Tuesday of the Sixth Week after Easter, May 15, 2007

Scripture: Acts 16:22-34. Psalm 138. John 16:5-11. Lectionary # 292

The Spirit of God in the Hebrew texts is often a sign of God's absolute
power. This transfers to texts about the Spirit in the New Testament.
However, when Jesus is speaking of the Spirit after his resurrection, he
means the Person of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Advocate, the
Paraclete. In today's passage we do have the baffling threefold effects of
the Holy Spirit as a Person sent by Jesus and the Father. The effects are
upon sin represented by the world or those who when given enough
opportunities still refuse to believe in what Jesus has taught, preached,
and did. The world in John's Gospel is under the influence of the Prince
of Darkness or Evil personified, the Devil. This Holy Spirit sears the
consciences of humans who are more in love with the world than with God.
Therefore, the Spirit will "convince" or "convict" the world and its
followers of sin, righteousness, and judgment. First, about sin which is
the unbelief on the part of those who heard Jesus and refused to listen and
believe in his words and deeds. This leads to darkness or blindness as we
have seen throughout chapter 9 of John. Secondly, of righteousness which
in the context of what Jesus is saying is about his life, suffering, death,
burial, and resurrection or the Paschal Mysteries so well developed in the
Fourth Gospel. This is the world's salvation once it is rid of sin and
unbelief. Finally, of judgment when the personification of Evil, the
Devil, is overthrown forever and through God's powerful judgment
personified in the Holy Spirit. C.K.Barrett, one of the greatest English
exegetes of the last century summed it up this way, "The Paraclete (i.e.the
Holy Spirit) will convince the world of its erroneous notions in respect to
sin, righteousness, and judgment." (Peake's Commentary on the Bible,
p.862). Only through such power that is divine and that God and Jesus send
us will peace eventually triumph over the "world" and in each of us as we
learn the great power of unselfish love. Amen.