John 14:15-26 belongs to that part of the Last Supper discourse that is constituted by 13:36 to the end of chapter 14. Within this part of the discourse the mood is set by the departure of Judas, the prediction of Peter's denial and the impeding departure of Jesus. The theme of love occassioned by Peter's protestation in 13:36 (cf. Jn. 15:13) is dealt with within the context of Jesus' special relationship with the Father which He describes in terms of an indwelling -- where even the disciple can participate (cf. 14:21.23b) -- and conformity of will (14:31). For this reason, the one who keeps the commandments of the Lord will be loved, and being loved and loving, he will know the Lord.
During this speech, Jesus assuages the anxiety of the disciples by comforting them with a promise about his return (14:1-3.18-19.28), of Him and the Father making their home with the disciples (14:23), of His gift of peace (14:27) and the abiding presence of another Advocate that the Father will send in His name (cf. 14:16-17.26). He invites the disciples to trust in Him and in the Father (14:11) for faith in Him is power (14:12-13)
Within this discourse, verses 15-26 introduces the "other Advocate" and explains why He will show Himself to the disciples alone and not to the world (in answer to the query of Judas, v. 22). In a previous article, we have shown how Jesus' manifestation to the disciples is ultimately grounded in the special relationship that He has with them, a relationship that will be expressed in the way the disciples value Jesus' words and each other (a theme developed in John 15). This relationship will involve Jesus and the Father dwelling in the disciples, making them their home on earth (v. 23). Jesus then will not be totally abandoning the disciples. He, after all, is the One who comes from Heaven, and every time the disciples come together as Church, He will stand in their midst and will be offering Himself to them as the Bread come down from Heaven (compare the verb "to come" in verse 18 with its usage in John 20:19 and 21:13).
The "other Advocate" introduced in this speech is identified as the "Holy Spirit" in verse 26. There are -- according to Pheme Perkins -- five sayings about the Holy Spirit throughout the Last Supper discourse and these are found in 14:16-17, 14:26, 15:26; 16:7b-11 and 16:13-15. It is referred to as "other" because the first Advocate is Jesus himself (cf. 1 Jn. 2:1-2). The first two of these sayings are found in the passages under discussion. In the other three occurrences the Spirit is described as a witness for Jesus (15:26), its role as prosecutor of the world (16:7b-11) and as a paedagogue of the disciples (16:13-15).
We have seen in another article that the term "ParakletoV" (parakletos, Paraclete) has a forensic meaning: that of "attorney", in Filipino "abogado". The Paraclete is etymologically "one who is called to the stand with x" (para + kalew). Thus the Paraclete is for the disciple a Companion, and a Help. If understood as coming from parakaleomai "to comfort", it means "Comforter", a "Solace".
In 14:16-17, the Paraclete is described as one who will always be with the disciples as opposed to Jesus who will be away, albeit for "awhile". The world cannot receive the Paraclete in the same way as it has not received Jesus, refusing to understand and to know Him. In contrast, the disciples who have begun to believe in Jesus and love Him have become the dwelling place of the Spirit (v.17). This assertion reminds us of similar ones in Paul (see Rom. 8:9.11, 1 Cor. 3:16) where there is a clear allussion to the Spirit received in baptism. In John 14:17, the use of the present tense in the phrase "because it dwells in you and is in you" makes it sound as if Jesus is addressing himself to those who are hearing the Gospel of John, that is, those who have been baptized.
Finally, in 14:25-26, the saying about the Holy Spirit is similar to the one found in 16:13-15:
But when the Spirit of Truth comes
He will lead you to all truth.
He will not be speaking as from Himself
But will say only what He has learnt
and He will tell you of things to come.
He will glorify me
since all that He will tell you will be taken from what is mine.
Everything that the Father has is mine
that is why I said
All he tells you
will be taken from what is mine
The Spirit will keep the memory of the Lord and of His words among the disciples. He will not only remind them of things heard but also tell them of things yet unheard. The Spirit will help the disciples have a better grasp of the truth as he leads them to the complete truth. But the Spirit will be as Jesus was to the Father: He will tell of things that He Himself receives from the Son. All that the Spirit will give to the disciples will be from the Son which things are also, in their turn, of the Father. Thus, as the Father reveals Himself to the Son, so the Son continues to be revealed through the Holy Spirit.
The liturgy for Pentecost presents the selection above with the omission of verses 17-23a. The justification for such a division is three-fold. The first reason is structural: there is an inclusion in verses 15 ("If you love ... my commandments") and 23a ("If anyone loves me ... my word") on the one hand and verses 16c ("He will be with you") and 25a ("...while I am with you.") on the other. The second reason is theological: the liturgy wishes to emphasize that the Holy Spirit extends the presence of Jesus both as Advocate (v. 16) and as Sent by the Father (26). The third reason is Christological: the Spirit is tied up with Jesus who asks the Father for Him and it is in Jesus' name that He is sent. Thus, the Gospel reading on the Feast of Pentecost deepens the account of the coming of the Holy Spirit as told in Acts and complements the baptismal thematic of the Christian's life in the Spirit in Rom. 8:8-17.
