John 17:1-11 (NRSV)

 Apologies for entering the wrong passage for this Sunday. This is for next week.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

¹After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, ²since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. ⁵So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

⁶ ‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; ⁸for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

I am indebted to the works by McPolin, Barclay and Morris for this reflection.

This is a lovely passage where we encounter our Lord at his most vulnerable and caring. It is the most prolonged of our Lord’s prayers as recorded in the Gospels. (It is not his longest prayer because we know that he prayed all night before he chose his 12 Disciples).

In addition to being a sensitive and caring prayer, it is also a theological synthesis, which reflects on the content and direction of the whole Gospel.

Here Jesus discloses the nerve-centre of his life ‘... a communion with his Father and which finds expression in the repeated name ‘Father’’ in verses 1 and 3 – but also 11, 24 and 25).

The prayer for ‘glorification’ is a petition that the disciples may know the Father and the Son in an ‘... ongoing, loving and life-giving communion with them.’ (verse 3) In this communion through faith and love, the Father – God – is known in and through Jesus, especially when Jesus had passed through his hour of death and Resurrection to his Father’s glory.

McPolin writes: Jesus, the man for others, prays for his disciples and the main part of the prayer is ‘... and intercession with his Father for the present ...’ his disciples there and then. He continues:

Firstly, the disciples belong to the Father, and everything that belongs to the Father belongs to Jesus too. The disciples are the Father’s gift for they were the Father’s (verse 6) and now they belong to Jesus as well – therefore they are precious to Jesus.

Secondly, they are precious for personal reasons, for they share in the love of Jesus, for they acknowledge by faith, who Jesus is.

Thirdly, because Jesus is leaving them behind, Jesus is concerned about them and how they will cope when he goes, so he is moved to pray for them.

Verse 9 seems to exclude the world from his prayer, but this is not a general principle because later, he prays for the world, that those without faith may come to believe in him (verses 21 and 23).

This is a prayer for intimate friends – it is as if Jesus is saying: “I, your son, am praying for these men who are faithful to you.” And the prayer is for a special gift – the gift of intimacy of communion with himself and his Father and Jesus expresses this petition in different ways – in verse 11 he says “...so that they may be one, as we are one ...” a hallmark of John’s understanding of the relationship we all have access to if we choose to live in union with God, by faith.

We now move on to some thoughts on knowing. These days, we automatically think of knowing in terms of intellectual knowledge and this, in my mind, is perfectly valid. To know what God is like makes a massive difference in a person’s life. Missionaries report of the liberation that has come to communities when people come to understand that there is only one God, especially when they also understand that this one God is also not harsh and angry, but the perfection of love.

And we know these things about God because Jesus revealed them to us. He also revealed that when we enter a life of love, we share something of the life of God himself – for this is eternal life – to  know God and Jesus whom he sent.

But in the Old Testament, knowing is also a reference to sexual intimacy. The knowledge between husband and wife is the most intimate there can be for the two become one flesh. So, knowing is more than intellectual knowledge, it is also a deep and intimate personal relationship. Without Jesus, this relationship would be impossible. As Barclay explains, it was Jesus that taught that ‘... God is not remote and unapproachable, but the Father whose name and nature is love.’ To know God is to know what God is like and to be on the most intimate terms of friendship with him, and none of these are possible without Jesus Christ.

I thought I might reflect a little more on the notion of eternal life as, like the Ascension, it is a much misunderstood concept that leads many to reject our faith. I now enlist the help of Leon Morris, that great Australian evangelical divine, to aid our thoughts.

As I have mentioned before, one of the interesting things of this passage is the way Jesus defines eternal life. Eternal life is to know the Father and Jesus Christ. (It is also interesting how Jesus refers to himself as the ‘Christ’).

There are some people, who, when we are with them, we are lifted up; there are some whose quality of life is such that, when we know them ‘... we are lifted into an understanding of life that we would not have reached if left to ourselves.’

What for me is the greatest joy is the fact that all this – eternal life – is not just a future hope – because the Holy Spirit enables us to experience what will be then, now. Knowledge of God is linked to knowledge of Jesus Christ and so we know God as he truly is only through Jesus Christ.

