helper—the community understands the meaning of the words and actions of
Jesus that up to the time of his death were obscure to the disciples. Thus, for example, it was only after the
resurrection that they were able to understand the saying, “Destroy this temple
and in three days I will raise it up” (1:19).
In addition, what Jesus spoke of implicitly, the Spirit will make it
explicit. He will enable the community
to perceive the deeper meaning of Jesus’ teaching. Moreover, he will unfold new interpretations
of what the early Jesus revealed to the community.
However, the Spirit uncovers not only new understanding
and interpretation, but even application of God’s revelation in Jesus. In the community’s encounter with new
problems that arise when faith is confronted with various situations, the
Spirit will make a creative application of the gospel. That way, the community perceives the
relevance of Jesus’ teaching to contemporary life. When the early Church, as related in the 1st
Reading (Acts 7:55-60), faced the problem of circumcision vis-à-vis the
admission of the Gentiles to the community, the resolution reached by the
disputing parties at the Council of Jerusalem reflects the workings of the Holy
Spirit: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and ours, too, not to lay on
you any burden beyond that which is strictly necessary” (Acts 15:28). As a great Johannine commentator, Hoskyns,
puts it, “the Spirit’s work is more than a reminiscence of the ipsissima
verba of the Son of God; it is a living representation of all that he had
spoken to his disciples, a creative exploitation of the gospel.”
By fulfilling his teaching function, the Holy Spirit
bears witness to Jesus: “When the
Paraclete comes… he will bear witness on my behalf” (John 15:26). He ensures, in other words, that, even if
conditions and circumstances change, the identity and continuity of the truth
that Jesus revealed to the first community is assured. What Jesus said, the Holy Spirit recreates
and perpetuates. Hence, when the Church speaks on such issues as
militarization, globalization, migration, etc. from ethical and doctrinal
perspectives, one is assured that it is the same truth the disciples had heard
that is being preached today. Through
the Holy Spirit, the Church is guaranteed with the continuity of Jesus words
and works, even without his physical presence.
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