John 15: 26-27; 12-15

I propose a biblical analysis with the following steps: a study of each Greek word of the evangelical text, followed by an analysis of the structure of the narrative and its context, to which is added a comparison of parallel or similar passages. At the end of this analysis and as a conclusion, I propose to summarize what the evangelist meant, and I end up with some suggestions on how this Gospel could shed light on our current situation.

1. Translation of the Greek text (28th edition of Kurt Aland)

   Greek text	Transliterated Greek text	Literal translation	Translation in current language
   26 Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ•	26 Hotan elthē ho paraklētos hon egō pempsō hymin para tou patros, to pneuma tēs alētheias ho para tou patros ekporeuetai, ekeinos martyrēsei peri emou•	26 When he will come, the Supporter whom I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of the truth who from the father he comes out, that one will bear witness concerning me,	26 When the Supporter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the breath of truth that comes from the Father, he will testify to me.
   27 καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ μαρτυρεῖτε, ὅτι ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς μετʼ ἐμοῦ ἐστε	27 kai hymeis de martyreite, hoti apʼ archēs metʼ emou este...	27 then you also bear witness, for from (the) beginning you are with me.	27 But you too will bear witness, because you have been with me from the very beginning.
   12 Ἔτι πολλὰ ἔχω ὑμῖν λέγειν, ἀλλʼ οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι•	12 Eti polla echō hymin legein, allʼ ou dynasthe bastazein arti•	12 Yet many things I have to say to you, but you are not able to carry at the present time.	12 I still have many things to tell you, but you are unable to bear it yet.
   13 ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁδηγήσει ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πάσῃ• οὐ γὰρ λαλήσει ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλʼ ὅσα ἀκούσει λαλήσει καὶ τὰ ἐρχόμενα ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν.	13 hotan de elthē ekeinos, to pneuma tēs alētheias, hodēgēsei hymas en tē alētheia pasē• ou gar lalēsei aphʼ heautou, allʼ hosa akousei lalēsei kai ta erchomena anangelei hymin.	13 Then, when he will come that one, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, because he will not speak from himself, but as much as he will hear he will speak and the things coming he will proclaim to you.	13 However, when he comes with the breath of truth, he will guide you to the whole truth. Because he will not speak for himself, but as far as he can hear, he will speak and explain to you the things to come.
   14 ἐκεῖνος ἐμὲ δοξάσει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λήμψεται καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν.	14 ekeinos eme doxasei, hoti ek tou emou lēmpsetai kai anangelei hymin.	14 That one will glorify me, for out of me he will receive and will proclaim to you.	14 He will reveal my extraordinary quality of being, because he will receive what is mine and explain it to you.
   15 πάντα ὅσα ἔχει ὁ πατὴρ ἐμά ἐστιν• διὰ τοῦτο εἶπον ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λαμβάνει καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν.	15 panta hosa echei ho patēr ema estin• dia touto eipon hoti ek tou emou lambanei kai anangelei hymin.	15 All things my Father has, they are mine, this is why I said (that) out of me he will receive and he will proclaim to you.	15 Everything that belongs to the Father also belongs to me. This is why I said that he receives what is mine and will explain it to you.

2. Analysis of each verse

   v. 26 When the Supporter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the breath of truth that comes from the Father, he will testify to me.

   Littéralement: When he will come (hotan elthē), the Supporter (paraklētos) whom I will send (pempsō) to you from the Father (para tou patros), the spirit (pneuma) of the truth (alētheias) who from the father (para tou patros) he comes out (ekporeuetai), that one (ekeinos) will bear witness concerning me (peri emou),

1. it translates an idea of origin as coming from or from someone;
2. or it expresses the fact of being close to someone, being in their surroundings or in their intimacy;
3. or it expresses closeness to an object, such as walking along or beside a lake;
4. finally, it is used in a comparison and is said literally: in relation to.

For John, the first two meanings predominate.

• Para means to express the origin of a person, thing or action (27 times): "There was a man sent from (para) God, and his name was John" (1:6); or again, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory which he received from (para) his Father as the only Son, full of grace and truth" (1:14).
• Para translates the fact of being with someone and being in their intimacy (8 times): "He said to them, 'Come and see. So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with (para) him that day. It was about the tenth hour" (1:39); or, "When they came to him, the Samaritans asked him to stay with (para) them. He stayed there for two days" (4:40).

It goes without saying that here in v. 26 para has the meaning of the origin of a reality, and therefore intends to signify the origin of paraklētos.

1. It is first of all the title given to God by Jesus, then taken up again by the evangelists, especially by John: Mt = 44; Mk = 4; Lk = 13; Jn = 114; Acts = 3. For example, "So your light must shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father (patēr) who is in heaven" (Mt 15:16).

2. The word designates as well obviously the sire, the biological father: Mt = 15; Mk = 13; Lk = 26; Jn = 2; Acts = 6. For example, "But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea instead of his father (patēr) Herod, he was afraid to go there; he was warned in a dream and withdrew to the region of Galilee" (Mt 2:22).

3. The word is also used, especially in the plural, to designate the ancestors of a nation or community: Mt = 2; Mk = 0; Lk = 7; Jn = 5; Acts = 22. For example, "If we had lived in the days of our fathers (patēr), we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets" (Mt 23:30).

4. It is sometimes used in a spiritual sense to designate a person at the source of one's personal, social or religious identity; among the Jews this would be Abraham or David, among others: Mt = 1; Mk = 1; Lk = 6; Jn = 9; Acts = 2. For example, "do not be afraid to say within yourselves: We have Abraham as our father (patēr). For I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones" (Mt 3:9).

These four meanings are found in John, but overwhelmingly, it is the idea of God the Father (88% of the 130 occurrences) that predominates. Let us dwell on this point.

Let us note beforehand that the idea of a Father God is first found in the Old Testament. But there, God is above all Father not of a particular individual, but of all people. Let us give a few examples.

• "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: Israel is my firstborn son'" (Ex 4:22).
• "Is this what you give back to the LORD? You foolish people, devoid of wisdom! Is he not your father, who bore you, who made you, and by whom you are still alive?
• In tears they return, in supplications I bring them back. I will lead them to the streams, by a straight path where they will not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jer 31:9).
• "Yet you are our father. If Abraham did not recognize us, if Israel no longer remembers us, you, Yahweh, you are our father, our redeemer, such has been your name from the beginning of time" (Is 63:16).

But on a few occasions, God is called father by individuals, especially in prayer.

• He will call upon me, saying, "You are my father, O my God, and the defender of my salvation" (Ps 89:27).
• Lord, Father and Sovereign Master of my life, do not abandon me to the counsel of my lips, and do not allow me to find in them an occasion for fall" (Sir 23:1).

In short, giving the name of father to God is nothing new. But the type of father-son relationship that John attributes to Jesus is quite unique. To help us see more clearly, let's look at this relationship from three different angles: what is said only about the Father, what is said only about Jesus, what is common to both.

1. What is proper to the Father
   • The Father is greater than all things and greater than the Son: "If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am" (14:28; see also 10:29).

   • The Father is the owner of the vine (living world), and it is therefore he who sends his son as the vine through which all can produce fruit: "I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower" (15:1); see all references to the sending of Jesus by the Father, for example: "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (5:23; see also 20:21).

   • The Father loves the Son and loves those who love his Son: "Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it up again" (10: 17; see also 3: 35; 5: 20; 10: 17; 15: 9); "But he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him" (14: 21; see also 14: 23).

   • Because the Father loves his son, he shares everything with him:
     • He gave everything to him: "The Father loves the Son and has given everything into his hand" (3:35; see also 13:3).
     • In particular, he delegated the judgment: "For the Father judges no one; he has given to the Son the whole judgment" (5:22; see also 8:16).
     • He also gave him the capacity to have life in himself: "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has given the Son also to have life in himself" (5:26).
     • He makes himself known to him completely: "For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he does; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be amazed" (5:20).
     • He shares his glory or quality of being with him: "The Word became flesh; it made its dwelling among us, and we saw its glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father; it was full of grace and truth" (1:14; see also 8:54).
     • He delegates to him the ability to raise up from death: "Yes, this is my Father's will, that whoever sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (6:40).

