Celebrating Pentecost (2026)

The Arrival of the Comforter

When Jesus explained to his disciples that he would need to leave them and return to his Father, he knew that sorrow had filled their hearts at the news (John 16:6). He also knew he was sending them into a hostile world:

‘Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ John 15:19.

It’s in this atmosphere of grief and uncertainty that Jesus makes them a promise:

‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ John 14:18.

The Greek word translated here as comfortless is orphanos, the direct root of the word orphan. In the biblical context, it referred to someone who was fatherless, bereft of a teacher or guide, or left in a state of helpless isolation. By using this word, Jesus was promising that his physical absence would not result in our spiritual abandonment. He introduces the Holy Spirit not as a vague force, but as the Comforter.

This title is the translation of the Greek word paraklētos, which literally means ‘one called to one’s side’.

In the ancient world, a paraklētos was:

• An advocate: a legal assistant who stood by you in court to speak on your behalf.
• A helper: someone who stepped in to shoulder a burden that was too heavy for you to carry alone.
• An encourager: one who stood near to provide counsel and strength in a moment of weakness.

When we are comfortless or as orphans, the Holy Spirit gives us the guidance and support that stems from our spiritual parentage:

‘For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ Romans 8:15.

‘As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.’ Isaiah 66:13.

The Spirit is also our teacher:

‘But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost... he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ John 14:26.

Jesus described the Holy Spirit as ‘another Comforter’ (John 14:16). In the Greek, there are two words for ‘another’. One means ‘another of a different kind’, but the word used here is allon, which means ‘another of the exact same kind’. Everything Jesus was to the disciples in the flesh—their teacher, their protector, and their friend—the Holy Spirit is to us today in the Spirit.

Earthly comforts are often temporary. Friends may leave, circumstances change, and feelings fluctuate. However, the comfort provided by God through his Spirit has a different quality:

‘He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.’ John 14:16.

The Comforter does not visit for a season but abides forever. This means that in our darkest midnight or our loneliest hours, we are never truly an orphanos. The presence of the Holy Spirit within the believer is a constant, steady source of peace that the world cannot give and, therefore, cannot take away.

This Pentecost, as we celebrate the coming of the Comforter, we rejoice that Christ has kept his promise. Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God keeps his promise to remain with his people, comforting, teaching, and abiding with us forever.