Very truly I tell you,
whoever believes in me
will do the works I have been doing,
and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another advocate
to help you and be with you forever
— 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.
whoever believes in me
will do the works I have been doing,
and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another advocate
to help you and be with you forever
— 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.
John 14:12,16-17 (read 14:8-27) - NIV
The Spirit of Pentecost is the Spirit of Truth. It is
the continuous presence of Jesus in his followers for all times. The Spirit
saturates his works and his teachings. In this sense, Jesus is not limited to
being a single individual, but his presence would be multiplied by his presence
and actions wherever his followers are to be found. Every Christian should be a
"Jesus", continuing his works and spreading his teachings.
Jesus acted within the context of his society but independent
of religious structures. His church was not closed within the four walls of
some sanctuary. It was not an organized power structure with authority from top
to bottom. For Jesus, truth was not a set of beliefs that others should accept
in order to be saved. It was coexistence with all of humanity and communion
with the "Sacred" that resides in others and frees them from the
oppressive powers of materialism, personal ambition, prejudice and disease.
Our tendency is to flee from this model. The
institutional church that we know it today is the opposite of what Jesus lived
and taught. It became the reproduction of Judaism but called itself by another
name and with similar sets of dogmas and norms of behavior. The essence did not
change. It is easier to institutionalize Jesus by making him into a "figure
head" of the church. That leaves us free to hide within an institution
which administrates salvation and isolates us from the "common
people".
Are we a missionary community in the service of the
people? Or are we a community that serves ourselves? By staying within the
church we avoid engaging directly with the suffering and the fate of most of
humanity.
Imagine what it would be like if every Christian became
a "Jesus" released into the world! It would be revolutionary for
every believer to try to be a friend of sinners instead being like that boring
and moralistic guy with a “holier than thou” attitude and trying to manipulate
others. In Brazil it would be hard to imagine a “Christian samba school” in a
carnival parade celebrating God's creation and the beauty of nature. We consider
it to be “spiritual” to isolate ourselves in spiritual retreats or to
distribute evangelistic tracts for those who are enjoying and celebrating life,
despite the suffering and injustice that exist around them.
Upon receiving the Spirit in baptism, Jesus did not
deny his Jewish origins but did not allow himself be bound by them. He acted as
a free agent in the world. The followers of Jesus upon receiving the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost remained Jews, but they exceeded the limits that that
tradition placed on them. To act in the power of the Spirit of Truth does not
imply a change of religion. It means "power" to break the
institutional barriers of religions. The work of Jesus, yesterday and today, is
not to promote the church or religion. It is to live out our faith in the
world. The Spirit of Truth gives us the faith and the power to get
"off the institutional boat" and ride on top of “stormy waves"
in today’s world. The Spirit of Truth has little to do with religion but everything to do
with how we live in the world.
JOHN 14:8-27 – NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among
you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you
say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that
the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority.
Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when
I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on
the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes
in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things
than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in
my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for
anything in my name, and I will do it.
JESUS PROMISES THE HOLY SPIRIT
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 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. I will not
leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see
me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that
day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in
you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one
who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show
myself to them.”
Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to
show yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father
will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone
who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my
own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
“All this I have spoken while still with you. 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. Peace I leave with you; my
peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your
hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
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