Thursday 5 May 2016

John 17.20-end (NRSV)

John 17.20-end (NRSV)


20 ‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one,23I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 ‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’ 


This is one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture, where Jesus, in effect, prays for us as ‘… those who will believe in me …’ through the message of the Apostles which they have passed down to us. The prayer is that we are united – that we are one – because this is the only way that the rest of the world will be able to see that what we stand for, what we believe in, and what guides our lives, is the truth, as Jesus put it, ‘… so that the world may believe that you have sent me …’

When people abide in Christ, this means living in love and obedience to the guidance Jesus has given us in the example of his life and teaching, we experience a wonderful unity that becomes real for us personally (as we are united with God) and as a community (as we are united with each other and God). This is especially true as we gather for worship, to reflect on the Word (our personal experience of Jesus in his Holy Spirit) and as we partake in Holy Communion.

Historically, as the witness of the Church spread, it became increasingly difficult for there to be unity because of the diversity of believers that accepted the ways of Christ. At the same time, this unity is vital because this is the only proof to the world that Jesus was sent by God the Father, and that the Gospel is true (Filson 1963:130). When true unity happens ‘… with Father and Son and with one another …’ (ibid) something of the glory of God will be evident. But this is impossible if one tries to achieve this without divine help; it only becomes possible when the Church is truly open to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The bond holding the unity together is that of divine agape love, as revealed in the life and teaching of Jesus. It is as verse 26 explains – ‘…so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

The world does not naturally know God, but Jesus has known the Father intimately, and through his life and teaching so have the disciples, and through their witness, so have we. Jesus has revealed God’s nature and name, not only the formal name Yahweh, but also his nature and purpose – expressed most fully on the Cross – because through the death and resurrection of Jesus ‘… he [has made] the Father known in a unique way …’ (ibid. 131) In the passion of the Cross, God’s true nature as divine love is given its fullest expression. As we are filled with the Spirit of Jesus, we experience and also learn, not only with our minds but with our whole being, the truth of the love of God. This is real ‘knowing’. The reason why the world does not know God is because they think that knowing is purely a mental thing – a cerebral experience that can be articulated using words alone. We all know that this is not true, because everything that makes our lives meaningful and rich, while it does find some expression in words, needs more, because it includes our souls and our spirits. This is why music, art, poetry and other expressions of beauty are so important for our flourishing. Filson writes:

Jesus has made the love of God real to them [the disciples], and as Jesus dwells in their lives they will know that God’s love has taken possession of them, to uphold them in their Christian witness and to bless them in their Christian lives.’ (ibid. 131)

Even here, those outside the faith will misunderstand, because the word ‘possession’ today implies the surrender of control that leads to a loss of freedom. But we who have experienced the love of Christ know that it is utterly liberating, setting us free to love so that we are no longer bound by the constraints of sin and the human weaknesses and frailties that tempt us away from what is good and beautiful and true. The love of God makes our fulfillment possible, because it sets us free.

It is interesting to note that even secular thinkers find it easy to understand the flawed nature of humanity. This was the essence behind Freud’s thinking; he was trying to find ways to explain, understand and then remedy those things that hinder us from being truly good people. The same was true for others like Stanley Milgram, who sought to understand how otherwise lovely people – the German nation – could have stooped so low as to sanction the Holocaust. He tried out his experiment in his native USA first, before travelling to Germany, and found that the same is true for all people. He discovered this: that there is a willingness to do the most devastating things, if we feel that we are not responsible because someone in authority has told us to do it!

The only remedy for human frailty is love, and we know what this love is because Jesus has explained it to us, demonstrated it to us – revealed it to us - and he gives it to us the power of his Spirit. We learn it ultimately when we experience it first hand, and we do this when others, filled with the same love, love us and give us the privilege of loving them in return.

So, the unity that Jesus prays for here, is not - as Barclay reminds us – a unity of organization or administration – because people will always like to do things differently. This is good because it gives us the freedom to express our love and faith in different ways. What Jesus prays for here is a unity ‘… in which [people] loved each other because they loved him, a unity based entirely on the relationship between heart and heart.’ (Barclay, 1975:218)

I believe that some have misunderstood true ecumenism, thinking that we all need to become part of the same denomination. But as Barclay adds, we will always want to organize our churches differently, worship in different styles and ways, and believe different things to be paramount, things we like to emphasize above others, ‘… but Christian unity transcends all these differences and joins [people] together in love …’ (ibid. 218)

The trouble is that some people love their own church organization systems, creeds, rituals and other things, more than they love other Christians. This is the hub of the problem. We must not be surprised if the world is not attracted to us as Christians, if we remain so divided. We should celebrate that there are differences and therefore styles and ways of doing things, but we should never say that our way is the ‘only’ way, just a ‘different’ way.

Verses 22-26 speak of Jesus giving his disciples the ‘glory’. In the commentaries I have consulted Barclay seems to give the best explanation of what is meant by the ‘… glory of Jesus …’ Barclay suggests that there were THREE ways in which Jesus used the term: (i) The Cross what his glory: Jesus did not speak of being crucified; he spoke of being glorified. Sometimes, we as Christians have to face our own personal ‘crosses’ and it should be an honour to share in the sufferings for Christ’s sake. Barclay explains: ‘The harder the task we give a student, or a craftsman, or a surgeon, the more we honour him.’ In effect we are saying that they are up to the task. ‘So when it is hard to be a Christian, we must consider it as our glory given to us by God.’

(ii) The perfect obedience to the will of God was his glory. Barclay explains that we find glory, not in doing what we like, but by doing what God wills – the greater the obedience; the greater the glory.

(iii) Jesus also speaks of glory when referring to eternity in the presence of God. We will share in all the experiences of Christ, including all the wonderful things. The second Letter of Timothy explains that ‘… if we endure, we shall also reign with him.’ (2 Timothy 2.11-12)

‘Tis mystery all, and I am not sure that I am in accord with everything Barclay suggests here, but he has certainly provided food for thought.



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