⁴ But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵ But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.” John 16:4-11

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, as Jesus says, proves the world wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment. Sin is the truth about man, righteousness is the truth about God, judgment is the inevitable combination of these two truths.

“Each man’s conscience has some glimmering of light on each of these; some consciousness of guilt, some sense of right, some power of judgment of what is transitory and worthless; but all these are unreal and unpractical, till the convicting work of the Spirit has wrought in him.” 

The disciples were confused and grief-stricken at hearing the news that their teacher and friend was leaving them. But he told them that in the end this was all for the best. After all, he had to leave if the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Paraklete, the Advocate was to come. When he was here on earth, in the body, he could not be everywhere with them, all the time. For most of the disciples, those other than the twelve, the presence of Jesus was a series of greetings and farewells. And while he was in the body, he could not reach the minds and hearts of people everywhere. In the body he was confined by the limitations of place and time. But there are no limitations once Jesus is in the Spirit. From the time of the resurrection onward, Jesus could not be contained by time or space. The coming of the Spirit would be the fulfillment of the promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age”.

Pastor Dave

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. ² He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³ You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:1-5

I believe this text, the “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower”, turns on the verse “He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit.” The reason I say it turns on this verse is the alternative rendering of the verb here translated as “Removes”. This word can also be rendered as “Lift Up”. And since this is written for a people who understand how to grow grapes, it makes sense to me to realize that a grape grower will lift up vines that are down in the dirt and fruitless, rather than just lopping them off. Pruning is necessary for fruit trees and grapevines. But, it is also necessary to tie up the vines that are drooping and not getting any sun.

As such, Jesus lifts us up when we are in the dirt—when we are fruitless and in need of the (Son) Sun.

Pastor Dave