   • Because it is the Father who sent his son on a mission, he supports him in different ways:
     • He tells him what he has to do: "the works which the Father has given me to complete, the very works which I do, bear witness that the Father has sent me" (5:36).
     • He testifies in his favor through his marvelous deeds: "And the Father who sent me testifies to me" (5:37; see also 8:18).
     • It is he who draws people to Jesus by giving them faith: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day" (6:44; see also 6:37.65).
     • In order that his son's mission may continue, he will send another Supporter or a supporting force: "But the Supporter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and remind you of all that I have said to you" (14:26; see also 15:26).
     • Finally, the Father will answer the disciples' prayer in the name of Jesus: "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father, he will give you in my name" (16:23; see also 15:16).

2. What is proper to Jesus
   • He is the only son of the Father
     • Unique begotten or uniquely begotten: "The Word became flesh; it made its dwelling among us, and we saw its glory, the glory of the only begotten (monogenous) of the Father; it was full of grace and truth." (1:14)
     • Which comes from the Father: "For the Father himself loves you, because you love me and believe that I came from God" (see also 13:3).
     • He who loves his Father: "But the world must know that I love the Father and do as the Father has commanded me" (14:31).
     • And who returns to the Father: "Because I am going to the Father and you will see me no more" (16: 10; see also 13: 1,3; 14: 12; 16: 17; 20: 17).

   • He has a unique knowledge of the Father, for he has seen Him in His intimacy.
     • He possesses a unique knowledge of the Father: "No one has ever seen God; the only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made him known" (1:18); or again: "Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you sent me" (17:25; see also 6:46).
     • He lives a continuous intimacy with the Father: "As the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will also live because of me" (6:57).

   • By his life, he is the reflection of all that is the Father.
     • He copies his action, just as a craftsman copies the gestures of his parent in the same trade: "Truly, truly, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, save that he seeth the Father do it; what the Father doeth, the Son doeth likewise" (5:19).
     • In this way, he honors the Father: "Jesus answered, 'I have not a demon, but I honor my Father, and you seek to dishonor me'" (8:49). -He describes himself as his representative: "I come in the name of my Father and you do not receive me; let another come in his own name, and you will receive him" (5:43).
     • He is the way to the Father: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (14:6).
     • His word is that of his Father: "He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me" (14:24; see also 14:10).
     • And therefore he is a revelation of the Father, for to know him is to know the Father: "They said to him, 'Where is your Father? Jesus replied, "You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would also know my Father" (8, 19; see also 14: 7.9; 15, 15).
     • As a corollary, to reject Jesus is also to reject the Father: "He who hates me, hates my Father too" (15:23; see also 15:24; 16:3).

   • In mission, he exercises a delegation and carries out everything that the Father has asked him to do.
     • He received a mission: "For I came out from God and am coming; I do not come from myself, but he has sent me" (8:42; see also 10:36).
     • This mission implies the exercise of judgment, so that hearts may be revealed: "And if I judge, my judgment is according to the truth, because I am not alone; but I am with him who sent me" (8:16).
     • It consists in doing the works of the Father: "The works that I do in the name of my Father bear witness to me" (10:25; see also 10:32,37). -One of his works is to give his life, only to take it up again: "Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, only to take it up again" (10:18; see also 18:11).
     • And he repeats what the Father taught him: "But he who sent me is true, and I tell the world what I heard from him. They did not understand that he spoke to them about the Father" (8:26-27; see also 8:28,38; 12:49-50).
     • Throughout his mission, he keeps his commandments: "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love" (15:10).
     • And he answers the believer's prayer to witness to the Father: "And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (14:13).

3. What the Father and Jesus share
   • Whatever the Father does, the Son does
     • Both are at work at the same time: "But he said to them, 'My Father is at work until now, and I am at work also." (5, 17)
     • All that the one possesses, the other also possesses: "All that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that he receives of my goodness and that he will reveal it to you" (16:15).
     • Both raise the dead: "For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whomever he will" (5:21).
     • To honor the one is to honor the other: "that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (5:23).
     • It is together that the Father and the Son dwell in the believer: "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (14:23).

   • Father and son are one
     • They have a mutual knowledge of each other: "As the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for my sheep" (10: 15).
     • They are one: "I and the Father are one" (10: 30; see also 17: 11).
     • They live in each other: "But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe in these works, that you may know that the Father is in me and I in the Father" (10:38; see also 14: 10.11.20).

   • The Father and son are equal
     • Jesus is seen as making himself equal to God by amending a law of God and calling God as his own father: "Therefore the Jews sought even more to kill him, since he not only violated the Sabbath, but also called God his own father, making himself equal to God" (5:18).

How to summarize all that has just been observed? The Father is first and greatest, he loves his son, and because he loves his son he shares his whole being with him, and it is through his son that he intervenes and makes himself known in the world. In a word, the Father is at the source of all the son's initiatives and is at the source of his son's quality of being, and it is he who makes the success of his son's mission possible. And this mission will continue thanks to the Supporter whom he will send.

As for the son, he is the only one begotten by the Father, and because of the sharing of his intimacy and his love for him, he has a unique knowledge of him, and his mission is to reflect him perfectly, which he does by his words and actions, including the gift of his life, so that in the end, believers will know who the Father is.

So we are not surprised to find that the final portrait that remains is that of two twin beings, who act in the same way, who lead a life that is practically fusional, so that to see one is to see the other, and who invite the believer to join in this intimacy. There is something dizzying to enter into this vision that John proposes to us, when we remember what the life of this son of Joseph was like, a handyman, who first became a disciple of John the Baptist, and then in turn gathered around him a group of disciples, proposing a total openness to God's ongoing action, inviting unconditional love and healing the wounded of life on his path, but ending up as a fragile and powerless being in front of religious and political authorities, betrayed by someone he was wrong to choose and disowned by someone in whom he saw a pillar of the group. John, some 60 years after the events, tells us: "You want to know who is this mystery called God? Look nowhere else but at this Jesus of Nazareth. There is even more: he is God himself. We can only welcome such an affirmation in the silence of a deep sense of abandonment before what is beyond our capacity to understand. And what is even more astonishing is that we can enter into this intimacy.

• "And they all bore witness to him and were in awe of the gracious words that came out (ekporeuomai) from his mouth" (Lk 4:22)
• "But he answered, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out (ekporeuomai) from the mouth of God'" (Mt 4:4).
• "It is not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him, but what comes out (ekporeuomai) of his mouth, that defiles him". (Mt 15:11)
• "But what comes out (ekporeuomai) of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and that defiles the man" (Mt 15:18).
• "For it is from within, from the hearts of men, that perverse designs come out (ekporeuomai): debauchery, theft, murder" (Mk 7:21).
• "All these evil things come out (ekporeuomai) from within and defile man" (Mk 7:23)

As you will have noticed, the verb "to come out" is used to express the fact that a human being, or God himself, is able to communicate what is in his mind and heart: a word "comes out" from the mouth, and the mouth expresses what is in the heart and mind. All this helps us to understand what led the first Christians to use the verb "to come out" in reference to the divine spirit or breath: just as the word comes out from the mouth and heart of a person, the spirit or breath comes out from the mind and heart of God, a part of him that is communicated and transmitted to us. Just as human communication requires air, God communicates through breath.

• Jesus himself (13 times), for example: "Jesus answered them, 'The work of God is that you believe in that one (ekeinos) whom he has sent.'" (6: 29)
• God the Father (4 times), e.g.: "Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself unless he sees the Father do it; that (ekeinos) what the Father does, the Son does likewise." (5: 19)
• The Holy Spirit (5 times), for example: "But the Supporter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, that one (ekeinos) will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you" (14: 26).
• A person (31 times), for example: "After eating, Satan entered in that one (ekeinos). So Jesus said to him, 'Whatever you do, do it quickly'" (13: 27)
• A thing (17 times), for example: "They took him first to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that (ekeinos) year" (18: 13)

• In Luke, it's a statement by Jesus at his last supper, where he reveals that what "concerns him" is coming to an end (Lk 22:37), then it's a declaration to the disciples that what "concerns him" in the Scriptures is to be fulfilled (Lk 24:44). In Acts, it is first a word from Jesus quoted by Paul warning him that testimony "about him" will not be accepted (Acts 22:18), then another word from Jesus addressed to Paul, quoted by the narrator, warning him that he must go and testify "about him" all the way to Rome (Acts 23:11).
• In John, it is Jesus who speaks of witnessing "about himself" (5: 32,36,37,39; 8:18; 10:25; 15:26), with one exception, when Jesus addresses Pilate to say: "Do you say this about yourself, or have others said it to you about me (peri emou)?" (18:34).

