Digging Into Today’s Text

Here is the text in its surrounding paragraph:

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:15-21, NIV)

This paragraph in John 14:15-21 is part of Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples, taking place during the Last Supper. The preceding paragraph consists of Jesus comforting His disciples by assuring them that He will not leave them alone, promising to send them the Holy Spirit as their Advocate and Helper. He emphasizes that the Spirit of truth will dwell within them and be with them forever.

The following paragraph, which begins in John 14:22, includes a question from one of the disciples, asking how Jesus will reveal Himself to them but not to the world. Jesus responds by explaining that those who love Him and keep His commands will experience His presence and the love of the Father, and that through obedience, He and the Father will make their home in the hearts of those who love Him.

In this broader context, the surrounding paragraphs establish a connected theme of love, obedience, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus emphasizes the importance of loving Him and keeping His commands as a demonstration of true discipleship. He assures His followers that their love for Him will be reciprocated by the Father’s love, and that He will reveal Himself to them through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Overall, these passages highlight the intimate relationship between Jesus, the Father, and the disciples, and the transformative power of love, obedience, and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.