There is an award-winning sculpture at Abilene Christian University called “Jacob’s Ladder.” The sculpture is inspired by a story in Gen. 28. It features a bronze ladder reaching up to heaven. The ladder holds four angels. As the angels get closer to earth, they appear to increase in age, signifying the corruption of earth. Each angel is eight feet tall. The ladder is accompanied by large blocks of stone on which are carved Scriptures. The stones are arranged at different angles. Depending upon where you stand, you see different Scriptures. Thus, if you want to see all the Scriptures, you have to stand in different places.
A few months ago I was meditating on and praying near the sculpture. I looked up from where I sat and saw this Scripture carved in the stone blocks: “I am with you.” The next evening I sat in a different spot and saw this Scripture cared in the stone blocks: “I am the gate.” In order to get the whole message of the sculpture, you have to look at it from every side.
The same thing is true when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately the Holy Spirit tends to get viewed in a very one-sided fashion. For example, I remember being at a job interview during my last year at Harding University Graduate School of Religion. One of the elders of the church interviewing me knew about a contemporary worship service at the church I attended. He had heard all sorts of things about it-stories that had been exaggerated; things that weren’t true. And he asked me, “Does the Holy Spirit ever move you to do strange things in worship?” He believed that’s what went on in our contemporary worship service.
This man illustrates the one-sided view which many have of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a supernatural power responsible for making religious people do fanatical things.
But in Jn. 16:7 Jesus paints a multi-sided portrait of the Spirit: But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (TNIV) Jesus is speaking here about the Holy Spirit. His image of the Spirit is wrapped up in the word translated “Advocate.” It is an unusual word, found in the Bible only in John’s writings. It is a word packed with multiple meanings. The KJV translates the word as “Comforter.” In The Message it’s translated “Friend.” The New American Standard picks the word “Helper” to translate it. In the NIV, the word is translated “Counselor.” It is a word with many meanings.
Let’s explore four ways which Christians have come to understand this word and what it teaches about the Holy Spirit. [i] Imagine that the Holy Spirit is a square. Inside the square is the word translated “Advocate”-the Greek word “paraklatos”. Jesus uses the Greek word “Paraklatos” to tell us about the Holy Spirit. On each side of the square is a different way of understanding what that word “paraklatos” means.
On side 1 of the “paraklatos” square is the word “Advocate” or “Intercessor.” In the ancient world the word “paraklatos” could mean “advocate” or “intercessor.” It referred to someone that could come to the aid of another in a courtroom; someone that would assist a client; someone who speaks on our behalf. Elsewhere, John uses this word to describe Jesus: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (1 Jn. 2:1 TNIV). When it comes to our need for forgiveness, Jesus is our “Advocate” or “Intercessor.” He stands before the Father and speaks on our behalf. He asks God to give us what we need-forgiveness. Here, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “Advocate” or “Intercessor.” But the context is different. In 1 Jn. 2:1 John is writing about our need for forgiveness and how Jesus intercedes for that need. In Jn. 16 Jesus is speaking of other needs: But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (Jn. 16:7 TNIV). Jesus is about to leave his disciples. But was he goes, he is sending his followers into the world to minister. He admits that they will experience trouble as they go out: In this world you will have trouble. (Jn. 16:33 TNIV). Still, he sends them: As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. (Jn. 17:18 TNIV). As these disciples go into the world, they will have needs. And so, Jesus reminds them of one aspect of the Holy Spirit which he will send to them. The Holy Spirit will be their “Advocate” and “Intercessor.” The Holy Spirit will speak to the Father on their behalf about the needs they have as they into the world.
Paul points to this role of the Holy Spirit in Rom. 8:26-27: 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Rom. 8:26-27 TNIV). Even when we don’t know what we need, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit intercedes on our behalf. He knows what we need even when we don’t and he asks the Father to provide it.
I remember receiving an unexpected gift upon my graduation from Harding University Graduate School of Religion. It was from one of the elders at the church I attended. He gave me a subscription to an audio series. Once a month the company would mail me an hour-long recording of interviews with respected church leaders about topics related to ministry. It was something I hadn’t even thought of. But when I received it, I remember thinking, “This is great. This is exactly what I need as I start my ministry.” That elder knew what I needed before I did and provided it. That’s what the Holy Spirit does. He senses our needs long before we do and he goes to the Father to ask for them. He is our Advocate, our Intercessor.