Jesus prayed for his disciples, those whom God had given him as special companions on his earthly journey. Jesus revealed the name of God to them – the name that he himself bore – the Christ. Jesus taught them in word and deed, not in a rigid dictated sense, but in the essence of their being – in a life lived in its totality. It is in relationship that words take on what they are meant to mean – taken out of the relationship and they become hollow and easily distorted. Jesus never wrote anything down, because he must have know the dangers that this would have caused. Jesus lived in the world and has shown us how to do the same. The secret is to be one with God and each other ‘... so that they may be one, as we are one.’

John 14.1-10 (NRSV)

Jesus the Way to the Father

¹‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ ⁵Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ ⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ ⁹Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

I am indebted to Barclay and McPolin for inspiration as I prepared this reflection.

The opening verses of this reading reveal so much about our Lord as he relates to us. Notice how he does not say “Don’t worry ...” but “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus knew the difference. There are some things that get to us deep down at the core of who we are.

The disciples were terrified. Things had not been going well for them, as Jesus had come under greater threat, and he had just finished explaining to them that, in the future, it was going to get worse. There are times in all our lives when we experience similar things, when we are unsure as to what the future holds for us and it seems as though our present difficult situation is only going to get worse. The disciples were especially downcast because they were warned that they were in fact going to fail their Lord – and this disturbed them deeply. We too, especially in times of failure, sink very low. At times like these, we can hear the voice of Jesus telling his disciples (and us): “Do not let your hearts be troubled ...” He goes on to explain how to make this theory become real for us: “Believe in God, believe also in me.” William Barclay comments:

There comes a time when we have to believe where we cannot prove and accept where we cannot understand. ... If in the darkest hour, we believe that somehow there is a purpose in life and that that purpose is love, even the unbearable becomes bearable and even in the darkness there is a glimmer of light.

Jesus is proof that God’s love is so great that he is not willing to hold anything back from us when we turn to him; we know this because he gave us his only Son.

The essence of human existence is knowing if there is any purpose in life at all. If we are merely here as a matter of chance, and all that we have is this life, then we need to find meaning in what we do and experience in the here and now. And if a life is cut short or there is any tragedy, it is devastating. This would all be true if there is no God. But we know that there is a God – one true God – and we also know what God is like because he has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Jesus, we know that God is love; so, the purpose of human existence becomes clear – it is to love and to be loved – or as Jesus put it: “Love God and love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

We do not need to philosophise about the existence of God. We do not need to explore the great mystery of trying to find out what God is like – God has been revealed to us in the greatest embodiment of love – Jesus. This is very clear in our reading, where Philip asks Jesus: ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ (verse 9) Isn’t this the truth of the matter? If there is a God and if God loves us and our ultimate destiny is to be with him, then we too can say: “Show us God and we will be satisfied.” John in his first letter writes: “So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (1 John 4:16) Paul put it this way: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15). The author to the letter to the Hebrews explained: “³He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3) Jesus responded to Philip: “I am in the father and the Father is in me.” To Thomas, Jesus replied: ‘⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

William Barclay comments:

... in Jesus we see the picture of God ... in the face of that amazing love, it becomes ... at least possible to accept even what we cannot understand, and in the storms of life to retain a faith that is serene.

The disciples thought that Jesus dying and leaving them was the greatest tragedy, but Jesus explained that he was going, so that he could be with them in an even more special way; he was going to prepare a place for them, and he would return to be with them forever.

Jesus explained that where God is there are many dwelling-places and that he was going to prepare them for his disciples. This is a wonderful truth. Once again we are reminded by the author of all the dangers involved in being fundamentalist and only reading the Bible literally, for to do so would imply that Heaven is a place and that it is just somewhere for us to go to in the future, after death. Barclay explains that the Greek word used here is monai, and while it does refer to an abode, Jesus gives it its true meaning and that is in Heaven there is space for everyone. An earthly house is finite and there is only room for a certain number of people; but in Heaven there is space for everyone for – as Barclay writes – “... heaven is as wide as the heart of God and there is room for all.” The Father’s love and life present in Jesus are so immense that no one need be excluded.

We can take comfort, because we have irrefutable evidence that Jesus tells the truth. He said to his disciples in verse 2: “If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” But not only is it true that God loves us, will never leave us and that our destiny is to be with him forever, Jesus also tells us the truth that this life can sometimes be difficult, can include persecution, hatred and even death. This is true for all people, and this is why some see life as so tragic. The difference is that without God, this can lead to despair, but with God’s presence with us now, even these things can be used for good. Barclay writes: “Jesus was not a leader who tried to bribe men with promises of an easy way; he tried to challenge them to greatness.”

