We are close to the end of the Easter season, yet the gospel finds us sitting with Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper. He speaking his, “Last Discourse” to them. What he says before he died is meant to sustain them. He promises that when he is no longer with them the Father will send the Holy Spirit in his name. The gift of the Spirit is the act that initiates and forms the church. Thereafter, Christ will be present to them in and through the church.
In the Book of Revelation the “new Jerusalem” is a symbol for the church. We don’t have to wait till the next life to be citizens of the “holy city Jerusalem.” Through our baptism we are already part of the new heaven and new earth. As members of the new Jerusalem we await the final times when all creation will be restored and all people will be made members of the holy city. It will be a city of safety where all will be welcome; where God will be at home with us and we with God and one another.
People living in large cities can be the loneliest people. So many people; so many casual encounters leading nowhere. Our modern human condition can be isolated or, as Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Most men [sic] lead lives of quiet desperation.” Contrast that experience with the promise Revelation offers. The author and visionary gives us hope that one day we will be permanent citizens in the holy city Jerusalem and we will live together in the light of God’s glory. “The glory of the Lord gave it light and its lamp was the Lamb.”
Our gospel makes a similar promise, that believers will dwell in a permanent home with Christ and the Father. God will send the Holy Spirit to stay with us and deepen and sustain the memory of Christ in us. Our passage today is called, “the Farewell Discourse.” The title alone has poignant undertones. Goodbyes with someone we have loved are never easy. Permanent goodbyes, which come with death, are the most difficult of all. What will we do? How will we carry on after a death, especially when the person who has died has been life itself for us? Isn’t that what the disciples were feeling as they heard Jesus’ words and took in their meaning?
Jesus is not insensitive to their fears and uncertainty, so he promises to leave them help. It is a help which all of us need as we await the fulfillment of the heavenly Jerusalem. Jesus promises the Advocate will come. So, not to diminish the sense of loss the disciples will feel when Jesus leaves them, the Advocate will continue his presence among them. They will grieve his loss, but the Advocate will sustain them.
What will bring peace to the disciples upon Jesus’ death? Their loss will be enormous. How will they come to know the peace Jesus tells them he is leaving them? Through the Advocate they will experience the very presence of God. That is how they will have peace — with and in God there is peace.
Knowing God is with us in all circumstances enables us to put our lives into God’s hands and receive the grace we need for our journey. Jesus tells the disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” The Spirit in our midst continues to teach us so that we need not be anxious — “troubled or afraid.” In John, Jesus does not endure the agony in the Garden. That is because Jesus has the Advocate — the Spirit — instilling trust that God is with him and will never abandon him. He promises that same Spirit to his disciples as he departs. The Spirit will restore Jesus’ presence to the bereft, grieving disciples.
Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come and “teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” This “teacher” will stay with us and when we are in need will “teach… and remind us” of Jesus. The Spirit is the reminder of Christ’s presence in our midst. But not just a “head reminder,” like remembering someone from our childhood — warm and fuzzy, but of no practical use now. Instead, thanks to the Spirit, our memory of Jesus is alive and reflected in our thoughts and actions. We can say we love Jesus, but if that love is not shown by concrete actions, it is just a sentimental expression with no real consequences in our lives.
Jesus and the Father come to dwell in those who keep Jesus’ word. In addition, just as the Father has sent Jesus to us, so the Father sends the Spirit who stirs up the mission of Jesus and sends us to do as he did: preach and heal in his name. The Spirit nurtures love in us and, through the wisdom the Spirit gives, we learn concrete ways to show that love. The Spirit, Jesus says, will remind us of him. This will have concrete consequences as we bear witness to the Word of God.
Jesus offers assurance to his disciples. How will they, who have been so dependent on him, carry out his mandate of love? He is leaving, but he tells them, “I am going away and I will come back to you.” He will dwell with his followers, even before he returns at the end of time. Meanwhile, they will live with him, awaiting his return and following his word.
Some Christians expect and look for Jesus’ imminent return — the Second Coming. But each time we encounter the Word, we meet Christ. Then, through the Holy Spirit, we are able to understand who Jesus is for us today, what it means to be his follower and what he expects and helps us do in his name.
At this Eucharist we, like those disciples, are at table with the Lord. Here we break the bread and share the cup, just as the first community of believers did. Here the risen Christ tells us that if we love him we will keep his word in our minds, hearts, and actions. Christ is not with us as he was with his early disciples, but he is with us in a new way, a new presence.
NOTE: Some biblical readers say they are uncomfortable with the exclusive masculine language used for God. Jesus isn’t pointing to the gender of God by his use of “Father.” Rather, he is drawing out the relationship of mutual love believers now have with God through Jesus.