From this brief observation, we can draw three conclusions:

1. The expression peri emou (as far as I'm concerned) is part of the palette of expressions that John likes to use.
2. The fact that the expression "testify (martyreo) as far as I'm concerned" recurs eight times as it stands reflects an aspect of John's style, that of constantly repeating the same formulas like a refrain or mantra: this repetition allows us to meditate on a statement that at first appears simple, but whose depth only becomes apparent at the end.
3. The fact that peri emou appears nowhere else in the Gospels-Acts than in Luke supports an observation repeatedly made of a cultural contact between John's and Luke's gospels, all the more so since in Acts peri emou determines, as in John, the object of the testimony.

Literallly: then you also bear witness, for from (the) beginning you are with me.

• The beginning of the believing life, and in many cases this is a reference to baptism. For example, "Beloved, it is not a new commandment that I am writing to you, but an old commandment, which you received from the beginning (apʼ archēs). This old commandment is the word you have heard" (1 Jn 2:7; see also Acts 11:15; 1 Jn 2:24; 3:11; 2 Jn 1:5-6)
• The beginning of Jesus' ministry. For example: "(compose a narrative) from what has been handed down to us by those who were from the beginning (apʼ archēs) eyewitnesses and servants of the Word" (Lk 1:2; see also Mk 1:1; Jn 2:11; 6:64; 8:25; 15:27; 16:4).
• The beginning of creation. For example, "He answered, ‘Have you not read that the Creator, from the beginning (apʼ archēs), made them male and female’" (Mt 19:4; see also Mt 19:8; 24:21; Mk 10:6; 13:19; Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:8)
• The absolute, timeless beginning. For example: "In the beginning (en archē) was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God" (Jn 1:1; see also Jn 1:2; 1Jn 1:1; 2:13-14).
• The beginning of the end times and upheavals. For example: "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in some places, there will be famines. This will be the beginning (archē) of the pains of childbirth" (Mk 13:8; see also Lk 12:11; 20:20; Mt 24:8).
• Finally, certain isolated meanings, such as the beginning or edge of a piece of tissue ("He (Peter) sees heaven open and an object, like a large tablecloth tied at the four corners (archais), descending from it to the earth", Acts 10: 11), or the beginning of an individual's life, such as Paul's ("What my life has been like from my youth, how from the beginning (apʼ archēs) I have lived within my nation, in Jerusalem itself, all the Jews know", Acts 26:4)

Of the eight occurrences of archē in John's Gospel, five concern the beginning of Jesus' ministry (Jn 2:11; 6:64; 8:25; 15:27; 16:4), two the absolute beginning outside time (Jn 1:1-2), and one the beginning of creation (Jn 8:44). And here, in v. 27, it's the beginning of Jesus' ministry: "from (the) beginning (archēs) you have been with me". So, because the disciples have been with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry, and therefore have seen what he has done and heard what he has said, they are in a position to reveal his identity. More specifically, there is a reference here to the signs Jesus performed, starting with the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11), the healing of the royal official's child in Capernaum (Jn 4:46-54), the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethzatha (Jn 5:1-9), the feeding of a crowd with bread (Jn 6:1-14), the healing of the blind man (Jn 9:1-7), the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11:1-45).

• In 8:29, Jesus speaks to the Jews about the Father, but they are unable to understand, and he tells them, “He who sent me is with me (met' emou): he has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.”
• In 13:8, it's the scene of the last meal with Jesus where Jesus undertakes to wash his disciples' feet: “Peter said to him, 'Wash my feet to me! Never!' Jesus replied, 'If I do not wash you, you cannot have part with me (met' emou)'”
• Here, in 15:27, as he speaks of witnessing, first to the Supporter, then to the disciples, Jesus says: “and in turn you will bear witness to me, because you have been with me (met' emou) from the beginning.”
• In 16:32, the disciples make a confession of faith, but Jesus questions the firmness of their faith and tells them, “Behold, the hour is coming, and now is, when you will be scattered, each going his own way, and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone; the Father is with me (met' emou).”
• And finally, in 17:12, it's Jesus' great prayer to his Father: “Father, I want that where I am, those you have given me may also be with me (met' emou), and behold the glory you have given me, for you have loved me from before the foundation of the world.”

This brief analysis shows that the first four references speak twice of the Father who is with Jesus, and twice of the disciples who are with Jesus, and while the fifth reference speaks of the disciples with Jesus, the whole sentence also considers the fact that the disciples will also be with the Father. So, in John, “being with Jesus” doesn't simply mean being a disciple who walks in his footsteps, but it also implies a life of intimacy with him, and thereby a life of intimacy also with the Father. And because of this intimacy with Jesus and with the Father, the disciples can bear witness.

Literallly: Yet many things I have to say to you, but you are not able to carry at the present time.

• I have much (polla) to say and to judge about you; but he who sent me is truthful, and I tell the world what I have heard from him (8:26)
• I still have much (polla) to say to you, but you cannot bear it now (16:12)
• Jesus did many (polla) other signs before the eyes of his disciples, which are not written in this book (20:30)
• There are many (polla) other things that Jesus did. If we were to write them down one by one, I think that the world itself would not be enough to contain the books we would write about them (21:25)
• Having many (polla) things to write to you, I preferred not to do it with paper and ink (2 Jn 1:12)
• I would have many (polla) things to say to you. But I don't want to do it with ink and a calamus (3 Jn 1:13)

What can we learn from this insistence on many things to say and write about beyond a purely Johannine style? The Jesus event is so rich, so profound, so transforming, that it escapes our usual way of grasping things, that it requires a slow and long evolution, and only with time does it take on its full meaning. And in the context of v. 12, we can only really understand it with the help of the Spirit of truth, or Supporter, or helping Spirit.

1. Human beings are incapable of seeing the Kingdom of God on their own, without a complete transformation by God's action. For example, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, no one is able (dynamai) to see the Kingdom of God” (3:3).
2. Similarly, human beings are incapable of entering this Kingdom on their own, without the action of the Spirit. For example, “Truly, truly, I say to you: no one who is not born of water and the Spirit is able (dynamai) to enter the Kingdom of God” (3:5).
3. No human being can assume the role of Messiah on his own, unless he receives this mission from God. This is what John the Baptist says to his disciples, who note the attraction of the crowds to Jesus: “A man is not able (dynamai) of attributing to himself anything beyond what is given to him from heaven” (3:27; see also 9:33).
4. Human beings are incapable of having faith, unless they renounce their desire to be important and praised in this world, and instead look at things from God's point of view. For example, “How are you able (dynamai) to believe, you who take your glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from God alone?” (5:44; see also 12:39)
5. In a similar way, human beings are incapable on their own of truly being attracted to Jesus and believing in him, without God's intervention. For example, “No one is able (dynamai) to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day” (6:44; see also 6:65; 12:39).
6. Human beings do not have the capacity on their own to follow Jesus to the end, i.e. to the cross and into life beyond death. For example, “You will seek me and not find me; for where I am, you are not able (dynamai) to come” (7:34; see also 7:36; 8:21-22; 13:33,36-37; 14:5).
7. Human beings do not have the capacity on their own to accept and understand Jesus' teaching. For example, “Why don't you understand my language? Because you are not able (dynamai) to hear my word” (8:43).
8. Without the light and understanding of things that Jesus brings, human beings are incapable of fruitful action. For example, “While it is day, we must work the works of him who sent me: the night comes when no one is able (dynamai) to work; as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (9:4-5; see also the text on the vine in 15:4-5).
9. Human beings do not have the capacity on their own to welcome the Spirit of truth, or Supporter, unless it is already present within them. For example, “He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able (dynamai) to accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, for he dwells with you and is in you” (14:17).

