“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from my Father – the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me.” (NIV)

The above sounds like a nice verse that should be stitched on a pillow (maybe a big one?). What’s interesting is that the entire passage before and after this verse is less than encouraging. Jesus told his disciples that they would be hated and rejected by the world. In fact, they would be so hated that people killing them would think they were doing God a favor (John 16:2).  

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And yet, right in the middle of that passage, we find this verse about the Spirit. It’s a heavy passage, and to be honest, I don’t fully understand all of it. However, there are still some big lessons here we can learn about the Holy Spirit.  

First, Jesus is very intentional about using “Advocate” to describe the Spirit. Advocate, or paraclete in the original Greek, had multiple connotations in ancient times, but the most common use of the word was in the context of a judicial setting, as in a defense attorney. In this way, Jesus is showing us that the Spirit is going to be our advocate to God, pleading on our behalf. Also, paraclete was used to describe someone who was a helper or advisor. By listening to God’s Spirit, we hear what God’s best is for our lives. By heeding the Spirit, we avoid painful mistakes that will take us far from God if we’re left to our own devices.  

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Second, Jesus explains later in the chapter that the Spirit is coming to reveal that the world is wrong about sin, righteousness and judgement. I can’t know for sure, but I suspect this is the part of Jesus’ speech that made the most sense to the disciples, even though it would later prove to be the part that would surprise them the most. They lived in a broken, unjust world (sound familiar?), and Jesus hadn’t fully revealed the plan for salvation yet.  

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When they heard these words, they likely thought God was going to expose all the sin and corruption around them and clean things up. This Spirit was going to be like a new sheriff that would make everything right. God’s truth would expose the world’s sins, but it would also reveal that the righteousness of the religious would not be enough to bring them close to God either.  

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Third, this passage reveals that the Spirit helps us to testify about Jesus. What is significant about this statement is that testifying about Jesus had some very real consequences. Most of the apostles died horrific deaths. They were going to need courage and eternal perspective to be willing to undergo this trial, and the Spirit provided just that.  

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The Spirit literally worked miracles for the early church, but the Spirit didn’t evaporate with the conclusion of the New Testament. The Spirit is still at work in us and still has the power to be our advocate, reveal sin in our hearts, and strengthen us, if we will welcome his work in our hearts.  

Father, I pray we would be attentive to the still, small voice of your Spirit. Let us be courageous, Spirit-led people who have eyes to see the eternal. Amen.