Sermon Tone Analysis

*JOHN 14:26*

 

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*THE INDWELLING SPIRIT *

*1.        **Personal Knowledge *

The attitude of the disciples: “/but you know him/…” [14:17].

§        γινώσκετε - “/know/” [14:17], present active, ‘to know with a focus on experience or personal relationship’;

*2.        **The Present Time *

The present: “/he dwells with you/…” [14:17].

§        μένει - “/dwells/” [14:17], present active, ‘remain in a place or state’;

§        παρʼ ὑμῖν - “/with/ /you/” [14:17], παρa denotes ‘nearness’; ‘by or beside’;

*a.        **The OT Church & NT Church *

This is often interpreted as the distinction between the Old Testament church where the Holy Spirit was “with the church” and the New Testament church now characterised by the fact that the Holy Spirit is “in them”.

*b.        **The Spirit & The Presence of Jesus  *

The distinction being made is with regard to the presence of Jesus:

§        During the days of his humiliation, the Spirit of Christ was on Christ: “/John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him/…” [1:32-33].

§        The Holy Spirit was in great measure with Jesus throughout his ministry: “/he whom God hath sent speaks the words of God: for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him/” [3:34]; “/The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives/…” [Luk.4:18].

§        In this sense, that is, in the physical presence of Jesus with them, the “/Spirit of truth/” was “/with/” [13:33] the disciples.

*3.        **The Future *

This was all to change after the resurrection: “/and shall be in you/” [14:17].

§        ἔσται - “/shall/ /be/” [14:17], future middle,

§        ἐν ὑμῖν - “/in you/” [14:17], ‘withinness’; ‘indwelling’; 

*a.

**Post-Resurrection *

After the exaltation Jesus would breathe his Holy Spirit into the disciples: “/when he had said this, he breathed on them, and says unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost/” [20:22].

§        At the Pentecost event: “/they were all filled with the Holy Ghost/…” [Acts 2:4].

§        This is the defining characteristic of discipleship: “/if any one does not have the Spirit of Christ/…” [Rom.8:9].

*Application*

 

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*THE COMFORTER AS THE TEACHER  *

The comfort of the Holy Spirit in this context [14:26] is effected by recalling the things which Jesus has already spoken to the disciples.

*1.        **The Holy Spirit *

*a.        **The Comforter  *

Jesus introduces the second of five Paraclete passages: “/But the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name/…” [14:26].

§         ὁ παράκλητος - “/comforter/” [14:26], from para ‘beside’ and kalew ‘to call; ‘to call or come alongside to help’; ‘to present the case on behalf of another before a court of law’; ‘advocate’;

§         πέμψει - “/send/” [14:26], future active, ‘to cause one to depart’; ‘to cause one to carry something to a destination’; stresses the mere /fact/ of sending;

*b.        **The Holy Spirit*

The comforter is “/the Holy Ghost/…” [14:26].

§         τὸ ἅγιον - “/holy/” [14:26], ‘sacred’; ‘set apart or consecrated’; only God is holy: “/The high and lofty one that inhabits eternity, whose name is holy/…” [Isa.57:15].

§         τὸ πνεῦμα - “/Ghost/” [14:26], ‘breath, wind, spirit’;

§         The verse shows him to be closely related to the Father and the Son and the fact that He is God is what is important to these first century Christian.

The Spirit’s mission derives from both the Father and the Son.

*c.        **The Spirit of Truth *

The Holy Spirit is the “/Spirit of truth/” [14:17].

§         τὸ πνεῦμα - “/Spirit/” [14:17], ‘wind, breath, spirit’: “/t//he wind blows where it lists/…” [3:8];

§         τῆς ἀληθείας  - “/of truth/” [14:17], ‘fact’; ‘that which is in accord with what really happens’; “/grace and truth came by Jesus Christ/” [14:17]; “/I am the way, and the truth, and the life/” [14:6];

§         The genitive is /descriptive/ of a characteristic; the “Spirit of truth” communicates truth: “/he shall teach you all things/…” [14:26].

*d.        **The Mission *

*i.         **The Father & The Spirit *

The Father sends the Comforter “/in my name/…” [14:26].

§         ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου - “/in my name/” [14:26],

§         ὀνόματί - “/name/” [14:26], in the Old Testament “name” spoke of someone’s character, personality and attributes.

§         Christ’s “name” is all that can be defined as to His nature and His work.

*ii.

**The Father & The Son *

Jesus came “/in the Father’s name/” [5:43; see also 10:25].

§         The purpose of Christ’s mission was to reveal God as His Father, and through this to make known His relation to men, and to humanity, and to the world.