John is under no illusions: human beings have no capacity on their own to accept Jesus, to understand his word and to follow him, without the intervention of God through his Spirit. It's all too much for him, and goes against his natural way of seeing things. He's not the only one to think so. Didn't Paul write earlier?

As for me, brethren, I could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but only as to carnal men, as to little children in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food: you were not capable (dynamai). But you are not yet able (dynamai) today, for you are still carnal. Since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not carnal and behave in a very human way? (1 Cor 3:1-3)

This recognition of human incapacity is important, because it opens the door to God's action.

• First, there's “carrying your cross”: “Whoever does not carry (bastazō) his cross and come behind me cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:27; see Jn 19:17)
• In the parable of the laborers of the eleventh hour, those who worked all day bore the toil of a whole day: “These last ones who came did but one hour, and you treated them like us, who bore (bastazō) the burden of the day, with its heat” (Mt 20:12)
• In Old Testament tradition, the various laws attributed to Moses were seen as a yoke to be borne: “Why then do you now tempt God by wishing to impose on the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we had the strength to bear (bastazō)” (Acts 15:10).

So, the difficulty is to take on what is demanding, what is not easy, what requires all one's strength. Here, in v. 12, this difficulty concerns the word of Jesus, which can only be understood with the help of the Supporter, the Spirit of truth. But it is on the same level as taking up one's cross, the day's work or the laws of Moses. So “to bear” means: to welcome, to understand and to take upon oneself.

• Arti designates the new time introduced by Jesus, so that we can distinguish between a “before” and a “now”. This is, for example, the meaning of the good wine at the wedding feast in Cana: “Every man serves the good wine first, and when people are drunk, the less good. You have kept the good wine until now (arti)!” (2:10; in the same line we should read 5:17, where Jesus and the Father are now at work, and 14:7, where through Jesus the disciples can now see the Father); arti has the meaning of “henceforth”.
• Arti can also refer to the present of the disciple who has not yet attained full enlightenment, i.e. a present in relation to a possible future, as in the washing of the feet: “Jesus said to him, ‘You do not know what I am doing now (arti), but later you will understand’”. (13:7; see also 13, 19 where Jesus now announces things before they happen, or 13:33 as Jesus now announces his departure to them, as they will not be able to follow him, or 16:24 which refers to the fact that the disciples have not been able to pray to Jesus until now, as he was not yet exalted with God)
• Finally, arti can have the trivial sense of today versus yesterday: “He (the blind man), answered, ‘If he's a sinner, I don't know; I know only one thing: I was blind and now (arti) I see.’” (9:25; see also 9:19)

Here, in v. 26, arti refers to the present of the disciple who has not yet reached full maturity as a believer, and this will only be possible in the future, with the intervention of the Supporter. This present is a time of waiting and maturing.

Literallly: Then, when he will come that one, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, because he will not speak from himself, but as much as he will hear he will speak and the things coming he will proclaim to you.

• First, there's this passage from Isaiah 63:14, which is a form of psalm addressed to God, recalling the exit from Egypt under the leadership of Moses: LXX “There they were, like flocks in the field. The Spirit of the Lord came down and guided (hodēgeō) them. This is how you led your people, to give yourself a glorious name.
• Then there are especially the Psalms, where the verb recurs 27 times, for example: LXX “Guide (hodēgeō) me in your truth, and instruct me; for you, O God, are my Savior, and I have waited for you all day” (25:5); or again: LXX “Teach me to do your will; for you are my God. Your Spirit, full of goodness, will guide (hodēgeō) me in righteousness” (143: 10).
• Finally, let's mention the book of Wisdom, where the author prays the Lord to send his Wisdom: “for she knows and understands everything. She will guide (hodēgeō) me prudently in my actions and protect me with her glory” (9: 11)

In this way, the Jewish world provides a framework for understanding Jesus' announcement that the Spirit of truth will guide the disciples to the whole truth. As was the case with Moses, the Spirit will guide their path. And above all, as the psalmist says, he will instruct them and bring them into the will of God, who is full of goodness; that's another way of talking about entering into the intimacy of God. Finally, this Spirit is the Wisdom who guides the believer's actions. This Jewish framework gives practical color to the action of guiding, which is not theoretical, but concerns action and an understanding of God's heart.

• To the Jews, who did not understand why Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus replied: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself (aphʼ heautou) unless he sees the Father do it; what the Father does, the Son does likewise” (5:19); thus, Jesus' action was not a personal initiative, but had its source in God himself.
• To the Jews, who were astonished that Jesus was so learned without having studied, Jesus replied that he did not teach his own doctrine, but that his teaching came from the Father, and added: “He who speaks of himself (aphʼ heautou) seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him, he is truthful and there is no imposture in him” (7:18); thus Jesus' word would be the pure expression of God's word.
• When the Sanhedrin decided to put Jesus to death, following Caiaphas' advice that it would be better for one man to die than for the whole nation to perish with the coming of the Romans, John writes: “Now this he did not say of himself (aphʼ heautou); but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation” (11:51); thus, this word is not really from Caiaphas, but comes from God who used him to announce the fate awaiting Jesus
• In his presentation of Jesus as the true vine, John puts the following words into Jesus' mouth: “Abide in me, as I in you. As the branch cannot of itself (aphʼ heautou) bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me” (15:4); so, if the believer's action can be a source of life, it is only insofar as it transmits that which takes its source in Jesus himself.

These four references concern both action and word: action that does not come from oneself, word that does not come from oneself. For Jesus, his action and his word are simply a reflection of his Father's action and word. Caiaphas was accidentally God's messenger. As for the believer, just as Jesus let the Father act through him, so must they let Jesus act through their own action.

If the Spirit doesn't speak for itself, whose reflection is it? That's what we'll see in v. 14.

1. Listening to the word or listening to someone means believing, having faith (29 times in the Johannine tradition). For example, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears (akouō) my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (Jn 5:24; see also 1:37; 3:29; 5:25.28; 6:45; 10:3.8.16.20.27; 14:28; 18:37; 1 Jn 2:7.24; 3:11; 4:6). The act of believing takes place through connaturality, i.e. our innermost being has opened up to God, and is therefore able to recognize the dimension of God in Jesus: “Whoever is of God hears (akouō) the words of God; if you do not hear (akouō), then you are not of God.” (Jn 8:47). Conversely, not being able to hear a word means not believing. For example, “After hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard word! Who can listen (akouō) to it?” (Jn 6:60; see also 8:38, 43; 9:27; 12:47; 14:24).

2. Listening sometimes has the trivial meaning of learning news (13 times in the Johannine tradition). For example, “Hearing (akouō) rumors about Jesus, the Pharisees sent guards to seize him” (Jn 7:32; see also 4:1,47; 9:32,35; 11:4,6,20,29; 12:12,18; 1 Jn 2:18; 3 Jn 1:4).

3. Listening sometimes has the meaning of being challenged, of receiving a word that obliges one to make a decision (9 times in the Johannine tradition). For example, “Some Pharisees who were with him heard (akouō) these words and said to him, ‘Are we blind too?’” (Jn 9:40; see also 7:40; 8:9,27,40; 12:29; 19:8,13; 21:7).

4. On several occasions, the Gospel uses this verb to describe Jesus' unique relationship and communion with God (6 times in the Johannine tradition). For example, “(He who comes from heaven) testifies to what he has seen and heard (akouō), and his testimony no one accepts” (Jn 3:32; see also 5:30; 8:26,40; 15:15; 16:13).

5. The evangelist also uses this verb to describe the fact that God answers a prayer (6 times in the Johannine tradition). For example, “We know that God does not hear (akouō) sinners, but if anyone is religious and does his will, that one hears (akouō)” (Jn 9:31; see also 11:41,42; 1 Jn 5:14).

6. Then we have the unique case where the word refers to the legal action of hearing someone for investigation: “Does our Law judge a man without first hearing (akouō) him and knowing what he is doing!” (Jn 7:51).

