The farewell discourse of Jesus is to reveal the Father, to whom he is going as he departs, and the Holy Spirit, anther Parakletos (Advocate), who is coming, as sent by the Father. And Jesus the Son, is coming to the disciples in the presence of this another Parakletos.
In today’s Gospel Reading (John 16:12-15), Jesus
reveals the Holy Spirit as the guide for the disciples on their apostolic missions,
while the Holy Spirit was revealed as the one to convict the world in
yesterday’s Gospel Reading (John 15:26-16:11).
An important lesson from today's Gospel Reading (John 16:12-15) is to understand that both Jesus the Parakletos (1 John 2:1) and the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos (John 14:16), enable us to know the Father as both of them are indispensable agents to bring the divine substance of the Father to us (John 8:26; 15:15 and 16:13), so that we all are one, being incorporated to the Trinity (John 17:20-23).
Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth when hse comes (John 16:13). Note that the Holy Spirit is personalized and described as masculine in Greek (Parakletos, rather than Pneuma Hagion, while pneuma is neutral), as in John 14:16 and 26. This indicates that Pneuma Hagion (Holy Spirit) as another Parakletos (Advocate) is in hypostatic union with the Parakletos (Jesus the Son, the Advocate – 1 John 2:1) and the Pater (Father). And it is the Father who sends both the Holy Spirit (another Parakletos) and Jesus the Son (the Parakletos).
Because the Holy Spirit (another Parakletos) comes from the Father in
heaven, as Jesus himself (the Parakletos)
came from Him, Jesus explains that the Holy Spirit speaks not on his own but
only speaks what he heard from the Father (John 16:13), just as Jesus (the Parakletos) has made everything he
learned from the Father known to us (John 8:26; 15:15). Therefore, the Holy
Spirit (another Parakletos) is a
reliable guide, just as trustworthy as Jesus the Parakletos is. This is why Jesus has commanded us not to let our
hearts be troubled (John 14:1, 27), as he comes to us in the essence of the
Holy Spirit (another Parakletos)(John
16,18, 26,28), even though he departs. So, we have peace left by Jesus (John
14:27), as peace comes to us as an element of the multifaceted fruit of the
Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). This is why Jesus calls the Holy Spirit (another Parakletos) the Spirit of truth (John 14:17;16:13).
And because Jesus himself is the truth, as well as, the way and the life (John
14:6), as the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 16:13), has the same divine essential
being (θεία ουσία/theios ousia) just
as the Jesus and the Father are one with the same divine essence.
By now, Jesus the Parakletos has revealed not only himself but also the Holy Spirit as
another Parakletos (John 14:16), who
is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 16:13) to convict the world (John 16:8-11) and
to guide the disciples to all truth (John 16:13) on their apostolic missions,
in the Trinitarian context.
Then, Jesus further reveals that the Holy Spirit
(another Parakletos) comes to glorify
him the Parakletos, because he (the
Holy Spirit) will impart what Jesus has and declares it to us (John 16:14).
This is another aspect of the Holy Spirit as another Parakletos shares the same divine substance (theios ousia) with Jesus the Son, who share that of the Father, as
he is one with the Father for He is in him and he in Him (John 10:30,38). It is
because the Father has given all things to Jesus the Son out of His love for
him (John 3:35; cf. 13:3). Thus, in reference to John 3:35 and 13:3, Jesus
tells us that the Holy Spirit will declare everything that the Father has imparted
to him to us (John 16:14-15).
So, knowing now who the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos, more, are we getting ready
to be commissioned and sent out into the world, though it can be quite hostile
toward us because we remain in Jesus, whom the world hates? Is what Jesus has revealed and shared with us
about him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, to prepare us for our
commissioning, too much to bear (cf. John 16:12)?
Now, in regard to today’s First Reading (Acts 17:15, 22-18:1) zeros in on with Paul’s challenge to pagan scholars, inserting his powerful teaching of the true God into their Epicurean-vs-Stoic debate. As a result, not everyone who heard Paul come to believe in Jesus but some did. Among them are Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, and Damaris, who must have been a highly educated woman in Athen.
Paul’s second mission journey (Acts 15:35 -18:22)
has moved to Europe from Asia Minor. And, on the other side of the Aegean Sea,
Paul’s mission has been bearing good fruit: Lydia and her husband, the jailer
and his family in Philippi, and some educated Athenians, including Dionysius
and Damaris.
And this is how the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos, the Spirit of Truth, had
enabled Paul and his companions, Silas and Timothy, to bring more people to
Christ Jesus. This is a testimony to what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, as
the one to declare what Jesus has, which is what the Father has given him (John
16:13-15). As what the Father has is
first revealed by Jesus the Parakletos
and now declared by the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos, even those who used to worship pagan deities are coming
to one true God, who has been declared through Paul’s mouth at the Areopagus in
Athens.
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