The Prosecution and the Defence
John 14:15-17 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. (NRSV)
I sometimes try to imagine what it must be like to be charged with a criminal offence and end up in a court before a judge and jury. That’d be seriously scary. You’d hope that you had a good defence attorney, eh?
Guilty or innocent, none of us wants to go to prison. And, let’s face it, as you and I look back on our lives, there are so many things that we are guilty of. Dishonesty, cheating, bad-mouthing, grumbling … the list, no doubt, goes on.
So how is this thing playing out in your life – this tussle between right and wrong, between good and evil? Who’s winning – your demons or your better angels?
It turns out that the original Hebrew word for “Satan” in the Old Testament, means “prosecutor”. How appropriate, as he whispers in your ear, “You’re not good enough. In fact, you never will be. So just give up on all this goodie-goodie stuff and go with the flow.”
But that’s not where it ends because the Greek word for “Holy Spirit” in the New Testament means “defence attorney”. Here it is, direct from Jesus:
John 14:15-17 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. (NRSV)
And the Holy Spirit is the best advocate, the best defence you’ll ever have. Jesus. He’s on your side.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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