7. Finally, there is also the unique case where the word describes having acquired knowledge: “The crowd then answered him, 'We have learned (akouō) from the Law that Christ abides forever. How can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?” (Jn 12:34).

Here, in v. 13, the verb “to listen” refers to that context iv we have been calling Jesus' unique relationship and communion with God. But v. 13 refers to the Spirit, not Jesus. In fact, of the six occurrences of this context, five describe the relationship of Jesus listening to his Father, so that our v. 13 is a unique case where it's not about Jesus, but about the Spirit. How can we explain this? Let's not forget that we are witnessing Jesus' farewell, for soon he will no longer be physically present to convey what he hears from the Father; that will be the role of the Spirit. For the disciple, this means that he will have to change medium to hear the Father, just as we have to tune in to a new radio station to hear different music.

1. It can mean to reveal, to make known, to explain. For example: “The woman said to him, 'I know that the Messiah is to come, the one called Christ. When he comes, he will explain (anangelei) everything to us."” (Jn 4:25; see also Jn 16:13-15; 1 Jn 1:5)
2. It can mean to communicate or report a fact or event. For example: “When they arrived, they gathered the Church together and began to report (anangelei) all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27; see also 15:4; 19:18; Jn 5:15).
3. Finally, it can mean preaching or proclaiming the gospel. For example: “You know how I did not shrink from preaching (anangelei) and teaching you in public and in private, in anything that benefited you” (Acts 20:20; see also 20:27).

Here, in v. 13, the subject is the Spirit of truth, and we can easily eliminate the meanings of reporting an event or preaching the gospel. The Spirit of truth has an apocalyptic, i.e. revelatory, function, and this revelation refers to the coming events of Jesus' crucifixion and death. What is the role of the Supporter in this event? To illuminate it, to see it from God's perspective. So, in our opinion, the best translation of anangelei is: to explain. So, for John, this ignominious death of Jesus is presented as an exaltation, in the light brought by the Spirit of truth.

Literallly: That one will glorify me, for out of me he will receive and will proclaim to you.

Let's start with the word doxa. Throughout the Gospels, the word “glory” is given a variety of meanings, which can be grouped into five categories.

• The first category is purely human. Glory refers to the wealth and power of certain human beings. For example, this is one of the temptations Jesus underwent: “Again the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world with their glory (doxa)” (Mt 4:8; see also Mt 6:29; Lk 4:6; 12:27). Around the same theme, glory designates a great reputation or importance, or the great honors or unique value that certain individuals receive from others: “How can you believe, you who receive your glory (doxa) from one another” (Jn 5:44; see also Lk 2:32; 14:10; Jn 5:41; 7:18; 8:50; 8:54; 12:43). Above all, John and Luke propose scenes based on this meaning: Mt = 2; Mk = 0; Lk = 4; Jn = 9; Acts = 0.

• The glory reflects the divine environment, in particular his authority and power, which enables him to play the role of judge. It is into this world that the risen Jesus enters, for example: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory (doxa)” (Mk 13:26; see also Mt 16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31; Mk 8:38; 10:37; Lk 9:26; 21:27; 24:26). This meaning appears only in the Synoptic Gospels in their evocation of the end times: Mt = 5; Mk = 3; Lk = 3; Jn = 0; Acts = 0.

• In a few rare cases, and only in Luke, glory reflects the divine milieu, but without any connotation of authority or power, but under the symbolism of light, like the brilliance of a precious and mysterious stone through which a message is heard: “The Angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory (doxa) of the Lord enveloped them in its brightness; and they were seized with great fear” (Lk 2:9; see also 9:31). All this is seen especially in Luke: Mt = 0; Mk = 0; Lk = 3; Jn = 1; Acts = 3.

• There's also the expression “to give glory to God”, which means acknowledging God's action and power, and accepting to put oneself under his authority. For example: “Glory (doxa) to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those who are the objects of his pleasure” (Lk 2:14); or: “So the Jews called the man who had been blind a second time and said to him, 'Give glory (doxa) to God! We know that this man is a sinner”. (Jn 9:24; see also Lk 17:18; 19:38). This meaning is especially present in Luke: Mt = 0; Mk = 0; Lk = 3; Jn = 1; Acts = 1.

• Finally, there is the meaning found only in John, introduced in the prologue: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory (doxa), which he received from his Father as the only Son, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). This glory is something that can be seen and contemplated, like someone's face or personality (see also 17:24). This glory is particularly evident at certain moments, such as when Jesus performs extraordinary gestures that are traditionally called miracles, as at Cana, when water becomes wine (2:11), or at Bethany, when Lazarus is raised from the dead (11:4,40). Jesus received this glory from his Father before the creation of the world (17:5), and he in turn gave it to his disciples (17:22), so that they might live in union with him and his Father. This glory will only become fully manifest when Jesus returns to his Father (17:24). Fundamentally, this glory refers to Jesus' quality of being, which is first and foremost the very quality of being God by virtue of communion with Him. So I like to translate glory as “the quality of being”, a reality we can contemplate, a reality we can associate with love. Here are the statistics: Mt = 0; Mk = 0; Lk = 0; Jn = 8; Acts = 0.

Let's turn now to doxazō (to glorify). Unsurprisingly, the use of the verb follows the same logic as that of the word.

• The synoptic gospels first use the verb “to glorify” in the same sense as “to give glory”, i.e. to recognize God's action and power, and to accept to be under his authority. to acknowledge God's action and power, and to agree to place oneself under his authority: “So shall your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify (doxazō) your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16; see also 9:8; 15:31; Mk 2:12; Lk 2:20; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43; 23:47). Luke in particular emphasizes this meaning: Mt = 3; Mk = 1; Lk = 8; Jn = 0; Acts = 4.

• Secondly, the verb is mostly used in the passive to express the human action of bestowing great reputation or honors on someone: “When you give alms, therefore, do not go about trumpeting it before you; so do the hypocrites, in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be glorified (doxazō) by men; truly I tell you, they already have their reward” (Mt 6:2; see also Lk 4:15; Jn 8:54a). This meaning is not very common: Mt = 1; Mk = 0; Lk = 1; Jn = 1; Acts = 0

• There is the case of John's unique “glorify” (Mt = 0; Mk = 0; Lk = 0; Jn = 15; Acts = 0), which extends the meaning of glory as an expression of God's unique quality of being.
  • The object of this glorification is sometimes God the Father (11:4; 12:28; 13:32; 17:1.4; 21:19), sometimes Jesus (8:54; 11:4; 12:3; 13:32; 16:14; 17:1,10).
  • Similarly, the source of this glorification is sometimes God (8:54; 12:28; 13:32; 17:1), sometimes the Spirit (16:14), sometimes Jesus (17:4), sometimes an event like Lazarus' illness (11:4) or, implicitly, death on the cross (12:23), sometimes a person like Peter (21:19).
  Only a few details stand out when it comes to the glorification process:
  • the raising of Lazarus reveals Jesus' quality of being, which in turn reflects on God's quality of being (11:4a);
  • death freely accepted in love is the way for both Jesus and God to express their quality of being (13:32), just as it is for Peter to reveal who God is (21:19);
  • by answering the prayer of Christians, Jesus reveals who he is, and through him, reveals who God is (14:13), just as the role of the Spirit is to continue to reveal who Jesus is (16:14);
  • Jesus revealed God through his works, such as all his healing gestures (17:4);
  • finally, the communion of disciples who welcomed Jesus' word reveals the very communion between Jesus and his Father (17:10).
  To glorify becomes, in a way, synonymous with “to reveal”, and ties in with what we said about glory in John, which is a reality that is manifested and contemplated.

• Finally, there is the unique case found only in Acts (Mt = 0; Mk = 0; Lk = 0; Jn = 0; Acts = 1) where “to glorify” means: to be risen up, to be exalted, to enter the divine world: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, even though he was determined to release him” (3:13).

