In our gospel readings for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Jesus continues to prepare his disciples for his own departure from this world. And he promises to send the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, who will guide the disciples into all truth. The Spirit will prove the world wrong, and the world will respond with persecution. But the world will not be able to take away the joy of the disciples at the sight of the risen Jesus, because Jesus has conquered the world....
Tell a mathematician that she is wrong, and she might ask you to show her the error in her calculations. Tell a scientist that he is wrong, and he might ask you to show him experimental data that doesn't match his theory. But tell a religious group that they are wrong, and it might come to blows, or worse! To be wrong in an area of knowledge is like a software glitch – people might see you as incompetent, and that's bad enough. But to be wrong in your basic, core beliefs – that's like a corrupted operating system, and that strikes at your very identity. No wonder that the common response to being proven wrong in religion...is violence and persecution....
That's what Jesus prophesies for the disciples after he is gone – that people will think they are doing God a favour by killing them. The synagogues will reject their teaching, and as we know from the book of Acts, so will the pagans...with imprisonments and lashings and stonings. The world will react poorly to the picture of the Father that Jesus represents.
In fact, the world is still reacting poorly, because the Holy Spirit continues to prove the world wrong...about sin and righteousness and judgment. The world is wrong about sin because they do not believe in Jesus. They either do not believe that salvation from Jesus is required for their sins, or they do not believe that salvation from Jesus is sufficient for their sins. And they will respond with violence at your participation in an institution that insinuates they are sinners. Or they will respond with incredulity at your insistence that even their sins can be forgiven, through the cross of Jesus.
And the world is also wrong about righteousness, because Jesus the righteous went the way of suffering and death to the Father, and we see him no longer. The world still assumes that righteousness and worldly success are inseparable and therefore indicative, that suffering is always a punishment or some kind of karma, and doing well is always a sign of God's preferential treatment. And they will respond with anger if you question the basis of their success, or their victim status in failure.
And the world is also wrong about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. The systems of power and exploitation that Satan has established in the world have been declared unlawful, therefore judgment stemming from these systems is false and invalid. Now, the world judges everything these days on the basis of weak versus powerful, exploiter versus exploited, and they get agitated to the point of violence if they are told they are wrong. The end result is that in the world, we face persecution.
But take courage! Jesus has conquered the world! In dying on the cross for the sins of the world, Jesus has broken the power of sin and Satan. The world of power has been repudiated, in favour of the kingdom of God. The plan for salvation has been completed, and the love of God has been displayed in its highest form.
And in the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples see him again, to their great joy – a joy we share through the years – a joy that cannot be taken from us. The labour pains of Good Friday are no longer remembered, because of the new life that has entered into the world.
And while disciples wait for Jesus to return, the spirit of truth guides them into all the truth.
Thanks to the Spirit, we have a different perspective on sin. We do not sweep our sins under the rug; instead, we confess and repent, in full confidence that through Jesus Christ, they will be forgiven. Thanks to the Spirit, we have a different perspective on righteousness. We do not see our righteousness indicated in the circumstances of our lives; instead we clothe ourselves in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Thanks to the Spirit, we have a different perspective on judgment. We do not accept the false guilt and despair that Satan peddles; instead, we submit to the just and merciful judgment of our loving Heavenly Father, under the advocacy of our Advocate. Living in all the truth of the Holy Spirit, our joy is complete.
Gracious God, we ask you to strengthen us against the persecution of the world, and keep us in all the truth. Help us to love you, as you love us, in Jesus' name. Amen.