05/22/2026
What... what're THOSE?
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JOKE-OGRAPHY:
John 14:15-18 takes place during John's version of the Last Supper, where a bunch of Jesus's teachings are rolled into one big dinner discourse. It's where Jesus promises that, once He's gone, He'll send a paraclete (a Greek word meaning "called alongside," like a helper, advocate, or counselor) to stay with and guide the new Church. As Christians, we know this paraclete to be none other than the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity.
In the Book of Acts, we see the Holy Spirit come to the disciples about 50 days after Jesus's resurrection, and about 10 days after His ascension to heaven, on the feast of Pentecost. In Acts 2:1-4, He enters the house where the twelve apostles and other disciples dwell, first as a howling wind, then as tongues of fire reaching out and granting the faithful the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Animated by the Spirit, the disciples all go out and preach, each being understood by everyone they speak to, even those who speak different dialects and languages. It's like their union with God is beginning to heal the disunity of ancient Babel.
In this cartoon, the Holy Spirit politely knocks on the door before entering. Peter notes that Whoever's at the door must be the paraclete Jesus promised to send. John admits to Peter that he originally misheard the word "paraclete" and thought Jesus was sending them a "pair o' cleats," which sounds similar. In the English-speaking United States of America circa 2003 (and culturally adjacent eras and areas), the word "cleats" was generally used to mean "sports shoes equipped with pointed grips" (even though the word "cleats" technically refers to the pointed grips themselves). This is quite a humorous twist of circumstances, for Peter and John do not live in an era NOR in and area that is culturally adjacent to the English-speaking United States of America circa 2003, so they would never use the term "cleats" to describe sports shoes, at least not the brands we're familiar with today.
Anyway, since Jesus obviously said He'd send the disciples a paraclete (the Holy Spirit), and not a pair of cleats (spiked sports shoes), Peter and John smile at the absurdity of John's misunderstanding until Peter opens the door and sees the Holy Spirit in his dove form standing outside in a fancy pair of cleats. This is funny because birds don't normally wear cleats when knocking on doors, meaning He probably had to put them on very quickly after knocking.
