John 15:26 “. . . when the Paraclete comes . . .”
Different renderings appear in the English translations of John 15:26 for the Holy Spirit, including: Comforter (KJV); Helper (ESV); Counselor (RSV); and Advocate (NIV, 2011). When translators have difficulty settling on one word to use then the reader can assume that the word being translated contains a wider range of meaning than any one English word can express.
Perhaps, it would be better to use a transliteration, that is, we put the Greek word into English letters. Instead of a translation we learn the Greek word itself which is Paraclete. To understand the word Paraclete we have to read the whole passage to see how the word is used. In these verses a picture emerges of what Jesus meant when he said that the Paraclete would come.
The Paraclete testifies about Jesus (15:26); the Paraclete convicts the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (16:8); the Paraclete guides the followers of Jesus into the truth (16:13); and the Paraclete glorifies Jesus (16:14).
For the first disciples the coming of the Paraclete meant the departure of Jesus, and they felt sorrow at the thought that their Advocate, Helper, Comforter and Counselor would leave them (16:6). Jesus explained to them that they would be blessed by the Paraclete in ways they had not anticipated (16:12-13) and would receive blessings they could not experience until Jesus departed (16:7). With the Paraclete at work in their ministry the disciples of Jesus had the strength to endure the coming persecutions that Jesus told them they would face, and they had the power to give a witness that would change the world.
For us the coming of the Paraclete means that Jesus is truly and personally present to us. Though all followers of Jesus would like to know his physical presence we can understand that his presence through the Spirit is for our good (16:7) because we could not all know Jesus if he were present only at one place or one time, but in the Spirit all of us can grow in Christ even though we cannot be in his physical presence today. For us, as for the first disciples, we can use a beautiful metaphor to say that Jesus walks with us in all the circumstances of our lives, and he dwells with us throughout our lives. The death of Jesus on the cross and his bodily resurrection happened at a particular moment in history, but because of the coming of the Paraclete all of us are drawn into the Gospel personally as we know the Spirit who brings us the presence of Christ.
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Free Church. Recently, a friend of mine told me about a discussion at her weekly clergy gathering where ministers from different traditions meet to discuss the upcoming lectionary passage for Sunday. This give-and-take is done each week because it helps the ministers as they prepare their sermons. Pentecost Sunday in 2015 comes on May 24, and one of the pastors told the group that she did not want to have her Pentecost celebration on the same Sunday as Memorial Day weekend, so she had decided to move Pentecost to the next Sunday. Among the clergy at the meeting a sputtering protest erupted: “You can’t move Pentecost!” For them, to move Pentecost was like moving Christmas or Easter or New Year’s Day or the Fourth of July. It just wasn’t done, and their church hierarchy would not allow it. My friend came to the pastor’s defense and responded, “We’re the Free Church! We can do what we want.” This exchange has encouraged me. Over the last several decades, Baptists have become enamored with the “bells and smells” of the more liturgical churches. Consequently, many Baptist churches--including the ones I’ve pastored--observe Advent, Lent, Holy Week, wear robes, use acolytes and lift litanies (responsive readings) from the Book of Common Prayer. Why not? These readings and practices can be rich resources. However, it is good to remember the strengths of our own tradition: robust congregational singing, well-prepared sermons to a congregation that bring their personal Bibles so they can follow the sermon, check its faithfulness to the Scripture (see Acts 17:11) and make notes as they want. Early Baptists did not use the Book of Common Prayer or even observe special days such as Christmas. They felt that the robes, readings, candles, processionals, and other practices--though beautiful--had gotten in the way of authentic worship. Too much emphasis on the style or form of a service can make us forget what early Baptists understood. From time to time, perhaps, we would do well to have a simple service in which we return to our roots and remember that worship is not any particular form or practice or creative innovation, but worship is simply the devotion we freely offer to God.
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