John 14:8-17, 25-27
The advertisements say it all: Satisfaction guaranteed! Money back if you are not completely satisfied!
Has there been a time when you were completely satisfied? Honestly, it seems to be a human impulse to always want more. We can always go a little faster, burn a little brighter, consult one more website, order one more thing on Amazon. When we think we’ve done enough, suddenly we notice a shiny bright thing on the horizon, and off we go again.
It can also happen in our spiritual lives. Because we are not satisfied, even of what we ask of God. We think, now that God supplied that, maybe I want a little more. It is as if we are filled with an insatiable longing, and nothing will ever quite fill us up.
It’s where Philip was in our Gospel lesson today. “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
I appreciate the Philip was looking for a little reassurance – he had reason. Philip speaks these words on Jesus’ last night with his disciples before his death. The evening had begun in a strange display of servitude – Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Jesus told the disciples in no uncertain terms that he would die. Peter claimed that he would never deny Jesus and Judas slipped away into the darkness to betray him. Jesus said not to be troubled, but trouble is exactly where they are at this point in the story.
Jesus answers Philip’s anxiety with what sounds like a rebuke, “Have you been with me all this time, and you still do not know me?”
Jesus realizes that he needs to clarify what has been going on all along. Somehow his disciples have missed the connection between God and Jesus’ mission.
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
Jesus goes on to explain that the connection between him and the Father will be mirrored by a deep connection between Jesus and the disciples—in fact anyone who believes in Jesus.
“God will give you another Advocate to be with you forever,” Jesus says.
The Advocate, or Parakletos in Greek, is Jesus’ name for the Holy Spirit. It literally means “the one called to your side.” The Advocate is the one who walks beside you, abides with you, accompanies you in all things, so sometimes the word is translated, Comforter.
Parakletos is also the word used to describe one who defends you in court. The Advocate speaks on your behalf, gives wisdom and understanding, and stands up for you with protection and power. The Holy Spirit is like the jack of all trades when it comes to spiritual strength. The Spirit is all we need, and when we tune into the Spirit’s presence, we are finally satisfied.
When Jesus told Philip about his connection to the Father and the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, he was essentially saying, Philip, the satisfaction, connection, strength, and peace that you are looking for is right under your nose. It’s all right here for you, all the time!
It’s a reminder we all need. We forget the fulfillment we seek is not something we have to climb mountains for, but instead, is found close at hand. We cry out for comfort and strength and forget the ways in which we have experienced God’s presence. When we remember the Spirit is with us always, we can tap into that connection and find the peace and strength and purpose that we are craving.
I remember one of those reminders. It was at the end of a kids’ yoga class through the Town Recreation Department. My young son, Joel, and I were taking the class together. At the conclusion of the class, the teacher always invited us to rest in silence, on our backs. She would turn the lights down, and after an hour of exertion, Joel and I would simply lie on our mats, holding hands.
On one particular night, I lay down and the thought came unbidden: I have everything I need. It was kind of a surprising thought! It was so rare that there wasn’t anything I was striving for, nothing I was stressing about. I just rested in the knowledge that in that moment, all was well.
This moment has become a touchstone for me: a reminder that I am loved by my family and by God, and that there is a place of solace and peace that is available to me at all times. When I cannot sleep at night for all the anxious chatter of my mind, I get up and go to my yoga mat for a few rounds of moon flow. When I come back to my bed, my breath is calm and my body ready to rest. I feel the peace of that moment with Joel come back to me, and I remember the truth of God’s love for me:
I have everything I need.
The Spirit is within me.
Our passage today closes with Jesus’ words to his disciples:
“Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you…
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”
Jesus wasn’t promising a momentary pause in the rat race or a rescue from the storms of life; Jesus was making his peace and his fulfillment available to his disciples always through the gift of the Holy Spirit, a peace that they could cultivate and take when them into the challenges that they faced.
And that, frankly, is what we all need. Our lives are complicated. Bombarded by distressing news, intractable problems, violence, illness, and war. We need the reminder of where to turn to tank up on what is good and receive what we truly need. We need the nudge that we find fulfillment not in pampering ourselves but in service, that we cultivate peace not in retreating but entering into our relationships with others and with Jesus.
Living in the knowledge that Jesus offers himself to us in the Spirit who accompanies us is a kind of spiritual security that no insurance policy, 401K, or human relationship can provide. It means that we tap into a power and confidence that is beyond us. We can face our troubled times, and we can surmount the obstacles we face.
We can find fulfillment and grace.
We are not alone. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
We have Jesus’ Spirit, the Advocate, with us.
We have all we need to be satisfied.
