Bible Study series: John 15:26-27. “The advocate,” “the helper,” “the go-between,” “he who comes alongside” will glorify Jesus, and no one else.
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Let’s begin.
Scripture: John 15:26-27
26 When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from my Father, the Spirit of truth who goes from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify because you have been with me from the beginning. (John 16:26-27)
Comments:
These comments largely follow the ones in John 14.
26-27:
These two verses may seem out of place, since the flow is about persecution in the previous section and the next four verses in John 16. However, these verses appear in the larger context of Jesus going away (see John 14), so why would persecution continue? The Paraclete will testify about Jesus, so the world will hate the disciples and their Spirit-filled testimony about him (see the quotation of Acts 5:29-32, below). Then in John 16:5-11, the Spirit will convict the world, just as Jesus did when he was on earth (HT: Carson, comments on vv. 26-27).
This is the third Paraclete saying:
1.. 14:15-17
2.. 14:25-26
3.. 15:26-27
4.. 16:4b-11
5.. 16:12-15
All of them present a consistent unity, not only in the Fourth Gospel, but also in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus will baptize with the Spirit (Matt. 3:11-12; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:16-17). The Spirit will aid the disciples as they testify about Jesus and make their defence in court (Matt. 10:20; Mark 13:11). (HT: Bruce, comments on 14:16-17).
Next, let’s define the term “Paraclete.” It is related to the verb parakaleō (pronounced pah-rah-kah-leh-oh), which literally means “called” (-kaleō) and “alongside” (para). The verbal adjective Paraclete is used in vv. 16 and 26 and 15:26; 16:7. It is pronounced pah-rah-kleet or less formally, pair-uh-kleet. BDAG, whom many regard as the authoritative lexicon of the Greek NT, says that originally the verbal adjective means “someone who is called to someone’s aid.” It rarely means a “lawyer” or “attorney.” In the few places outside the NT, whether pre-Christian or extra-Christin contexts, it means in a general sense: “one who appears in another’s behalf, mediator, intercessor, helper.” Then the editors of BDAG leave it at that.
Novakovic refers to the linguists and translators Louw and Nida who say that the translation “Comforter” is too limited and “Helper” is highly generic (apparently meaning too vague). And “legal advocate” is too restrictive. Along with Novakovic, I chose “Paraclete” (pp. 126-28), but following BDAG, you may certainly translate it as “Mediator,” “Intercessor,” or “Helper.”
Jesus says, “another Paraclete,” implying that he was the first Paraclete, though the Fourth Gospel does not say this. However, 1 John 2:1 says that Jesus is the Paraclete, and many translations say “advocate,” so you don’t have to give up on the “lawyer” image if you don’t want to.
John had already introduced the Spirit. Jesus was about to baptize in the Spirit, said John (1:32). Nicodemus and we must be born again of the Spirit (3:5-8). We must worship in Spirit (or spirit) (4:23-24). The Spirit gives life (6:63) The Spirit, however, had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified (7:39).
Klink (p. 633), who argues for translating the term as Paraclete and not the restrictive terms “Helper” or “Advocate” or “counselor” and so on, points out three roles of the Spirit anticipated in this verse and the other four passages. First, the Paraclete is still to come. He has been active because looking at Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:34, anyone who says Jesus is Lord by the Spirit shows the Spirit has been at work. But the Paraclete comes when Jesus departs, and the Paraclete begins the era of the New Covenant and new life in Christ. Second, the Paraclete has an active place in the hearts of the disciples. They will know the Paraclete just as they know the Father and Son. He will remain with them forever. Third, the Paraclete convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (16:8).
The Spirit proceeds from the Father. In 14:26, the Father sends the Spirit in Jesus’s name, but here the Son sends him. Similarly in Acts 2:33, the Son receives the promise of the Spirit from the Father and pours out what the people see and hear—the gift of the Spirit. I like Bruce here on the meaning of 15:26: “The statement that the Spirit ‘proceeds from the Father’ has probably no metaphysical significance: it is another way of saying that the Spirit is sent by the Father.” Then he goes on to say that the expansion to ‘proceeds from the Father and the Son may be justified by the biblical verse that says the Son also sends the Spirit. The objection to the expansion was that the western church did not consult the rest of the church. Mounce identifies the dispute with the Council of Nicea in 325, where the words proceeds from the Son” were added (the filoque “and the Son” clause.) To me, it is not the right doctrine to fight about. Maybe if the quarrelers had experienced the fulness of the Spirit, as revealed in Acts and the Epistles, the quarreling would never have started in the first place.
“the Spirit of truth”: the phrase “of truth” may be an objective genitive, so it may be translated as “the Spirit who communicates truth.” The phrase could be attributive (adjectival) and thus could be translated as “the true / truth-giving Spirit.” Or the phrase could be translated as the so-called “epexegetical (explanatory or clarifying) genitive, thus: “The Spirit, who is the truth.” I just went traditional and translated it was “the Spirit of truth,” and you can work out the other grammatical possibilities on your own.
Testifies: “The theme of witness pervades the whole Gospel. The witness to the truth of God’s self-revelation in the Word is manifold: it comprises the witness of the Father (5:32, 37; 8:18), of the Son 8:14, 18), of the Spirit (15:26); the witness of the works of Christ (5:36; 10:25), the witness of the scriptures (5:39), the witness of the disciples (15:27), including the disciple whom Jesus loved (19:35; 21:24). The purpose of this manifold witness, as of John’s witness, is ‘that all might believe’: it is the purpose for which the Gospel itself was written (20:31)” (Bruce, comment on 1:6-8). The terms “witness” or “testimony” carries a legal meaning “of testifying or bearing witness to the true state of affairs by one who has sufficient knowledge or superior position (Klink, comment on 1:7).
There is a remarkable fulfillment of this verse in Acts 5:29-32:
29 But in reply [to the Sanhedrin], Peter and the apostles said: “We must obey God rather than man! 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had done away with by hanging him on wood. 31 It is this man whom God exalted the Overall Ruler and Savior at his right hand, to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we and the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who obey him, are witnesses of these words!” (Acts 5:29-32, my tentative translation)
The key verse is v. 32, because the apostles and the Spirit witness to the resurrection. Did the Sanhedrin keep the words of the apostles? No, of course not. At first they wanted to kill them (v. 33), but then were persuaded by Gamaliel to stop. Instead the Sanhedrin flogged the apostles (v. 40).
The Greek verb “testify” can be an active present tense (“you testify” or “you are testifying”) or a present tense imperative (“testify!”). It can also have a future nuance to it: “you will testify about me.” I just went with the present tense imperative with a future nuance.
Finally, Jesus chose his apostles from the beginning. Acts also upholds this requirement: “Therefore we must [select] from men who went with us all the time when the Lord Jesus went in and out as our head, beginning with the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us, a witness with us of his resurrection—to become one of us.” (Acts 1:21-22, my tentative translation). Acts 1:2 says, “everything which Jesus both began to do and teach.” The first-tier apostles—the twelve—met this requirement which not even Paul could meet. So it seems the the twelve had an official status to pass on the stories about Jesus because of their longevity of being with him and enduring to the end, his crucifixion and resurrection.
GrowApp for John 15:26-27
1. How do you tell the difference between the Spirit of truth and man’s falsehoods?
2. How has the Spirit testified about Jesus in your own heart and life?
RELATED
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
12. Eyewitness Testimony in John’s Gospel
4. Church Fathers and John’s Gospel
3. Archaeology and John’s Gospel
SOURCES
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