26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.
14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Verses 26 and 27 form a preview of Jesus’ next major theme: the work of the Holy Spirit. That explanation will begin in earnest in John 16:5. For now, Jesus mentions the Holy Spirit as part of His encouragement in the face of persecution. Over the last several verses, Jesus has been warning the disciples—and, by extension, all believers—that the unbelieving world will hate them for their faith (John 15:18–25). Telling us about this in advance (John 13:19; 14:25, 29; 16:4) is meant to help us “hold fast” (Hebrews 4:14–16; 12:1–3). Instead of panicking, and wondering if Jesus was wrong, we can remember His words and know He is still in control (1 Peter 4:12–13).
Another aspect of comfort that Jesus brings is predicting the influence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus uses the same term He applied in John 14:16, paraklētos, also translated as “helper,” “counselor,” “comforter,” or “advocate.” Part of the Holy Spirit’s role in helping us endure persecution is reminding us of these teachings from Jesus (John 14:16; 16:13). The Spirit comes from God in exactly the same sense in which Christ comes from God (John 8:42; 14:26).
Christ is reassuring His closest disciples that when He leaves (John 12:32–33; 16:5), that physical absence will allow for the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Part of the Spirit’s ministry is to “convict” the world so that non-believers will be confronted with the realities of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). In the lives of believers, the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to guide and direct us towards the truth (John 16:13).
That work of the Spirit glorifies Christ, which means it glorifies God. At the start of the gospel of John, Jesus’ ministry is described by saying “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). What we see in Christ is a representation of God the Father (Hebrews 1:3).
When the Holy Spirit teaches us truth, it is speaking of Christ (John 14:6), just as it is speaking of the Father (John 16:13). When Jesus refers to “what is mine,” in this instance, it’s a reference to those truths.