And we have been shown the way.

Time and again Jesus had explained everything to his disciples, but they so often didn’t understand. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Moses reminded the Israelites that they must walk in the ways of God. Jesus takes us by the hand and walks with us when we allow his Spirit to guide our lives. The Psalmist in Psalm 86 prays: “Teach me your way so that I can know your truth.” We know that real truth is more than mere intellectual assent, it must be demonstrated by example; Jesus is the only one who could ever complete this revelation by the example of his life. And all of it has the purpose of finding the ultimate goal, what it means to live and not merely exist. Barclay writes: “Our search is not for knowledge for its own sake but what will make life worth living.” He adds: “What we take for ourselves gives us a living, what we give to others gives us life. Life comes alive when we love one another.”

And then a verse that is so often misunderstood – “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is not up to any human to decide who is and who is not saved and this is a verse where some make this claim. This is God’s decision. What we do know is that it is only in Jesus that we see what God is like and he alone can lead people into God’s presence without fear and without shame.

Like Philip, we can find this all difficult to grasp – and so Jesus helps us along the way. Jesus did not only leave his words – he left the example of his life – his works. Actions speak louder than words – as recorded in verse 13: “¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” We know what God is like and what his relationship is with us – because Jesus did not only tell us – he showed us.

Our lives matter to God. Jesus’ earthly ministry was God living our life. He chose an ordinary life, and an ordinary way of earning a living. He knows of the struggles, temptations and difficulties as well as the joys. Barclay writes: “... common work is tinged with glory for it has been touched by the hand of God. The life of Jesus shows us, not the serenity, but the struggle of God ... God goes through the struggle that we must undergo.” But more too. As McPolin writes: “The person who looks closely at the works of Jesus with the eyes of faith will see that they are the works of someone who lives in intimate communion with God.”

The way to believe in God and also believe in Jesus is not to argue about Jesus, but to listen to what he says to us; but we must also see what Jesus did. Just as the blind man was restored not only to sight, but also to insight – to see with the eyes of faith – we must also listen intently, and hear with the ears of faith. Barclay claims that, if we do this, ‘... the sheer personal impact will compel us to believe.’

And then to end with some challenging verses – 12-14. What did Jesus mean by works greater than what he did? He gives us a clue by adding at the end of verse 12, the words ‘... because I am going to the Father.’

Jesus was going to leave behind the limitations time and space imposed on him by the incarnation, now he can work more freely and universally as his Spirit moves in the lives of people in history. Most importantly, this means that, in every generation he has a mass of agents working on his behalf – scattered throughout the world. God is active in the world when we are active on his behalf, enabled and equipped and inspired by his Spirit. As McPolin explains: “In this way the faith and love of Christian disciples make visible the invisible presence of the glorified Lord.” Our experience of this life includes with it the experience of a foretaste of what is to come. Jesus is real to us now, not just when we die and our souls go to heaven.

We close with the challenge to pray in Jesus’ name. This is not an offer to use the name of Jesus as some kind of magical invocation like some evangelists have done and continue to do. Our prayers are not shopping lists or demands that suit us or others; they ought to come from being immersed in a deep communion with Jesus and the Father. This prayer needs to be the result of a living communion from within the depths of our being united with God’s being as the Spirit moves in our lives. McPolin speaks of our participation in the prayers of Jesus himself and explains ‘... the more one’s life is penetrated by the teaching and example of Jesus, under the inspiration of the Spirit, the more unselfish, free and assured does our prayer become.’

Life has meaning – life has purpose. Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us – and we experience that place now – because Jesus comes to us and makes his presence real to us as we study his Word together and hear his teaching, and as we reflect on his works. Doing this transports us into the realm of where God is. This is our future hope and also our present reality.

Jesus put it this way: “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Amen.

John 14.1-10

John 14.1-10 (NRSV)

Jesus the Way to the Father

14‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ ⁵Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ ⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ ⁹Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

I am indebted to Barclay and McPolin for inspiration as I prepared this reflection.

The opening verses of this reading reveal so much about our Lord as he relates to us. Notice how he does not say “Don’t worry ...” but “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus knew the difference. There are some things that get to us deep down at the core of who we are.

