Jesus is speaking His Farewell Discourse. While He abode with them, He taught them many things. Soon He would not be physically present with the disciples. Therefore, He comforted them with the announcement that the Father would send another Helper.
The Holy Spirit will teach the disciples all things and call what Jesus had said to their remembrance. The Holy Spirit is another Helper and, like Christ, He is a teacher. Several important points from this text apply to us.
One, You can trust the Helper.
Jesus says that the Father will send the Holy Spirit in His name. Thus, the Holy Spirit is closely related to the Father and the Son. Very clearly, the Helper will represent Christ. Just as the Son represents the Father, so the Holy Spirit represents Jesus.
The disciples can fully trust the Helper. They can rely in all circumstances on the Spirit to lead, guide, and teach them. All this applies to us today. In our search for truth, the Spirit and the Word guide us. He will not lead us astray. All that He teaches will be in harmony with the Word of God.
Two, the Helper will teach you all things.
The Spirit will teach the disciples all things. Here, Jesus stresses that the Holy Spirit is a teacher. The Spirit teaches all things that have to do with truth. Jesus said (John 14:6), “‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.'” The Spirit exalts Christ and His teachings. He teaches all things that the disciples need to know.
Today, as in the days of the disciples, the Spirit teacher the believers all things. Rea (p. 138) states: “The Holy Spirit would come to teach Christians “all things” (14:26a), everything that is necessary for their salvation and fellowship with God and for the work of witnessing (compare Matthew 10:20; I John 2:27).”
Three, the Helper will bring truth to your remembrance.
Second, the Holy Spirit will help the disciples remember what Jesus had said. Morris writes (p. 657): “Notice that the things of which He will remind them are the things that
Jesus has spoken to them. In other words the Spirit will not dispense with the teaching of Jesus. The teaching to be recalled is His.
This part of the text applies especially to the disciples who had walked with Jesus and heard His teaching. However, the principle still applies. When we walk with Jesus today, the Holy Spirit helps us remember truth when we need it. Sometimes, the Spirit helps us when we are confronted with hostile circumstances.
Four, the Helper will illuminate your heart and mind.
The Spirit’s teaching obviously includes the illumination and application of what Christ said. Keener (p. 979) writes: “After Jesus was glorified, the Spirit would bring to remembrance his teachings and works and help believers understand them in light of Scripture (2:22; cf. Luke 22:61) and know how to apply them (16:4; cf. Rev. 2:5).”
As the Spirit of Truth, the Helper (John 16:13), “‘will guide you into all the truth.'” This raises the issue as to whether on not the Spirit is revealing any new truth today. The canon of Scripture is closed, but the Spirit guides into all truth today. Our challenge is to proclaim the truth to the world.
Conclusion
Although the earthly presence of Jesus will be taken from the disciples, they will have another Helper who is the Holy Spirit. This presence of the Spirit assures the progress of Christ’s mission and the integrity of the message. The Spirit will teach them all things and bring the truth to their remembrance. The disciples can take great comfort from the presence of the Spirit. We are comforted and taught by that same presence today.
Copyright © George M. Flattery