As Jesus prepares his followers for his departure, he offers them the Holy Spirit. Which reflects a very different idea of gift-giving.
For Sunday
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Collect
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Reading
From John 14:23-29
“I do not give to you as the world gives.”
Reflection
Jesus is leaving. He tells them he’s going to hit the road. But they shouldn’t worry, because the Spirit is coming. Promise.
For us, this is awesome news. We are down for the Spirit showing up and making her presence known! But for those in the room, around that table, eating the last supper with Jesus, it doesn’t strike me that this would be all that comforting. When your loved one is leaving, no amount of “I got you this going away present” is going to really comfort you.
In this way, the line “I do not give to you as the world gives” is all the more striking. He is giving us something, but we must change our expectations about it.
There is a temptation to see this as a throw-away line. That Jesus is saying “I’m actually something of a gift-giver myself.” Or to see it as one-and-done. He literally meant “there was no Holy Spirit before and he will give it to the world because he’s Jesus and super awesome like that.”
But let’s be honest with ourselves, these responses serve only to explain rather than uncover.
They seek to deal with our discomfort more than reveal Jesus.
The much more fulfilling way to approach this is as continuously relevant. To name the idea that Jesus gives differently than the world. And this has two major implications:
- Our expectation of receiving is based on our experience of the world. So therefore
- We give differently than he does and we anticipate he’ll give like us.
And what is “the world” exactly? Jesus is vague, but we can comfortably assume he’s talking about the dominant cultures, the people, and the present order of things.
So how does the world give, then?
And how does Jesus give?
These are the twin million dollar questions. And I can’t offer an answer with 100% confidence. But I have a solid 80-85% that we can base it on what Jesus has just said.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
We give with an expectation of reciprocity. We give in order to receive. Good things we give to get good back. Bad things we give as a response to what we have received. So we punish and reject. Or reward and consume.
Jesus seems to be saying My giving is different. It is sacrificial. Free. And based entirely in love. And you are free to take it. Use it. And, if warranted, share it.