Holy Spirit
Although we are beginning to emphasize the Holy Spirit in today’s reading, this isn’t the first mention of Him. Back in 1 Corinthians 2, we were told we needed the Holy Sprit’s help to understand the Bible. In 2 Peter 1, we were told He is the one who worked through certain people to write the Bible. In John 14, Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to live in us. In today’s reading, Jesus is nearing His death and is giving His followers some final teaching about the Holy Spirit. Jesus says they are better off having the Holy Spirit than Jesus being with them because the Holy Spirit will convict people of their need for Jesus. The Holy Spirit will also teach Jesus’ followers the things they need to know when they are ready to take it in.
Most Christians would love to spend some time talking face-to-face with Jesus, so it is puzzling that Jesus said we are better off having the Holy Spirit living in us. It’s a privilege Christians sometimes ignore. One part of the privilege of having the Holy Spirit is what Jesus said about convicting everyone of their sin. It means everyone around us feels some level of guilt for the wrong things they have done. They realize they are not who they should be. Certainly, some are open to listening to the Holy Spirit and some are not. But the good news isn’t the guilt and shame; it’s that Jesus is the answer!