Out of the three persons of our triune God, the Holy Spirit often carries the most mystery. Father and Son are relatable to our human experience, but Spirit feels other-worldly. Although we feel a lot of mystery surrounding the identity and work of the Spirit, Scripture tells us a lot about His person, power, and presence. In this passage, Jesus teaches his disciples about the necessity and work of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples are confused and discouraged. They are processing the news that Jesus will soon be betrayed, denied, and will depart from them. Jesus encourages them with the promise of future blessing for those who believe in him. The reality of heaven, intimacy with the Father, and the promised power of the Spirit are guaranteed blessings for those who believe in Jesus.

Here Jesus gives the foundational command for the Christian life - love as Christ has loved you. In this passage, we see an example of such love as Jesus humbly washes the feet of his disciples. Such love is contrasted by Judas who leaves to betray Jesus. Will we be defined by the sacrificial love of Christ that serves others and holds out the gospel to a watching world? Or will we, like Judas, be consumed with self, rejecting the love of Christ?

How could people who witnessed so many miracles of Jesus still reject him? In this passage, Jesus quotes the Old Testament prophet Isaiah to show that this unbelief is a part of God's sovereign plan in the gospel. Yet even here, Jesus holds out the hope of eternal life for all who believe in him.

A man born blind receives miraculous healing from Jesus. His blindness was not a result of any particular sin, but a part of God's plan to display the power and grace of Christ. Instead of glorifying God for this work, the religious leaders continue to oppose Jesus and ridicule the healed man. This account is a picture of the gospel: those blind to spiritual realities are given sight through Jesus Christ.

In this passage Jesus gives his second, “I am” statement- “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” As the religious leaders continue to question his identity and authority, Jesus shows us that we have good reason to believe His testimony. As we embrace him as the light, we must also beware of spiritual darkness that blinds us from the truth.

As Jesus continues to teach about the grace of God offered in the Gospel we see numerous different responses. His own brothers don’t believe him. Some are curious while others are confused. The simmering hatred of the religious leaders continues to grow, while Nicodemus seems to be growing in his understanding of Jesus, coming to his defense. In the midst of varying opinions of his identity, Jesus again gives a clear invitation; “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”