Easter IV- John 16:5-15

 The Gospel for this Fourth Sunday after Easter is John 16:5-15. Like some other selections during this season, these verses are from our Lord's Farewell Discourses to the Twelve on the evening of Maundy Thursday. In these discourses, our Lord addresses some of the misunderstandings and worries of the disciples. He is about to go away (first through His Passion and Death, later through His Ascension). He strengthens and encourages His followers by speaking of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13, Jesus says, "when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth..." (KJV). Then in John 16:15, Christ asserts, “All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he [the Holy Spirit] shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

The situation of the disciples is changing. Jesus will not be them in the ordinary physical way, but the work of the Holy Spirit will continue Christ’s ministry on earth.  The Holy Spirit is not confined by location, ethnicity, language, or time. The Spirit guides believers into truth. Yet, this truth is not some new message. It is the same eternal truth that has been revealed by God the Father to Israel over the ages. And it is the same truth revealed in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. 

So redemptive truth is Trinitarian. It comes from God the unseen heavenly Father. It has been made known by the divine Word over the ages and finally become incarnate in Jesus. This same eternal truth also works through the Holy Spirit. It will continue to work in the world until the end of history. The Spirit of Truth works in many ways, but chiefly He works through the Scriptures and the sacraments. He works in the church as the community of believers, and He works in the lives of faithful individuals.

Our verses from John 16 proclaim a simple and clear basic point. The work of the Spirit comes from God the Father, and it is consistent with the revelation of Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God. The work of the Holy Spirit is not a new or separate revelation; it is a series of living applications of the divine truth already revealed, especially revealed in Jesus Christ. This is good news!

Trinity IV- Luke 6:36-42

The Prayer Book lessons for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity are especially strong and rich passages. In the Epistle from Romans 8:18-23, the Apostle Paul contrasts the sufferings of this present world with the glory that will be made manifest. He encourages believers to continue in hope as they look toward final redemption. Christians always need to hear this message, especially during difficult times.

In the Gospel from Luke 6:36-42, we have a portion of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain which is similar to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The basic theme in this selection is being merciful toward others as we hope for God to be merciful toward us. In this context, our Lord tells us not to judge others. This command does not mean that we cannot evaluate people and events in practical ways. Practical judgments are necessary for physical and spiritual survival and growth. However, we must beware of the limits of our practical human judgments and evaluations. We are not God. We do not know all the factors in other people's lives, and even when we have good information, we have our own biases and prejudices. So we must remain humble and seek divine mercy for ourselves and others. We must never assume that our practical human opinions about other people are valid reflections of their standing before God!