More than any other gospel account, John penned down greater details about the Holy Spirit. He captures the Spirit’s sequence in the “triune race”. He is the anchor leg. Jesus told the disciples that it was profitable to them that He leaves, because that would usher in the Holy Spirit. It was also John who expressly captures the ministry of the Holy Spirit. A record of this is in John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 16:13 also points out the Spirit’s mandate in the lives of believers – “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (NKJV).
These two scriptures show that the Spirit is involved with past, present, and future. He handles the past because He reminds you of all things; He is involved with the present because He teaches all things; and He connects you with the future as He shows you things to come and guides you into all truth. Our text adds a third dimension to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had told the disciples that all He taught them was not all that needed to be taught. As a master in the art of teaching, He stopped at the level that they could handle. However, He promised that the Spirit coming after Him would make the rest plain to them. By implication, the Spirit would enlarge their capacity and help them understand. In other words, the Spirit of the Lord serves as a capacity builder. If all these are the things to enjoy from the Holy Spirit, then He is the priciest treasure and we must walk carefully so as not to grieve Him.