Peter's question in 13:36, "where are you going?", prompts Jesus' discourse in chapter 14. The section of this discourse that is our passage for study can be divided into two sections: first, the promised coming of the Holy Spirit, another to stand by our side as we seek to do "greater things" for Jesus, v15-17; and second, the promised return of Jesus to his disciples after his crucifixion, v18-21.

v15. In John's gospel, loving Jesus, caring for Jesus (love is a relational concept), consists primarily of obeying Jesus; to love is to obey. When we think of obeying, of keeping Jesus' commands, we usually think in moral terms, of practical acts of love toward one another. Yet, Jesus' instruction to us is that we "believe in God, believe also in me." Jesus' command is that we have faith; if we care for Jesus we will put our trust in him.

v16. If we love Jesus, if we believe in him, even though he is now an "absent Lord", he will never leave us alone. When Jesus left the world to return to the Father, he promised to send another person, just like himself, to be with his disciples forever. The term, "another Counselor", or "Advocate", probably means something like "helper" or "friend", although there is much debate over the meaning of the word. "I will send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you", CEV.

v17. Jesus describes the Spirit as the one who communicates the truth, the one who reveals the being of God to us. Only believers, those who have faith in Christ, have an intimate relationship with the Spirit (they "know" him and he is "in" them). The relationship the apostles had with the divine through Jesus is the relationship all believers will experience through the Spirit. The "world", humanity against God, simply cannot give the Spirit a welcome, since unbelievers do not enter into a personal relationship with him.

v18. It is possible that Jesus now tells his disciples that he is going to come again to them in the coming of the Holy Spirit, and there is a sense where this is true for all believers. None-the-less, it is more likely that Jesus is speaking about his resurrection appearances. Jesus promises not to abandon his disciples; he will not leave them friendless.

v19. So, after his crucifixion, Jesus' disciples will see him again, although unbelieving Israel will never see him again. Just as Jesus will break the bonds of death and live, so his disciples will live, and live eternally. Of course, not just breathe, but rather experience Christ's resurrection-life.

v20. It will be in the presence of their risen Lord that the disciples will realize the depth of the personal relationship that exists between the Father and Son, a relationship that they too will be able to enter into and experience.

v21. Jesus now explains the nature of this mutual indwelling and how it is experienced. The person who accepts ("has") Jesus' words ("commands") and responds in faith ("obeys"), is the person who has established a personal relationship with Jesus ("loves me"). Such a person is united in love to the Father and to Jesus, united in a loving relationship that is strengthened day by day.

"I will not leave you friendless."

There are some wonderful passages in John's gospel that speak of "knowing" God, of experiencing a loving relationship with God. The language chosen by John, to describe this relationship, is the language of intimate friendship. This is certainly how the disciples experienced Jesus and in our passage for study we see Jesus promising them that he will not leave them "friendless". Not only will he return to be with them for a time after his crucifixion, but he well send the Holy Spirit to be with them, just as he has been with them.

We can understand how the disciples experienced Jesus, but how do we today experience him, how do we experience the presence of the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of truth, in our lives?

I wonder how many books have been written on this subject; I have certainly read a few myself. The theological subject title is "mystical union", and I'm sad to say that many authors have left me with more mystery than union! So then, how do we experience this being "in" Jesus?

I wonder whether there is no specific answer to this question, the reason being that we are all different. There is not doubt that some believers have experienced the "inner light", although mysticism is certainly not my cup of tea. In fact, I actually find intimacy uncomfortable, but that doesn't interfere with my experience of Jesus. I am constantly brought to tears with the manifestation of his truth: a line from a hymn, a verse of scripture. For me, the knowledge that Jesus, as a good friend, does what he promises, accepting me the way I am, forgiving me, standing beside me in the rough and tumble of life, is the way I experience the divine "in" me.

So yes, we are all different and will all experience union with God in different ways, but experience it we will.

Draw up a list of possible ways a believer could experience the presence of God, through the Spirit, "with" / "in" us, forever. Discuss the validity of each.