Let’s move from side 1 of the square to side 2. On side 2 of the “paraklatos” square we find different words, the words “Comforter/ Strengthener.” In the ancient world “paraklatos” could mean “comforter” or “strengthener.” One of the immediate needs of the disciples in this section of John is comfort. Listen to the verses just before this one: Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. (Jn. 16:5-6 TNIV) They are grieving at the news that Jesus is about to leave. But Jesus promises them that the Holy Spirit will be to them a comforter.
Paul writes in Gal. 5:22 that part of the fruit which the Holy Spirit can grow in the life of a Christian is the fruit of peace. Perhaps that’s what Paul had in mind when he wrote in Phil. 4:7 about a peace which transcends all understanding. The Holy Spirit can bring that peace, that comfort, in times of anxiety.
But “paraklatos” doesn’t just mean “comforter” it means “strengthener.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t just bring comfort, he brings us strength to be able to live out the Christian life.
J. B. Phillips reflected on Jn. 16 and wrote these words in 1956:[ii] It soon becomes plain that Jesus Christ is calling people to live differently. He did not go about telling people what frightful sinners they were. He did not go about telling them vaguely to be good. But He did definitely ask people to put their own self-centered view of life aside, and to follow him. He never said, ‘If you’re a good-living man life will be easy for you’-not anything like it! He said that to follow Him would be tough and difficult; He said it might mean that you’d be laughed at, persecuted or even killed, but that you’d nevertheless find a thrill, a joy and a satisfaction in helping to build this Kingdom that would make you feel it well worth while…Thousands of people, far more than perhaps you think, have heard Him say much the same today, and they’re doing their level best to follow His methods and his way of living. But when they started they all found the same snag-they couldn’t do it. That sounds crazy but it’s literally true. You try it and see! There are hundreds of things you can do without giving God a thought. You can ride a bicycle or bake a cake or dig your garden or read a book or eat your dinner without calling on God’s help at all. But the moment you seriously try to live differently, according to Christ’s recipe, you find you can’t. With all your will power you find you haven’t got it in you to live that sort of life for more than a very short time, and even then it’s a rather strained sort of performance. Probably that’s why so many have tried to be Christians and then given up. Well, what’s the answer? You may be sure that Christ didn’t take all the trouble to outline this plan just to make us look silly. He’s not that sort of Person. No, the answer is that we need something, some inner reinforcement, a new drive and power inside before Christianity becomes a working proposition. That is exactly what He promised should be available. His own Spirit, God the Holy Spirit-the name doesn’t matter-is available to help us to make the change-over, and to keep us on the new level of real loving.
The Holy Spirit is Comforter and Strengthener. He becomes the source of peace and comfort in times of anxiety. And, he becomes the source of power and transformation so that we can live the life to which Jesus has called us.
Let’s keep walking around this “paraklatos” square. On the 3rd side of the square is the word “Proclaimer.” This word “paraklatos” could mean “proclaimer” in the ancient world; someone who proclaims or counsels or teaches. Jesus points to this role of the Holy Spirit in Jn. 14:25-26: 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Jesus offers similar words in Jn. 16:12-15. The Holy Spirit will teach Jesus’ followers. He will make things known to them. He will continue to do what Jesus had been doing: instruct them on how to relate to the world, how to minister in the world, how to live in the world.
In her book The Story of My Life Helen Keller writes about her teacher Anne Sullivan.[iii] Anne was Helen’s “paraklatos.” She developed unique ways of communicating with and educating Helen due to the fact that Helen was blind and deaf. By means of a manual alphabet, Anne “spelled” into Helen’s hand such words as doll or puppy. Two years later Helen was reading and writing Braille. At 10 Helen learned different sounds by placing her fingers on her teacher’s larynx and “hearing” the vibrations. Anne was constantly with Helen, instructing her, revealing things to her, and educating her. When Anne died in 1936. Helen wrote this about her teacher: My teacher is so near to me that I scarcely think of myself apart from her. I feel that her being is inseparable from my own, and that the footsteps of my life are in hers. All the best of me belongs to her-there is not a talent or an inspiration or a joy in me that has not been awakened by her loving touch.
The Holy Spirit plays a role in our lives similar to the role Anne played in Helen’s. He is almost inseparable from us. He is so near to us that we should scarcely think of ourselves apart from Him. And he has devoted his life to instructing us and educating us in the way of Jesus.
