Jesus, Advocate or Intercessor?
Did you know that there are numerous titles for Jesus in the Bible? Among them are Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Good Shepherd, and Messiah to name a few. These titles are descriptive of various aspects of our Lord’s nature and character, which helps us to know who Jesus is and what he is like. There is a particular title describing a role that Jesus plays and that is the role of Advocate, which is found in 1 John 2:1-2. The New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95) has translated these verses in the following way:
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
What does it mean that Jesus the righteous (another description) advocates for us? And what is an advocate anyway?
According to our English dictionary an advocate is a person who pleads another’s cause; specifically, a lawyer. That’s the first definition. The second meaning is a person who speaks or writes in support of something; such as, to advocate for lower taxes.[i]These are fine definitions… so does that mean that Jesus stands as our lawyer before the Father? Or does he favor lower taxes? If it means he’s our attorney then the question as to why we need one is in order. If you will notice, the word “Father” is a familial term. It seems odd to me that in family matters we would need a lawyer to plead our cause before Dad as though Dad was our judge and not our Dad at all. Is it possible that there could be another explanation, possibly even a better word than Advocate, to describe this role of Jesus in our lives? I would like to suggest that not only is it possible but probable.
Perhaps it would help to define the Greek word from which Advocate is translated from. That word is “Parakletos” from which we get the English word “Paraclete”. According to the lexicon (Greek dictionary) this word means “Helper”; literally, one who is called or sent for to assist.
In a legal sense, a parakletos came as an act of friendship to give character witness in a court of law. It was considered more effective when others affirmed the character of the accused than for the accused to defend his or her own honor. In a non-legal sense, a parakletos came to offer encouragement, such as a pep talk before a battle or contest.[ii] Think of boxer whose manager stands in the boxer’s corner to offer assistance, encouragement and advice. In my opinion, it is this second sense that applies to the situation in 1 John 2:1-2.
To be clear, what I am saying is this: Don’t think Advocate as in court of law. Jesus is not a defense attorney protecting us from an overbearing despot who can’t wait to punish us for each and every infraction that we might commit. As verse two explains, Jesus has already taken care of the legal ramifications of sin by providing himself as the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for those of the whole world as well. That’s what the cross was all about. Rather, think Intercessor. Think of Jesus as your manager who is in your corner. He sees your struggles, knows your strengths and weaknesses and is always available to offer comfort, encouragement, advice, and help in becoming all that you can be – the best you possible.
It might also interest you to know that this same word “Advocate” used of Jesus in this passage is also used of the Holy Spirit in several others where the apostle John is the author, such as John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7, but it is only translated as advocate in 1 John 2:1. Go ahead, raise an eyebrow. I did.
Finally my friends, take a look at these verses in The Passion Translation (TPT):
You are my dear children, and I write these things to you so that you won’t sin. But if anyone does sin, we continually have a forgiving Redeemer who is face-to-face 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.
That’s what I’m talking about. And that is what Jesus is all about, i.e. forgiving and redeeming! Amen!
[i][i] Webster’s New World Dictionary, Second College Edition (Cleveland, OH: William Collins & World Publishing Co., Inc. 1976), pg. 1029
[ii] The Complete Biblical Library, Volume 15: Greek-English Dictionary, Pi-Rho (Springfield, MI: The Complete Biblical Library, 1991), pg. 63
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