ヨハネによる福音書16:5-15 John 16:5-15,

After Jesus died on the cross, he was resurrected on the third day with a body of eternal life. And when the disciples met the resurrected Jesus, they were very happy. But Jesus eventually had to ascend to heaven, the place where God the Father is. He had to ascend to the throne of heaven to rule over the whole world and the whole universe. He also had to prepare dwelling places for those who believe in him in heaven.

Knowing that the time would eventually come when he would leave his disciples, Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit to them in advance, before his crucifixion. “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” (verse 7, NRSV). “That I go away” means that Jesus will be gone from the disciples. That seems like a very lonely time for the disciples.

However, Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away.” And the reason for this is: “For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” An “advocate” is someone who defends you in court. After Jesus is no longer on earth, his disciples will go through many painful experiences. Sometimes they may even want to stop being Jesus’ disciples. But Jesus said that after he ascended to heaven, he would send “the Advocate” to be with such weak disciples and to defend them to God the Father, so that he would not abandon them. That is God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is invisible, but he is with those who believe in Jesus, encouraging them and defending them to God the Father.

God the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, is also “the Spirit of Truth,” and in verse 13 Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” This means that after Jesus ascend to heaven, the Holy Spirit will come to the disciples, and they will understand the truth that they did not understand before. He will help them understand such truths as why Jesus was crucified, what kind of grace those who believe in him will receive, and what kind of judgement those who don’t believe in him will receive. The disciples did not yet understand these things when Jesus was on earth. However, after Jesus ascend to heaven, they will come to understand him better through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Japan is a country where there are very few people who believe in Jesus. It is said that only about 1% of the people living in Japan believe in Jesus. We may feel insecure in the midst of so many people who do not believe in Jesus. We may even think about quitting believing in Jesus. But God, the invisible Holy Spirit, is with us in such places. He will defend us and encourage us. Let us not forget that.