Let us now return to v. 14. The word “glorify” is linked to the fact that the Spirit of truth will explain things to come, specifically the meaning of the cross, which is the expression of love that goes so far as to give one's life, reflecting not only Jesus' love, but also the Father's love. The word has an apocalyptic meaning, i.e. the revelation of the meaning of things, and more particularly of Jesus' identity. The original meaning of glory is radiance, but here we're talking about the radiance of Jesus' identity, and thus of the Father. It is therefore legitimate to translate the radiance of identity as “extraordinary quality of being”. This is what the Spirit of truth will reveal about Jesus.

Let's start with John's ek, which can take on different meanings depending on context.

1. There is the local sense where ek expresses the physical starting point or provenance and is usually translated as “coming from” or “going out of” (21 times). For example, “They came out of (ek) the town and were heading towards him” (4:30); or again, “Philip was from (ek) Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter” (1:44).

2. Then there's the participative sense to designate a subset of a whole, individuals among a group (55 times). For example, “Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the (ek) two who had heard John's words and followed Jesus” (1:40); or again, “Now there was among (ek) the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, a notable of the Jews” (3:1). Material things can be added to this group, for example: “Jesus answered him: ‘Whoever drinks out of (ek) this water will thirst again’” (4:13), or again: “So they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of (ek) five barley loaves that were left over for those who had eaten” (6:13).

3. The origin of a person can have a symbolic or figurative flavor to express belonging to a world, the descent of one's identity (47 times). For example, “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of (ek) water and the Spirit, no one can enter the Kingdom of God’” (3:5); or again, “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of (ek) the earth is of (ek) the earth (translated: earthly) and speaks of (ek) the earth (translated: in earthly). He who comes from (ek) heaven...” (3:31); or again, “Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, for from (ek) God I came forth and am come; I am not of myself, but he sent me” (8:42).

4. John also uses ek to express the origin or source of a gift or information (9 times). For example, “Yes, from (ek) his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace” (1:16); or again, “Moses gave you circumcision - not that it came from (ek) Moses but from (ek) the patriarchs - and on the Sabbath you perform it on a man” (7:22); or again, “The crowd then answered him: 'We have learned from (ek) the Law that Christ abides forever. How can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?” (12:34).

5. There is also the case where ek refers to the subject of the verb or the author of an action, especially if the verb is in the passive to designate the agent of that action (14 times), and is often translated as “by”. For example, “he (the Word) who was not begotten by (ek) blood, nor by (ek) a will of flesh, nor by (ek) a will of man, but of God” (1:13); or again, “There was Jacob's well. Jesus, tired by (ek) walking, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour” (4:6); or again, ‘Then Mary, taking a pound of pure nard perfume of great price, anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair; and the house was filled by (ek) the fragrance of the perfume” (12:3).

6. Another case is when ek expresses the idea of being “separated from” or “torn from” something (8 times). For example, “My Father, in what he has given me, is greater than all. No one can snatch anything from (ek) the Father's hand” (10:29); or, “Now my soul is troubled. What can I say? Father, save me from (ek) this hour! But this is why I have come to this hour” (12:27).

7. Note also the temporal sense sometimes attached to ek, to signify a starting point in time, and thus is often translated as “from then on”, “since” (7 times). For example, “But there are some among you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from (ek) the beginning who those who did not believe were, and who it was who would betray him” (6:64); or, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from (ek) birth” (9:1).

8. And then there's the infrequent case where ek is used to describe the fact that an object is extracted or composed of something else (3 times). For example, “Making himself a whip of (ek) cords, he drove them all out of the Temple, both sheep and oxen; he spilled the money of the moneychangers and overturned their tables” (2:15); or again, “Having said this, he spat on the ground, made mud of (ek) his saliva, smeared the eyes of the blind man with this mud” (9:6)

9. Finally, there is the unique case of an adverbial locution to express the manner of doing a thing: “indeed, he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit with (ek) measure” (3:34)

Of course, not all these categories are watertight, and we can discuss any of them. But they do give an idea of the panoply of possible meanings.

Now, where do we place the ek of our v. 14? It belongs to the context where ek expresses the origin or source of a gift or information (d.): the Spirit receives something that has its source in Jesus, that comes from (ek) Jesus. What is this something? It is expressed by emos (mine), which we must now consider.

John uses emos extensively (132 times), either as a possessive pronoun (me, mine) (90 times), or as a possessive adjective (my) (42 times). This should come as no surprise, since on the one hand his theology is very Christological, and a high Christology (the emphasis is on the Christ of glory), and on the other hand his Gospel is a long discourse by Jesus where he necessarily uses “I”. So, when we examine all the occurrences where emos is a possessive pronoun designating Jesus (81 times), we note the following situations.

• Jesus asks us to believe in him (eis eme) (6:35,37,45,56-57; 7:38; 8:12; 10:38; 11:25-26; 12:26,46; 13:20; 14:1,12; 17:20)
• The Father, works, Scriptures or believers testify about him (peri emou) (5:32,37,39,46; 8:18; 10:25; 15:26)
• In the beginning, the Father sent him (eme) (17:18)
• And so, to know the Father, we must know or see him (eme) (8:19; 12:45; 14:9)
• Therefore he is the door or the way, i.e. to go to God one must pass through him (di' emou) (10:9; 14:6)
• To know and believe in him is also to love him and be ready to lay down one's life for him (hyper emou) (8:42; 13:38; 16:27)
• What follows is a life of intimate relationship, where Jesus dwells with the believer just as the Father dwells with him (met' emou) (8:29; 13:8; 14:10-11,20; 15:4-7; 16:32; 17:21,23-24)
• There are also negative attitudes towards him: they are indignant against him (emoi) (7:23), they hate him (eme) (7:7; 15:8,23-24), they reject him (eme) (12:48), they persecute him (eme) (15:20)

What emerges from this observation is that emos refers to the person of Jesus as a person, in his totality, in all that he is, in what he says, in what he does. But having said this, we should note that the possessive pronoun emos is preceded here by the article ho (the), and therefore cannot directly designate the person of Jesus, but something that is his or belongs to him: mine. Our current Bibles have opted for various translations: “what is mine” (NRSV, NAB), “of mine” (ASV, KJB), “from me” (NIV). In fact, the possessive pronoun preceded by the definite article is very rare in the Synoptics-Acts and the Johannine tradition, occurring in only five other verses besides Jn 16:14-15.

• In the parable of the prodigal son, in the dialogue with the eldest son: “But the father said to him, ‘You, my child, are always with me, and all things mine (ta ema) are yours’” (Lk 15:31).
• In the parable of the workers of the eleventh hour, Jesus responds to the workers of the first hour, who protest that they do not receive more than those of the eleventh hour: “Do I not have the right to dispose of things mine (tois emois) as I please? Or should you be jealous because I am good?” (Mt 20:15).
• In the parable of the talents, Jesus reproaches the man who received only one talent and did not make it bear fruit: “Well, you should have placed my money with the bankers, and when I returned I would have recovered what was mine (to emon) with interest” (Mt 25:27).
• In the allegory of the good shepherd: “I am the good shepherd; I know mine (ta ema) and mine (ta ema) know me” (Jn 10:14).
• In his long farewell speech, Jesus prays: “I pray for them... for those you have given me: they are yours, and all things mine (ta ema) are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them” (Jn 17:10).

Thus, the expression “mine” conveys the idea of something that belongs to Jesus. But what is more fundamental for our purposes is the idea of a common sharing of this “mine” between father and son, as indicated in the parable of the prodigal son, and even more so in Jesus' prayer in Jn 17, where not only do the Father and Son share everything, but they also introduce the believer into this sharing. So what does “ek tou mou” mean? What is this “mine” that is shared? We tried to clarify this earlier by speaking of the Father who shares everything:

1. Judgment
2. The ability to have life in himself
3. The ability to see and know everything he does
4. The same quality of being or glory
5. The ability to find life beyond death

This is what is now handed over to the Spirit to prolong Jesus after his departure, and in which the believer is called to take part.

Literallly: All things my Father has, they are mine, this is why I said (that) out of me he will take and he will proclaim to you.

3. Analysis of the narrative's structure

   Since the text we're analyzing has been divided up according to liturgical needs related to Pentecost, we need to look for a structure in this division.

