John 14 has many wonderful truths that all of us know about and most of us have experienced. Do you know what that glorious truth is? It is found in verse 6. Jesus tells us he is the only way of salvation. You knew that didn’t you. Today, I want to give you something else that is a beautiful truth that is found in the same chapter. If you and I can lay hold on to this truth it will transform the way we handle things.
Travel back in time two thousand years. Place yourself in the small group of disciples that spent over three years walking with Christ, listening to his every word, watching him do miracle after miracle. You, now in that group, experience his love over and over again. Every day is a new adventure. Then, Jesus tells the group, of which you are a part, that he is leaving, and you can’t come with him. That would be like a punch in the stomach when you least expect it. Are you able to imagine the emotion of that moment. A monumental pendulum swing would surge through your body and soul. Those types of swings still happen in our lives. In the past two days I have prayed for many new requests, and it seems most are connected with the dreaded “c” word, cancer. A college president facing a difficult surgery, a senior lady whose cancer has returned, an elderly man with cancer and has already had over two feet of colon removed, and a young mother of four. The prayer list at the church averages around 200 requests each week. Names rotate on and off but most weeks cancer is a huge part of the diagnosis of those related to health. If we were actually in that original group with Jesus, we could watch him touch their bodies receiving immediate help. But we aren’t walking with Jesus literally. What are we to do?
Look with me at John 14:16. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (v.18). I want to pay close attention to the two words that I have underlined and italicized, “another Comforter.” Jesus promised that he would not leave us without comfort in times of distress. During our times of trouble and tribulation he would come it would be in a different form. The first word “another” has a wonderful meaning. The Greek language has two words for the word “another”. The first word is heterus which means “a different kind.” An example of this would be you sitting at a restaurant and you say, “The tomato soup isn’t good bring me another kind, chicken noodle.” The second word allos means “another of the same kind.” The essence is the same. This is the word Jesus uses when speaking of the Holy Spirit. The same way that Jesus ministered to those in need, which included those close to him known as the disciples, so does the Holy Spirit now on a daily basis for each of God’s people.
The second of our two words is “Comforter.” The Greek word is paraclete. It means “one who is called along beside.” It is like a friend that stands beside the bed holding your hand while you are sick, a fellow worker in a project, a mother rocking her baby in the middle of the night. Jesus promised that when he left another just like him would come and be with them. In bible terms that is called the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Every child of God is indwelt by the Spirit of God, and he never leaves. He is always with us even when the nights are long, and the doctors have given us their bad news. He gives comfort, he’s called the Comforter, each time we need it if we will simply look and accept. 16:26 reveals to us that this same type of paraclete will teach us, cause us to remember the words of Jesus. How many times have you had a bible verse pop into your mind at the time you needed it most?
Do you remember the old Ronco commercials on late night TV? But wait there’s more… Notice v.18 again. The last words in that verse say “I will come to you.” Jesus is leaving soon, he has promised another just like him, but he’s going to come again. Perhaps they didn’t fully comprehend everything but that didn’t change the truth. Just because something is beyond my comprehension doesn’t mean it isn’t truth. The problem is with me not the truth. One of these days Jesus will come, and my prayer is biblical concerning this. “Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.”
One final thought for this blog. You and I don’t have one paraclete, we have two! I John 2:1 says “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Advocate is the same Greek word we saw in John 14. Jesus comes along beside us in the throne room of the Father. When our names come up, perhaps we are being accused by Satan or his minions, Jesus stands and declares “he’s mine, he is redeemed by my blood. He’s been declared righteous.” He speaks on our behalf. He’s standing right next to us when it’s needed. What a wonderful Jesus the disciples have? They were saved, walked with him, sent another to comfort them, stands before the Father for them and is coming back for them. But not only did he do that for the original’s back in the New Testament times, Jesus is still doing it today each time a person puts their trust in him. If you really think about it, that’s a really big deal when facing the tribulations of this life.