Wisdom is another way of knowing and understands things at a higher level of inclusivity, which we call “transformation” or nondualistic thought.
—Richard Rohr, Things Hidden
Richard Rohr considers wisdom a path of transformation based on humility and honesty and grounded in reality.
There is a necessary wisdom that is only available through the liminal spaces of suffering, birth, death, and rebirth (or order, disorder, and reorder). We can’t learn it in books alone. There are certain truths that can be known only if we are sufficiently emptied, sufficiently ready, sufficiently confused, or sufficiently destabilized. That’s the genius of the Bible! It doesn’t let us resolve all these questions in theology classrooms. In fact, nothing about the Bible appears to be written out of or for academic settings.
We must approach the Scriptures with humility and patience, with our own agenda out of the way, and allow the Spirit to stir the deeper meaning for us. Otherwise, we only hear what we already agree with or what we have decided to look for. Isn’t that rather obvious? As Paul wrote, “We must teach not in the way philosophy is taught, but in the way the Spirit teaches us: We must teach spiritual things spiritually” (1 Corinthians 2:13). This mode of teaching is much more about transformation than information. That changes the entire focus and goal.
It is very clear that Jesus was able to heal, touch, teach, and transform people, and there were no prerequisites. They didn’t need to have any formal education. His wisdom was not based on any scholastic philosophy or theology, in spite of Catholic fascination with medieval scholasticism. Jesus, as a teacher, largely talked about what was real and what was unreal, what was temporary and what would last—and therefore how we should live inside of reality. It required humility and honesty much more than education. In a thousand ways, he was saying that God comes to us disguised as our life. Later, we learned to call it the mystery of Incarnation and, as Walter Brueggemann called it, “the scandal of particularity.”
Consider the concrete teaching style of Jesus. He teaches in the temple area several times, but most of his teaching involves walking with people on the streets, out into the desert, and often into nature. His examples come from the things he sees around him: birds, flowers, animals, clouds, landlords and tenants, little children, women baking and sweeping. It’s amazing that we made his teaching into something other than that.
Jesus teaches with anecdote, parable, and concrete example much more than by creating a systematic theology; it was more the way of “darkness” than the way of light. Yet it was Jesus’s concrete examples that broke people through to the universal light. “Particulars” seem to most open us up to universals, which is what poets have always understood.
| AUG 5, 2025 The First Paraclete |
 Although Jesus had spoken frequently to his followers about the Father throughout his ministry, it wasn’t until shortly before his arrest and execution that Jesus emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit. This makes sense because the goal of Jesus’ farewell discourse was to prepare his disciples for his departure and to reassure them that “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18). He promised to send them the Spirit whom he repeatedly identifies using the Greek word Paraclete. Most English Bibles translate the word as “Helper.” While that’s certainly a fair translation, it doesn’t fully capture the meaning of paraclete or the nature of Jesus’ promise.Paraclete is a combination of two Greek words—para meaning “alongside” and kletos meaning “called.” Therefore, a paraclete is literally “one called alongside.” In some extra-biblical writings, the word was used to describe an assistant in a legal proceeding like an intercessor or attorney. That’s why some English Bibles speak of the Holy Spirit as a “Counselor.” But the meaning of paraclete is much broader than this, and its legal usage, while implied, isn’t explicitly found in the Bible itself. Within the New Testament, the most common form of the word is a verb meaning “to encourage.” Applying this to the Spirit means he is called to come alongside and encourage us. That seems consistent with Jesus’ goal in the farewell discourse of comforting and strengthening his disciples after he departs.But there’s an important detail in John 14 we cannot overlook and which profoundly impacts how we understand the Paraclete Jesus promised. He said, “I will ask the Father, and he will send you anotherParaclete…the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17). By speaking of “another” Jesus implies the Holy Spirit is not the first one to come alongside and encourage the disciples, and that Jesus himself was actually the first Paraclete sent by the Father. Later, in his letter to the churches, the Apostle John would also refer to Jesus as our “paraclete” (see 1 John 2:1). This means if we are to understand the role of the second Paraclete (the Holy Spirit) in our lives, we should first understand the role of the first Paraclete (Jesus).The New Testament often identifies Jesus and the Spirit as having similar functions in the life of the Christian. In fact, in the farewell discourse, Jesus assures his followers that his role in their lives would be taken up by the Spirit after his departure. For example, the Spirit would be their teacher and lead them into the truth. Like Jesus, the Spirit would convict the world of sin, and encourage and strengthen the disciples. And, like Jesus, the Spirit would be with them and empower their works. In a very real way, the Holy Spirit would take up and fill the role of Jesus in their individual and communal lives.Of course, this does not mean the Son and the Holy Spirit are the same person. As we’ve seen in our exploration of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons with their own roles. For example, only Jesus took on flesh, died for our sins, and defeated death. These specific functions do not belong to the Holy Spirit. Here again, we discover the mystery and beauty of the Trinity in the farewell discourse. We see the great unity that exists between the Son and the Spirit. They are both Paracletes—those called alongside to help and encourage us, and if we are to understand the work and role of the Holy Spirit in our lives it makes sense to begin with understanding the work and role of Jesus himself. On the other hand, the Son and Spirit are distinct and separate persons within the Trinity. This paradox is why Jesus can both speak of leaving his disciples and also continuing to live within us.DAILY SCRIPTURE JOHN 14:15-24 JOHN 16:12-14 WEEKLY PRAYER. From Ephrem the Syrian (306 – 378) I give you glory, O Christ, because you, the Only-begotten, the Lord of all, underwent the death of the cross to free my sinful soul from the bonds of sin. What shall I give to you, O Lord, in return for this kindness? Glory to you, O Lord, for your love, for your mercy, for your patience. Glory to you, for forgiving us all our sins, for coming to save our souls, for your incarnation in the virgin’s womb. Glory to you, for your bonds, for receiving the cut of the lash, for accepting mockery. Glory to you, for your crucifixion, for your burial, for your resurrection. Glory to you, for your resurrection, for being preached to men, for being taken up to heaven. Glory to you who sits at the Father’s right hand and will return in glory. Glory to you for willing that the sinner be saved through your great mercy and compassion. Amen. |