The disciples were terrified. Things had not been going well for them, as Jesus had come under greater threat, and he had just finished explaining to them that, in the future, it was going to get worse. There are times in all our lives when we experience similar things, when we are unsure as to what the future holds for us and it seems as though our present difficult situation is only going to get worse. The disciples were especially downcast because they were warned that they were in fact going to fail their Lord – and this disturbed them deeply. We too, especially in times of failure, sink very low. At times like these, we can hear the voice of Jesus telling his disciples (and us): “Do not let your hearts be troubled ...” He goes on to explain how to make this theory become real for us: “Believe in God, believe also in me.” William Barclay comments:

There comes a time when we have to believe where we cannot prove and accept where we cannot understand. ... If in the darkest hour, we believe that somehow there is a purpose in life and that that purpose is love, even the unbearable becomes bearable and even in the darkness there is a glimmer of light.

Jesus is proof that God’s love is so great that he is not willing to hold anything back from us when we turn to him, we know this because he gave us his only Son.

The essence of human existence is knowing if there is any purpose in life at all. If we are merely here as a matter of chance, and all that we have is this life, then we need to find meaning in what we do and experience in the here and now. And if a life is cut short or there is any tragedy, it is devastating. This would all be true if there is no God. But we know that there is a God – one true God – and we also know what God is like because he has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Jesus, we know that God is love; so, the purpose of human existence becomes clear – it is to love and to be loved – or as Jesus put it: “Love God and love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

We do not need to philosophise about the existence of God. We do not need to explore the great mystery of trying to find out what God is like – God has been revealed to us in the greatest embodiment of love – Jesus. This is very clear in our reading, where Philip asks Jesus: ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ (verse 9) Isn’t this the truth of the matter? If there is a God and if God loves us and our ultimate destiny is to be with him, then we too can say: “Show us God and we will be satisfied.” John in his first letter writes: “So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (1 John 4:16) Paul put it this way: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15). The author to the letter to the Hebrews explained: “³He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3) Jesus responded to Philip: “I am in the father and the Father is in me.” To Thomas, Jesus replied: ‘⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

William Barclay comments:

... in Jesus we see the picture of God ... in the face of that amazing love, it becomes ... at least possible to accept even what we cannot understand, and in the storms of life to retain a faith that is serene.

The disciples thought that Jesus dying and leaving them was the greatest tragedy, but Jesus explained that he was going, so that he could be with them in an even more special way; he was going to prepare a place for them, and he would return to be with them forever.

Jesus explained that where God is there are many dwelling-places and that he was going to prepare them for his disciples. This is a wonderful truth. Once again we are reminded by the author of all the dangers involved in being fundamentalist and only reading the Bible literally, for to do so would imply that Heaven is a place and that it is just somewhere for us to go to in the future, after death. Barclay explains that the Greek word used here is monai, and while it does refer to an abode, Jesus gives it its true meaning and that is in Heaven there is space for everyone. An earthly house is finite and there is only room for a certain number of people; but in Heaven there is space for everyone for – as Barclay writes – “... heaven is as wide as the heart of God and there is room for all.” The Father’s love and life present in Jesus are so immense that no one need be excluded.

We can take comfort, because we have irrefutable evidence that Jesus tells the truth. He said to his disciples in verse 2: “If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” But not only is it true that God loves us, will never leave us and that our destiny is to be with him forever, Jesus also tells us the truth that this life can sometimes be difficult, can include persecution, hatred and even death. This is true for all people, and this is why some see life as so tragic. The difference is that without God, this can lead to despair, but with God’s presence with us now, even these things can be used for good. Barclay writes: “Jesus was not a leader who tried to bribe men with promises of an easy way; he tried to challenge them to greatness.”

And we have been shown the way.

Time and again Jesus had explained everything to his disciples, but they so often didn’t understand. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Moses reminded the Israelites that they must walk in the ways of God. Jesus takes us by the hand and walks with us when we allow his Spirit to guide our lives. The Psalmist in Psalm 86 prays: “Teach me your way so that I can know your truth.” We know that real truth is more than mere intellectual assent, it must be demonstrated by example; Jesus is the only one who could ever complete this revelation by the example of his life. And all of it has the purpose of finding the ultimate goal, what it means to live and not merely exist. Barclay writes: “Our search is not for knowledge for its own sake but what will make life worth living.” He adds: “What we take for ourselves gives us a living, what we give to others gives us life. Life comes alive when we love one another.”

