Sin and Righteousness and Condemnation

Homily for Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Easter

None of the material that we hear in chapter sixteen of St. John’s Gospel is new. The final discourse of Jesus begins in chapter thirteen and fills the next three chapters.  Topics that are covered in these chapters include: what Jesus has said as well as what he has not said; Jesus’s coming and going; the promise of the Paraclete; the relationship of the Father and the Son; the sorrow of the disciples at Jesus’s departure; their joy when he comes again; false confidence; and peace. This discourse contains so much information that the evangelist feels it necessary to repeat and restate what Jesus has to say on these topics. Trying to unravel these discussions can have the opposite effect, tying us in knots as we try to understand the words of Jesus.

Today I wish to focus our attention on the statement Jesus makes concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. They are all framed in a judicial or juridical type of reasoning. The statement can be distilled down to some very basic facts. First of all, the world is wrong about sin. Jesus is constantly accused of breaking the law of the Sabbath, of blasphemy, and of misrepresenting himself as God. The elders of Israel accused Jesus of breaking the law of Moses which, in their minds, makes him a sinner. However, Jesus points out that they are wrong because they do not believe in him. Once again, we come back to the primary focus of St. John’s Gospel; namely, the only sin is the failure to believe.

The world is also wrong about righteousness or justice. They failed to see that righteousness is about a relationship with God and not about following a set of rules. Jesus has tried to teach them that mercy is an essential part of righteousness.

Finally, the world is wrong about condemnation. This is perhaps the easiest of the three to understand for it is Jesus who has been condemned. The Sanhedrin has condemned him for blasphemy, and Rome has condemned him for treason. Jesus is guilty of neither.

Jesus makes the point that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, will not come if he does not leave. The Holy Spirit will act as defense counsel for believers and as prosecuting attorney for the unbelievers. As anyone who has ever been in court knows, without an attorney or advocate the defendant is lost.

As we celebrate the Eucharist today, we do so mindful of how much we need the Holy Spirit in our lives. Unlike Jesus, we are all sinners and are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to be our advocate.