It is impossible
to overestimate the overwhelming importance of honor and
the fear of shame in Mediterranean culture. Honor is more
valuable than money. Indeed, it is the supreme wealth in
this culture. Without honor, one might as well be dead.
It should be no surprise, then, to learn that in this culture secrecy, deception,
and lying are legitimate strategies for maintaining honor and avoiding shame.
As Peter’s denial of Jesus shockingly demonstrates (see Jn 18:15-18, 25-27),
it is preferable to lie and preserve honor—even for a moment—than
to admit the truth and suffer shame.
Clearly the prevalence of secrecy, deception, and lying in this culture made
life very exasperating. In an argument with enemies, the exasperated Jesus charges:
“Why do you not understand what I say? ... You are from your father the devil.
... He is a liar, and the father of lies,” to which they respond with a deliberate
lie in order to counter his shaming accusation: “Are we not right in saying
that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (Jn 8:43-48).
This false but perhaps frequent charge against Jesus explains his constant repetition
in John’s Gospel of the phrase “Amen, amen, (or truly, truly) I say to you. ... ”
This phrase was a strategy for assuring listeners that a speaker was telling
the truth.
Only against the background of these Mediterranean cultural values does the role
of a paraclete as “Spirit of truth” make sense. The Greek word “paraclete” sometimes
inaccurately interpreted as “comforter or consoler,” is more correctly
translated as “mediator, intercessor, or helper.”
It is not a title
of the Holy Spirit because Jesus, too, is a paraclete (see 1 Jn 2:1).
Recall the importance and utter reality of the spirit world in Mediterranean
culture. When human efforts to arrive at the truth are continually thwarted by
secrecy, lying, and deception, one can only hope for help from another source.
Fortunately,
Jesus points to the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, as such a helper.
In John’s Gospel, “truth” is belief in Jesus as the unique revelation
of God and as the one who speaks the words of God (see Jn 3:33; 8:40, 8:47).
In a
world filled with secrecy, deception, and lying—even about Jesus!—the
prayer of the psalmist is ever more poignant: “Let your good spirit guide
me on a level path!” The Paraclete is the answer to this prayer.
John J. Pilch
Back to the Word
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John
J. Pilch is a biblical scholar and
facilitator of parish renewals.
Liturgical Press has published
fourteen books by Pilch exploring the
“cultural world” of the Bible.
Go to http://www.litpress.org/ to
find out more.
Copyright © 1997 by The Order of St.
Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, MN.
All rights reserved.
Used by permission from The
Liturgical Press, Collegeville,
Minnesota 56321
The complete text of the
above article can be found in:
The Cultural World of Jesus, Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C
John J. Pilch. The Liturgical Press. 1996. pp. 91-93.
Art by
Martin Erspamer, O.S.B.
from Religious Clip Art for the
Liturgical Year (A, B, and C).
Used by permission of Liturgy Training
Publications. This art may be reproduced
only by parishes who purchase the
collection in book or CD-ROM form. For
more information go to: http://www.ltp.org/
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