WORLD 25/06/16 The ‘unknown’ Holy Spirit, John 14-16

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With the help of the Holy Spirit, believers are able to revive the memory of Jesus as a living and current presence

Depiction of the Christian Holy Spirit as a dove, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, in the apse of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City. Photo: Dnalor_01/Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 3.0)

By Mario López Barrio SJ

Published: June 16, 2025 12:38 PM GMT

Updated: June 16, 2025 12:40 PM GMT

Addressing his disciples in his “farewell discourse,” Jesus said: “The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit, because it neither sees him nor knows him” (John 14:17). In short, he is an unknown stranger, and one need only ask Christians in any country who the Holy Spirit is for them to confirm‎ this. Perhaps they would respond as the Christians of Ephesus responded to Paul when he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit at baptism: “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2). Even specialists who presume to know everything about the Holy Spirit, if they are sincere, will have to admit their lack of deep knowledge on this subject.

In seeking an answer to the same question, we can read the Gospel of John, particularly the “farewell discourse” contained in chapters 14–16 (beginning at John 13:31).

Here, in what is known as his “testament,” which the disciples are encouraged to remember forever, Jesus presents them with a special revelation.

Although these chapters contain some central themes of John’s theology, such as is contained in the parable of the vine and the branches, in which Jesus exhorts us to remain in his love, we will focus on the verses in which Jesus’ discourse on the Holy Spirit is presented.

To understand it better, we will start from a perspective that connects them, giving them meaning and coherence a perspective which is tied to “revelation.” What does Jesus reveal to us about the Holy Spirit in these verses?

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