But this truth about the Holy Spirit is one of the most neglected today. We’ve almost forgotten His role as our teacher. We’ve lost our sensitivity to his instruction. We’ve become a bit like Helen who, at the beginning of her relationship with Anne, was resistant to Anne and did not comprehend what Anne was teaching. The busy pace of our lives, our preference for the objective over the spiritual, our distrust of those who claim to be led by the Holy Spirit, and our unwillingness to be still made us unable to receive the instruction of the Spirit. But if we’ll allow Him, He will gladly play that role. He is Proclaimer.
Let’s walk to the 4th side of the square. Here we find the word “Presence.” This idea is inherent in the word “paraklatos.” The Advocate/Interceder, Comforter/ Strengthener, and Proclaimer all have this in common-they are continually present with the ones they are assisting. Perhaps Jesus points to this aspect when he describes how the Spirit will be a “paraklatos” in the same way Jesus has been a “paraklatos”: 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (Jn. 14:16-18 TNIV) Just as Jesus had been with them, now the Holy Spirit would be with them. And the Spirit would actually have an advantage over Jesus in his role as presence. Jesus’ presence had been limited in that he could only be present in one place at a time. If he was present with Peter on a mountain, he was absent from the other followers. But the Spirit, dwelling inside each follower of Jesus, would be a constant presence. He is not limited by space, time, or geography. That may be one reason Jesus says in Jn. 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. It is for our benefit to have the Spirit who is the constant presence of Jesus in our lives. Not only is the Spirit interceding for us, comforting and strengthening us, and teaching us, he is with us; all the time; every day; each hour; waking or sleeping; conscious of his presence or not. He is always with us.
William Willimon tells of visiting a dying woman who was in her last stages of lung cancer.[iv] Each day she gasped for breath. She was in great pain. She clutched a crucifix, given to her by her grandmother when she was a girl. It had a figure of Jesus on it. Willimon entered her room. He could see that she was very near the end. Willimon asked, “Would you like me to summon a priest?” But with her last ounce of energy, she held out the crucifix toward Willimon. She said, “Thank you-but I have a Priest.” She knew that Jesus was with her. That human priest was in some other hospital room. He couldn’t be in more than one place at a time. But by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was with her right now. He was with her and the thousands of others in hospital rooms around the world. In fact, he had never left her side. That is the Holy Spirit.
Too many people see Christianity as simply a way to get to heaven. You put your faith in Jesus, you get baptized, and you’ve got a one-way ticket to heaven. The rest of life is just a waiting game. But Jesus reveals that he’s about much more than just getting you to heaven. He’s about empowering you to live fully on this earth. And the Holy Spirit is his gift for making that full life a reality. If you follow Jesus, he gives you a Spirit who is constantly talking to God about your needs. Even when you don’t know what you need, the Spirit does and is talking to God about it. Jesus gives a Spirit that is willing to comfort you with a peace that passes understanding; a Spirit willing to strengthen you and transform you into a person able to live just like Jesus. Jesus gives you a Spirit who is eager to instruct you in the ways of Jesus. And Jesus gives you a Spirit who is a constant presence in your life. If you are a follower of Jesus, let me urge you to celebrate that gift and make greater use of that gift. Pray for God to help you rely more and more on the Spirit as your Advocate/Interceder, your Comforter/ Strengthener, your Proclaimer, and his Presence in your life.
[i] These basic categories are derived from “paraclete” studies found in The Contemporaries Meet the Classics on the Holy Spirit compiled by Randal Harris (Howard Publishing, 2004), specifically Robert Kysar “What’s in a Name?” (11-16); Gregory the Great, “The Spirit’s Skillful Workmanship” (36-37); Hildegard of Bingen, “Inspiring and Inhabiting Our Praise” (48-49); Richard Foster, “When Words Fail” (71); J. Oswald Sanders “More than ‘The Comforter'” (114-122); J. B. Phillips “Talking Straight about Walking Straight” (159-166).
[ii] The Contemporaries Meet the Classics on the Holy Spirit compiled by Randal Harris (Howard Publishing, 2004), J. B. Phillips “Talking Straight about Walking Straight” (159-161).
[iii] Helen Keller, The Story of My Life (Doubleday, 1954).
[iv] William Willimon, “You Need a Good Priest,” PreachingToday.com.