   Part 1 (15:26-27)

   1. First witness: the Supporter v. 26
      a¹ When the Supporter comes (announcement of his coming)
      b¹ that I will send to you (the initiator is Jesus)
      c¹ from the Father (the source)
      d the spirit of truth (what is sent)
      c² who from the Father
      b² he goes out (sent from the Supporter's point of view)
      a² this one will testify about me (why the Supporter is coming)

   2. Second witness: you, the believer v. 27
      1. Then you too will bear witness (thanks to the Supporter)
      2. because since the beginning you've been with me (the reason they can testify)

   Part 2 (16:12-15)

   Introduction: why is the spirit of truth necessary? v 12

   • I still have many things to tell you (Jesus' situation)
   • but you are unable to wear them at the moment (disciple's situation)

   1. General statement: the spirit of truth will guide you to the whole truth v 13

   2. Detail on the general statement v 14-15
      a¹ For he will not speak from himself
      b¹ but as much as he will hear, he will speak
      c¹ and the things coming, he will proclaim to you.
      d That one will glorify me
      c² because from what is mine he will receive and proclaim to you
      b² All things the Father has, mine are
      a² That's why I said that of what is mine he will receive and proclaim to you.

   Let's comment on the proposed structure. For part A, we need to distinguish two different subjects that hold the evangelist's attention: the Supporter and the believer, both of whom are called to witness.

   For the Supporter, we propose a chiasm or Semitic inclusion structure; while we're not sure it was intended by the evangelist, we think it helps to understand the movement of the sentence. As in all inclusions, the heart of what is being affirmed lies in the middle, here in line d: the spirit of truth. And in every inclusion, lines a¹ and a², b¹ and b², c¹ and c² answer and complete each other like two choirs. Thus a¹ announces the coming of the Supporter, for which a² explains the reason. Then b¹ presents this coming from the point of view of Jesus, who sends it, and b² expresses the response: the spirit comes out. Then c¹ and c² are identical, repeating the refrain that the spirit comes from the Father.

   V. 27 is improperly titled the 2nd witness, since the witness of the spirit of truth will come through the believer, not independently. But both are presented in their role as witnesses.

   The second part focuses on the Supporter. Why speak of the Supporter? John's answer is simple: as a disciple, you will need it, because you are unable to understand Jesus in what he says and does, especially that ignominious death on the cross. This is what introduces this pericope on the Supporter. I see v. 12 as an introduction, explaining what follows.

   I see v. 13a as a general statement: “And when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth”. Here, John sums up the role of the Supporter. The rest of this little set of verses will elaborate on this statement.

   Once again, for verses 13b - 15, it seems to me that the inclusion gives a good account of the movement of John's thought, without being sure that he deliberately wanted to use this structure.

   • At the heart of this inclusion (see line d) is the affirmation of the Supporter's fundamental role: to glorify Jesus, i.e. to make known the quality of his deepest being, where he is basically the very image of God in his love to the point of giving his life.
   • With a¹, John clarifies that the role of the Supporter is not to be self-centered or to promote himself, to which a² replies: no, it will be centered on Jesus to shed light on what he has said and done.
   • b¹ specifies that the Supporter will transmit what he hears from God (let's not forget that a passive in biblical circles is a way of describing God as the agent of the action), b² for his part specifies that, since everything that God the Father has, Jesus also has, this means that in transmitting what comes from God, he also transmits what comes from Jesus.
   • c¹ specifies what the Supporter will speak about or shed light on, i.e. the things to come, i.e. Jesus' crucifixion and death; c² reiterates that all this concerns Jesus.

   This way of expressing oneself can be confusing, but it supports memorization in an oral culture and helps to make it almost a song, with its own rhythm and refrains. Above all, it helps us identify the evangelist's emphasis: the Supporter will glorify Jesus.

4. Context analysis

   Let's proceed in two stages: first, by considering a possible outline of the whole gospel and observing where our passage fits into this grand plan; second, by considering the immediate context of our story, i.e. what precedes and what follows.

   1. Context of the entire Gospel according to John

      The general context is that of the whole gospel. It would be good to consult the plan or structure we propose for this gospel.

      As you can see, our texts on the Supporter are set in the 2nd part of the gospel, called the Book of Glory, a reference to Jesus' exaltation on the cross. This whole 2nd part focuses on the disciples at the moment when Jesus knows he is going to die, and in a way bids farewell. More precisely, we are at the table for the last meal before Jesus' arrest. We then witness a long speech.

   2. Immediate context

      The immediate context is Jesus' last supper. We can divide this last meal as follows:

      The Meal (13: 1-30)
      The Last discourse (13: 31 - 17: 20-26)

      • Jesus' departure and the disciples' future (13:31 - 14:31)
        • Introduction: theme of departure and call to mutual love (13:31-38)
        • Jesus as the way to the Father (14:1-14)
        • The coming of the Supporter, Jesus and the Father (14:15-24)
        • Final recommendations (14:25-31)
      • The life of the disciples and their confrontation with the world after his departure (15:1 - 16:33)
        • Jesus as the true vine (15:1 - 17)
        • The hatred of the world for Jesus and his disciples (15:18 – 16:4a)
          • The world hates and persecutes the disciples (15:18-21)
          • The guilt of the world (15:22-25)
          • The witness of the Supporter (15:26-27)
          • The persecution of the disciples (16:1-4a)
        • Jesus' last words to the disciples (16:4b - 16:33)
          • Jesus' departure and the coming of the Supporter (16, 4b - 15)
            * Jesus' departure and the disciples' sadness (16:4b - 7)
            * The Supporter facing the world (16:8 - 11)
            * The Supporter as guide to the disciples (16:12 - 15)
            
          • When he returns, the disciples will go from sorrow to joy (16:16-33).
      • Jesus' final prayer (17:1-26)

      We've bolded our two texts on the Supporter. What do we see? The context is one of hostility and persecution in the world. Thus, the witness spoken of in Jn 15:26-27 takes place at a time of confrontation by opposing forces, as in a trial. The same is true of Jn 16:12-15. In 16:8-11, Jesus has just affirmed that the very sending of the Supporter through his death will confound the world and demonstrate that they have sided against God. Now (16:12-15), he affirms that this Supporter will not only confound the world, but will also be a guide for the disciples in understanding this ignominious death. This affirmation opens the door to the announcement of his resurrection and the joy that replaces the affliction (16:16-33).

5. Parallels

   Most biblical scholars agree that the Gospel of John is independent of the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, in that he was not familiar with them when he wrote his Gospel. This does not mean, however, that John was unaware of certain elements of this pre-Gospel tradition. So we can try to find common elements in this tradition.

   We have highlighted in red certain words that John shares with the other evangelists. The underlined words represent a common grammatical structure: “when” (hotan) with a subjunctive, translated in English as a future tense.

   John	Luke	Matthew	Mark
   15:26 When he will come, the Supporter whom I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of the truth who from the father he comes out, that one will bear witness concerning me,	Acts 5:32 And are witness of these things, and the holy spirit whom the God has given to those obeying him. Acts 2:33 Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the holy spirit from the Father, he has poured out this which you also see and hear.	10, 20 For not you are those speaking, but the spirit of the Father of you the one speaking in you. 10 :19 Then, when the will hand you over, do not worry on how or what you should speak, it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak.	13, 11 And when they will bring you handing you over, do not worry beforehand what you will speak, but what, if it might be given to you, in that hour, that speak, for not you are the ones speaking, but the spirit the holy.
   15:, 27 then you also bear witness, for from (the) beginning you are with me.	Acts 1:21-22 It is therefore necessary - the men having accompanied us in all time that the Lord Jesus come in and came out among us, having begun from the baptism of John until the day in which he was taken up from us - one of these to become a witness of the resurrection.	10:18 Then, you will be brought also before governors and kings, on account of me, as a witness for them and for the Gentiles.	13, 9 Then, you, beware for yourselves, they will hand you over to courts and to synagogues, you will be beaten and you will stand before governors and kings, on account of me, as a witness for them.
   16, 12 Yet many things I have to say to you, but you are not able to carry at the present time.
   16, 13 Then, when he will come that one, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, because he will not speak from himself, but as much as he will hear he will speak and the things coming he will proclaim to you.
   16:14 That one will glorify me, for out of me he will receive and will proclaim to you.			13, 26 And then they will see the son of the man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
   16:15 All things my Father has, they are mine, this is why I said (that) out of me he will receive and he will proclaim to you.	Lk 15:31 Then, he [the Father] said to him, "Son, you always with me you are, and all things mine are yours.

