Jesus said, ” 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.

”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Sermon by the Rev. Carole Horton-Howe

Our gospel lesson today has something we don’t always hear from Jesus: simple, concise sentences by Jesus that go right to the heart of his life and teaching. There’s no confusion about it: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This is part of what is called the Farewell Discourse. Coming quickly to the close of his earthly ministry, he can only speak of love and the assurance that the God he knows so intimately as Father will continue to accompany them through an advocate, a revelation that God’s love is what is most true. More about the advocate later.

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say, “If you fear me,” or “If you want to impress me,” or “If you want to earn a place with my Father.” He says, “If you love me.” He’s urging them to a mindset of willing obedience, evidence of a transformed heart, a heart that longs for nothing more than a relationship with God that grows closer and more intimate every day. In the life of faith, full obedience to God is not the price of admission; it is the fruit of love.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ command is to love as he has loved. One of the verses we cherish but didn’t hear in this reading is John 13:34: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

The love Jesus wants his hearers to embrace is not some abstract philosophical concept, but a lived reality revealed in the life, relationships and actions of a simple Nazarene who lives among them. He feeds the hungry, touches lepers, heals the sick and speaks and acts towards women and foreigners with care and respect. It is love in service and compassion.

This love is also in his fierce opposition to those who abuse his vision of the value of each person and the importance of an ethic of mutual regard and care. Instead of power as domination, Jesus invites those who meet him to imagine power that has as its goal keeping top of mind the well-being of all persons regardless of social status. To “keep” his word is to receive it so deeply that it begins to keep us: it directs our choices, restrains our tongues, softens our hearts, and re-orders our priorities.

So here’s a question for us to consider: Thinking back over the last week, if someone examined your week, what would they conclude that you love most? Where did you put your time and energy? Would your actions demonstrate a love for Jesus? The love of Jesus shows up in subtle ways:

Love of Jesus shows up in truth-telling when a lie would be easier.
Love of Jesus shows up in forgiveness when bitterness would feel justified.
Love of Jesus shows up in compassion when indifference would be more convenient.
Love of Jesus shows up in worship when distraction would be more comfortable.

And then Jesus does something tender. Knowing how quickly we turn obedience into self-reliance, he immediately promises help: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate… to be with you forever.”

The Spirit is also called “the Spirit of truth.” Not “truth” as an idea, but truth as a Person’s faithful presence. The world cannot receive him, Jesus says, because it “neither sees him nor knows him.” It’s not that the Spirit is weak; the problem is that the world has trained itself to recognize only what can be controlled, measured, purchased, and managed. The Spirit cannot be owned, only welcomed.

But Jesus says to his disciples, “You know him.” How? How can they possibly know this Spirit, this advocate? “Because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” I think Jesus wants to make the point that a life of faith is not powered by willpower; it is sustained by indwelling. We do not grit our teeth into holiness—we are carried into it by the Spirit who lives within God’s people.

Then Jesus speaks to a deep fear underneath all our questions about faith: the fear of abandonment. “I will not leave you orphaned,” he tells us. An orphan is someone without protection, without a name to claim or a home to return to. Jesus looks at his anxious disciples and promises: “You will not be left exposed. You will not be left alone. You will not be left without a Father.”

He continues: “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” The cross will be real. The absence will feel real. But it will not be the last word. Jesus will rise, and his risen life will become the source of our life. His love is both the source of our lives and the goal of our lives.

Alan Paton in his novel “Ah But Your Land is Beautiful” describes a scene that may illustrate this life-giving power of love and the assurance that God’s love discloses what is most true. In South Africa during the apartheid years, when laws prevented black south Africans from mixing with whites, there was a funeral for a while South African official who had working within the system to humanize life for the oppressed. But black South Africans were turned away from the funeral service despite the wishes of the family. It was a terrible insult. A black pastor, Isaiah Buti, visited a local white chief justice, who he had reason to believe was a friends of his oppressed people. Pastor Buti asked the justice to participate in the upcoming Maundy Thursday service where the congregation would observe Jesus’ practice of foot washing. Would the justice wash the feet of Martha, a member of the pastor’s congregation and an employee of the chief justice who cleaned his house and took care of his children? The chief justice readily agreed though he did ask that his participation in the service not be announced ahead of time.

When the time came, the chief justice washed Martha’s feet, dried them, and before he rose to return to his seat, gently kissed both feet. It was a gesture that set healing in motion, because in that simple extra-expression of care, he disclosed the truthfulness and life-giving power of God’s love.

Word did get out what the chief justice had done. His personal and professional life was adversely affected. But he had no regrets, because he too experienced the life-giving power of love that helps us recognize our neighbors.

Love as Jesus commands us to love is difficult and can feel overwhelming. But what if we start with one concrete act of obedience this week—one apology, one act of generosity, one boundary that honors holiness, one step toward reconciliation. Love grows legs when it is practiced. And then see if the Spirit is not just a temporary visitor but a real and tangible presence in your life, giving you the courage and humility to become a witness that points to love that leads to obedience. We are not orphaned. We are loved by the Father, accompanied by the Spirit, and indwelt by the living Christ.

If you are tired, hear him: “I will not leave you orphaned.”

If you are confused, hear him: “I will give you the Spirit of truth.”

If you are wondering whether you truly love him, pray with surrender: “Jesus, I want to keep your word. Help me.”

Amen.