Advocate for the World
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2: 1-2 [NIV]
Commenting on the passage we have been looking at this week, John gives it the context of his knowledge of Jesus – being a disciple with first-hand experience of the advocacy of Jesus.
The word advocate comes from the Latin verb "advocare" meaning to "call to one's aid". An advocate is a lawyer (one trained in the law) who is called to speak or plead the cause of someone on trial. In this sense it is a good description of Jesus Christ, since we know that he was trained in the law of the bible from a young age. We also know that he pleaded the cause of many who were accused, including:
A man paralysed who had his sins forgiven (Matthew 9)
Matthew the tax collector called to be a disciple (Matthew 9)
The Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4)
The woman caught in adultery (John 8)
The good news is not only for the disciples who knew him personally, nor the disciples who know him today, but for the whole world. Jesus not only pleads the cause of sinners but he also paid "the fines" of all sinners (i.e. everybody) by dying on the cross. Even as he hung on the cross, he was advocating for a sinner who was crucified with him, a thief, at the same time as paying the price.
If you get the opportunity, share the good news with someone today.
Dave MacLellan
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