   John shares a number of similarities with Luke:

   • The breath or Spirit comes from God
   • It is a reality that we receive
   • Luke expresses it in the form of a promise, while John expresses the same idea using a future tense in the mouth of Jesus.
   • In Luke as in John, there is a double testimony, that of the disciple and that of the breath or Spirit, in fact the disciple helped by the holy breath.
   • The disciple's testimony is possible because he has been with Jesus since the beginning of his ministry.
   • Finally, we've added this passage from Luke's parable of the prodigal son, in which we find John's vocabulary describing the sharing of goods between Father and son in the mouth of the father.

   John, Matthew and Mark have much in common

   • The context is one of confrontation and persecution by those who rejected Jesus.
   • The holy breath will speak through their mouths during these confrontations and trials.
   • This confrontation will take the form of a witness on the part of the disciples

   There is an important difference between John and Mark

   • Jesus will be glorified before believers from the moment of his crucifixion and death, while in Mark this moment is reserved for the end of time.

6. Intention of the author when writing this passage

   Every Gospel is a composite work: first, it is based on various traditions that have circulated either orally or in writing; then, it sees the intervention of a main author who structures this tradition and modifies it to make a narrative according to his theology and with a pastoral aim for a community that is his main audience; and sometimes it ends with a final touch-up by an anonymous author, as is the case, for example, with Mark 16:9-20, clearly written by someone other than Mark and who knew Luke's Gospel.

   John is no exception. If we are to believe M. E. Boismard (M. E. Boismard, A. Lamouille, Synopse des quatre évangiles, T. III - L'évangile de Jean : Paris, Cerf, 1977), the basis of the Gospel, i.e. the scenes around John the Baptist, the first disciples, the core of the story of the Samaritan woman, a good part of the miracle narratives, a section of the trial of Jesus and the meeting of the risen Jesus with Mary Magdalene, all come from a pre-Gospel source he calls Document C. The main redactor, called John II-A, is said to have composed a first version of his gospel in Palestine around the 60s. Difficult events forced him and his community to flee Palestine and settle in Asia Minor, probably Ephesus. It was there, around the year 90, that he produced a new version of his Gospel: to distinguish this version from the earlier version by the same author, Boismard renamed the author John II-B. Finally, someone later made minor alterations, and Boismard gave him the name John III.

   The two texts in our analysis come from John II-B, i.e. the old John of the year 90, when the Christian community of Jewish origin had just been excluded from the synagogues and great hostility was raging. To represent this tension, he adopts the setting of a great universal trial in which believers are called upon to bear witness to their faith. Moreover, while in the early years following Jesus' death and the experience of his resurrection by many, the impression was that his return was imminent, the question began to be asked whether this return would actually take place. Then John proposes his own vision: this return is already present through his breath or spirit, which his death allowed to spread throughout the world. He calls this divine breath the breath of truth or Spirit of truth or Supporter, i.e. someone who comes to help and support, and if testimony is needed, he will play the role of advocate, choosing the right words. This is how he takes the time to make his role clear in his gospel.

   First of all, through 15:26-27, he establishes the heart of what is at stake with those who reject Jesus: a vision of God. For the very fact that Jesus accepted to be rejected and condemned as a helpless being, and to die an ignominious death because he wanted to be faithful to free and total love to the very end, all this reflects a face of God who is not a being of power, but a being who is fragile and vulnerable in accepting a love without limits. All this ran counter to the Jewish orthopraxis, in which God controlled the world and established his rules, which had to be followed without deviation. The gap between these two visions is so wide that it's impossible to see clearly without help. This is what the breath or spirit of truth means: the revelation of the true face of God. This spirit of truth comes from the Father, for it is an unnatural vision of things. This spirit is essential, and John has given it a name: the Supporter or Helper. It is what will enable the believer to bear witness, i.e. to reveal the face of God by walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

   Throughout 16:12-15, John clearly senses the emptiness of the community in the absence of their master, and the feeling of isolation in the face of a majority that ridicules and ostracizes them. This is why he insists that we can't properly understand what's going on without deep reflection, without the help of that spirit deep within us, which is in a way the legacy of Jesus that makes up for his absence, that will bring to light everything he said and did, especially his death as a convicted criminal, and in this sense will reveal the extraordinary being he was and is, and in revealing who he is, will reveal who God really is: a being of unlimited love who seeks communion, a being of love who accepts to die for love.

   Through his gospel and the presentation of the roles of Father, Son and spirit of truth, John lays the foundation for what will become the Trinitarian mystery: different roles within a single communion and the revelation of a single face. For John, the believer is called to enter into this mystery by reflecting it through his life.

7. Current situations or events in which we could read this text
   1. Suggestions from the different symbols in the story
      • A first symbol is linked to the paraklētos, which we have translated as “Supporter”, a person who comes to support someone else in a difficult situation, advising them in what they have to say and do, supporting them in their cause, assuring them that they will remain by their side whatever happens. What is the impact on a human being when he is convinced of this support? Shouldn't the believer always live with this assurance?

      • Another symbol is that of witness. True witness requires courage. Because you make a public statement, you take sides. And through this testimony, you reveal your values and your vision of the world. And for the believer, it means taking a stand on his or her understanding of God as presented by Jesus of Nazareth. How is this testimony experienced?

      • There's also the symbol of truth, which is presented as a reality that requires time and help. The disciples did not have access to this truth at first, and it took them several years to enter into its full depth. What appears obvious at first glance is often different from a deeper understanding of things. Jesus' behavior of responding to evil with self-sacrificing love is far from obvious. Who is ready to accept this long and difficult journey?

      • Let's not forget the symbol of the breath with which we refer to the Holy Spirit. Breath is what enables us to live. But we have to take what sustains us from outside, from the air around us, and integrate it into our being; in a way, it's something we receive. At the same time, after breathing in, this air oxygenates us, purifies us, transforms us, and enables us to reject what would be harmful if it remained within us. Isn't the action of breathing in and out a reflection of the fabric of our lives, where we must receive the world from others and reject that which undermines us from within?

      • John has redefined the symbol of glorification and glory. It's no longer about the great honors bestowed on someone or submission to God's authority, but about the revelation of the quality of a being, more specifically the being of God and the being of Jesus. Doesn't such a perspective change the way we talk about glorification and glory? Especially if we apply it to Christian witness, which is no longer a question of apologetics, but of living a life of great quality in the image of Jesus, and thus in the image of God.

   2. Current situations or events in which we could read this text
      • The United States has just rejected the nuclear agreement with Iran, claiming that it does not sufficiently protect the world from the development of an atomic bomb in the near future. Added to this is the accusation of cultivating international terrorism. It's all part of a political power play. Today's few verses from John's gospel don't really seem relevant. And yet, what would happen if we let the breath sent by Jesus illuminate the situation?

      • The development of so-called “artificial intelligence” is the subject of much debate, and feelings are divided between hope and concern. For many, it opens up a world where life will be better. While we welcome this hope, where does the Supporter that Jesus left us as a legacy fit in? Isn't it essential if new technologies are to truly serve human beings?

      • For several months now, a movement has been developing to tackle harassment, particularly sexual harassment. We denounce the use of power and force to subjugate others to our own needs. But this movement puts a new light on an attitude that, until now, has been “tolerated”. Can this help us to understand the “revealing” role of the Supporter that Jesus left us as a legacy?

      • The murder of journalists or people who try to communicate what is happening and understand it is constant, if not growing. We don't want the truth. It upsets. With such an attitude, of course, we can't welcome the breath of truth that Jesus sends. This begs the question: under what conditions can we welcome this breath of truth?

      • In our aging Western societies, many people find themselves retired at an age when several years of active life are still possible. The question then arises: how will these people continue their witness? In fact, how will they listen for the holy breath to guide them in this new landscape of their lives?

-André Gilbert, Gatineau, May 2018