§         The purpose of the Mission of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ, to make clear to the consciousness of the Church the full significance of the Incarnation.

§         Jesus came as the Father’s ambassador, so the Spirit comes in Jesus’ name.

*Application*

The sense of the promise is completely destroyed if “in my name” is interpreted as meaning nothing more than “as my representative” or “at my intercession”.

The Father and the Son are “/present/” with the disciples by taking up permanent residence with them.

§         This presence is surely by the power of the Spirit: “/he shall give you another comforter/…” [14:16].

§         The /filioque/ clause; the double procession of the Spirit; the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son [14:16; Acts 2:33].

How is the Holy Spirit to ‘come alongside the disciples in order to help them’ in this instance?

*2.

**The Subject   *

*a.        **The Word of Truth (Salvation) *

The Spirit’s activity is to do with “/all things/” [14:26].

§         πάντα - “/all things/” [14:26], ‘each individual in a class’; ‘everything belonging to a class’; a comprehensive term referring to ‘all that they need to know’;

§         This is comprised of Jesus “/words/” [14:23] as his gospel statement and Jesus “/commandments/” [14:21] as the boundaries and directions for living the life of discipleship.

§         It is clear that the Spirit brings no new revelation; it works with regard to “/whatsoever I have said to you/” [14:26].

*i.         **Essence of the Gospel *

The Spirit speaks in the ‘continuity of the office of proclamation’ in order to bring the knowledge of the core truths of the gospel.

They will be taught inwardly the core truths of salvation:

§         They will be taught that nature of Christ’s relationship to the Father: “/that I am in the Father/…” [14:20]; that /perichoresis/ which proclaims the ‘dancing around each other’ which speaks of ‘relationships’ and ‘the mutual love and harmony’ that exists between the persons of the Trinity.

§         They will be taught the nature of their relations to Jesus Christ: “/you in me and I in you/” [14:20]; that /perichoresis/ which proclaims the ‘dancing around each other’ which speaks of ‘relationships’ and ‘the mutual love and harmony’ that exists between Jesus and his disciples.

§         This will be more fully developed as we enter into Chapter 15.

*b.        **The Teacher *

The role of the Holy Spirit will be that of teacher: “/he shall teach you all things/…” [14:26].

§         διδάξει - “/teach/” [14:26], future active, ‘to provide instruction’; ‘imparting of information’ and the ‘passing of knowledge’;

*i.         **Etymology *

The etymology of the word shows that διδάξει comes from /di-dak-sko /(root /dek/-, ‘to accept’, ‘extend the hand to’).

§         The reduplicated stem and inchoative suffix convey the idea of repeatedly extending the hand for acceptance; the word therefore suggests the idea of causing someone to accept something.

§         The word calls attention to two aspects, being applied on the one side to /the insight of the one who is to be instructed/ and on the other to /the knowledge presupposed in the teacher’/.

*c.        **The Enlightening of the Mind *

The role of the Holy Spirit will be that of bringing illumination: “/bring all things to your remembrance/…” [14:26].

§         ὑπομνήσει - “/bring to your remembrance/” [14:26], future active, ‘to call to mind, call to attention’;

*i.         **Etymology *

The etymology of the word shows that ὑπομνήσει is derived from the root ~*/men/, ‘to think’;

§         the words from this root cover three areas of meaning: (a) /me-/, /mn-/, to intend, want, require; (b) to be enraptured, to rave; (c) /mena-/, /menei-/, to be mindful of), might, power, ferocity, liveliness, etc. (Gk.

/menos/), to remember, recall, mention (Gk.

/mimnesko/, /-omai/), counsellor (Gk.

/mnemon/); memorial (Gk.

/mnema/).

§         In Indo-European languages generally, the following complex of meanings arise: (a) to remember (referring to the intellectual ability, and its exercise, of linking the past to the present); (b) to consider, weigh up (where the present is linked to the future); (c) to be mindful, take into account, mention (assessing how the present relates both to past and future).

*d.        **Gospel Examples *

The work of the Holy Spirit in this case includes /power of recall/ and the /power to perceive/ the significance of what was said.

Examples of the work in the life of the disciples:

§         The destruction of the temple: “/when therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said/…” [2:22].

§         The entry into Jerusalem: “/These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him/…” [12:16];

*Application*

In John’s gospel, the disciples are shown to fail in their understanding of Jesus.

One of the Spirit’s principal tasks, after Jesus is glorified, is to remind the disciples of Jesus’ teaching and thus, in the new situation after the resurrection, to help them grasp its significance and thus teach them what it meant.