Coming of the Advocate

JESUS said to His disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, He will testify to Me. And you also testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.” REFLECTION THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH… WILL TESTIFY TO ME. The Spirit to be sent by the Father when Jesus is glorified and returns to the Father is parakletos, someone called to be at the side of the disciples. He is the Advocate, from Latin advocatus that has the same meaning. Jesus says that the Spirit will testify to Him. To “testify” implies personal relation to the person and personal knowledge of the events that concern the person. The Spirit is the best witness to Jesus because the Spirit knows Jesus—the Son— just as Jesus knows the Father and the Spirit. In fact, the disciples will have a deeper and fuller knowledge of Jesus once they are enlightened by the Spirit.

To testify also points to the importance of the truth that is being witnessed to. The Spirit will convince the disciples and all humanity that Jesus is not a blasphemer or someone who leads people astray, as His detractors point Him out to be. These people think they honor God by persecuting Jesus and seeking to kill Him. The Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, will testify to the “truth” that Jesus is God’s Son and He always does the will of the Father.

In what ways have you “testified” to your faith and to the Lord Jesus? Are you a credible witness?