# Commentary on John Word Study – Counselor > *Counselor* (Jn 14:16) – *Paraklētos* (Gk.): an \"advocate\" or \"helper\". The word is used five times in John\'s writings, always with reference to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. It is a legal term for an attorney or spokesman who defends the cause of the accused in a courtroom. Jesus uses it for a heavenly intercessor who is called to the side of God\'s children to offer strength and support. Jesus is a \"Paraclete\" because in heaven he pleads to the Father for believers still struggling on earth (1 Jn 2:1). The Spirit, too, is a \"Paraclete\" because he is sent to strengthen the disciples in Jesus\' absence (Jn 14:16), instruct them in the truth (Jn 14:26; 15:26), and defend them against the prosecutions of the devil (Jn 16:7-11), who is the \"accuser\" of the family of God (Rev 12:10). --- > Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, *The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament*, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010).