He Will Guide You – John 16:1-15

“In the canon law of the Catholic Church, excommunication (Lat. ex, out of, and communio or communicatio, communion, meaning exclusion from the communion), the principal and severest censure, is a medicinal, spiritual penalty that deprives the guilty Christian of all participation in the common blessings of ecclesiastical society. Being a penalty, it presupposes guilt; and being the most serious penalty that the Catholic Church can inflict, it naturally supposes a very grave offense.” (Wikipedia).  Many religious communities practice excommunication and so did the Jews in Jesus’ day.  Jesus is predicting it will happen to his disciples simply because they follow him.

“I have said these things to you so that you won’t stumble.  They will expel you from the synagogues.  But an hour is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is serving God.  And they’ll do these things because they don’t know the Father nor me.  But I have told you these things so that when the hour comes you might remember that I told you. 

I did not tell you these things at the beginning because I was with you.  But now I am going to the One who sent me, and no one is even asking me, ‘Where are you going?’.  But because I have told you these things your hearts are filled with grief.  But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away.  For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send him to you.  And when He comes He will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment:  concerning sin, because they have not believed in me; concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is being judged.”

“I still have many things to tell you, but you’re not able to endure it now.  When He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all the truth.  He won’t speak from Himself, but only what He receives will He announce to you the things that are coming.  He will glorify me, because he will take what is from me and announce it to you.  Whatever the Father has is mine.  For this reason I said that He will take from me and announce it to you.”  (John 16:1-15)

Jesus’ somber words about the world hating his disciples and the coming of the Spirit have been for the purpose of helping them stay strong in the midst of the severe persecution coming.  Some religionists (like the apostle Paul before his conversion) will actually believe they are serving God by killing Christ followers.  While Jesus has been with his disciples he has been able to help them through the persecution, but his return to the Father requires a new Helper to come on the scene, the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of Truth’s job, in addition to helping the believer, will be to convict or convince the unbeliever that he is a sinner for not believing Jesus is the Savior, convince the unbeliever that true righteousness is found in Jesus (who will be absent so they can’t see it in him), and convince the unbeliever that judgment is coming as evidenced in Satan’s judgment being at hand.  And for believers, especially the apostles, the Spirit will guide them into the truth He receives from Jesus so that the faith is not compromised.

Jesus has sent us the Holy Spirit to take care of us and strengthen us for witness to him, and then attends that witness with the Holy Spirit’s convincing power.  If anyone believes it is only because the Spirit brought them to that conviction.

Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever been tossed from some group, and if so, why and how did it feel?
2. Why do you think being persecuted is so likely to make one stumble or consider leaving the faith?
3. Why do you think it is better for the Spirit to come than for Jesus to stay?
4. How do you think the Spirit does His job of convincing/convicting?
5. What things were too burdensome to the disciples for Jesus to tell them?
6. Do you think more about the Holy Spirit or more about Jesus and is that appropriate?