John
14:23-31— In the gospel lesson Jesus
reminds us that love and obedience are linked. How can we trust, love and obey?
By ourselves we cannot do it. Thus the Counselor is sent from the Father. Both
the Father and the Son are involved in the sending of the Spirit. The Spirit
reminded these early disciples of everything Jesus had said and done. Thus when
their message went out, as they recorded the words and actions of Jesus in
written form they became literally God breathed and inspired. They became the
Sacred Scriptures because the Spirit directed these men over a period of some
twenty years to write 27 books that in reality make up one book – the New
Testament. These books, together with the Old Testament, have one doctrinal viewpoint,
one moral standard, one plan of salvation, one program for the ages.
Jesus renders not only an indictment but also a
conviction on three counts. The word used for “convict” is straight out of the courtroom.
The Paraclete will expose the sin of failure to
discern God in Christ and those, “who
believe in Him.” The world is to be convicted of the sin inherent in the
rejection of Jesus.
The righteousness of which the world will be convicted
to its shame is the righteousness of Christ, that absolute righteousness that
could only be revealed in the risen Christ. “He goes to the Father,” is the statement that authenticates His
mission. For with the Passion, His revelation of the Father is completed, and
henceforth the Paraclete will convince the world of the perfect righteousness
that is revealed in Christ and made accessible to people.
The Paraclete will convince the world of both the
justice of God and the inevitability of God’s judgment. The world will be
judged, and the outcome of that judgment is already determined, because the
prince of this world has been judged. In the redemptive act Jesus is victorious.
He has conquered Satan. Luther’s words are appropriate here. “He’s judged, the deed is done, one little
word can fell him.” What is that one little word? With respect to faith;
that singular word is, “Jesus.” With
respect to the Devil; the particular word is, “Liar!”
[1] Go into all the world, © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[2] Collect for the Mission of the Church, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
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