And then a verse that is so often misunderstood – “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is not up to any human to decide who is and who is not saved and this is a verse where some make this claim. This is God’s decision. What we do know is that it is only in Jesus that we see what God is like and he alone can lead people into God’s presence without fear and without shame.

Like Philip, we can find this all difficult to grasp – and so Jesus helps us along the way. Jesus did not only leave his words – he left the example of his life – his works. Actions speak louder than words – as recorded in verse 13: “¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” We know what God is like and what his relationship is with us – because Jesus did not only tell us – he showed us.

Our lives matter to God. Jesus’ earthly ministry was God living our life. He chose an ordinary life, and an ordinary way of earning a living. He knows of the struggles, temptations and difficulties as well as the joys. Barclay writes: “... common work is tinged with glory for it has been touched by the hand of God. The life of Jesus shows us, not the serenity, but the struggle of God ... God goes through the struggle that we must undergo.” But more too. As McPolin writes: “The person who looks closely at the works of Jesus with the eyes of faith will see that they are the works of someone who lives in intimate communion with God.”

The way to believe in God and also believe in Jesus is not to argue about Jesus, but to listen to what he says to us; but we must also see what Jesus did. Just as the blind man was restored not only to sight, but also to insight – to see with the eyes of faith – we must also listen intently, and hear with the ears of faith. Barclay claims that, if we do this, ‘... the sheer personal impact will compel us to believe.’

And then to end with some challenging verses – 12-14. What did Jesus mean by works greater than what he did? He gives us a clue by adding at the end of verse 12, the words ‘... because I am going to the Father.’

Jesus was going to leave behind the limitations time and space imposed on him by the incarnation, now he can work more freely and universally as his Spirit moves in the lives of people in history. Most importantly, this means that, in every generation he has a mass of agents working on his behalf – scattered throughout the world. God is active in the world when we are active on his behalf, enabled and equipped and inspired by his Spirit. As McPolin explains: “In this way the faith and love of Christian disciples make visible the invisible presence of the glorified Lord.” Our experience of this life includes with it the experience of a foretaste of what is to come. Jesus is real to us now, not just when we die and our souls go to heaven.

We close with the challenge to pray in Jesus’ name. This is not an offer to use the name of Jesus as some kind of magical invocation like some evangelists have done and continue to do. Our prayers are not shopping lists or demands that suit us or others; they ought to come from being immersed in a deep communion with Jesus and the Father. This prayer needs to be the result of a living communion from within the depths of our being united with God’s being as the Spirit moves in our lives. McPolin speaks of our participation in the prayers of Jesus himself and explains ‘... the more one’s life is penetrated by the teaching and example of Jesus, under the inspiration of the Spirit, the more unselfish, free and assured does our prayer become.’

Life has meaning – life has purpose. Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us – and we experience that place now – because Jesus comes to us and makes his presence real to us as we study his Word together and hear his teaching, and as we reflect on his works. Doing this transports us into the realm of where God is. This is our future hope and also our present reality.

Jesus put it this way: “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Amen.

1 Peter 2:19-25 (NRSV)

1 Peter 2:19-25 (NRSV)

¹⁹For it is to your credit if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. ²⁰If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, where is the credit in that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. ²¹For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
²² ‘He committed no sin,
   and no deceit was found in his mouth.’
²³When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. ²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

I acknowledge my indebtedness to William Barclay for this reflection.

This is probably one of the passages of Scripture that was abused in the past to justify non-resistance to the injustices of slavery and apartheid (and others) and is another reminder that we need to tread carefully and prayerfully when attempting to discern the truth in Scripture. Yes, there is truth here, but it is subtle and needs careful attention.

On the surface this passage calls us to be willing to endure suffering and that we gain God’s approval especially when it is unjust. But, I believe the key lies in the example set for us by Jesus, who offered his life for our sake. But we need to take the whole example of Jesus: he made a stand against injustices against women, foreigners, the side-lined and even displayed righteous anger as he cleared the temple. I do not believe that this passage is suggesting that the great sins including racism, prejudice, economic injustice etc. are things we need to simply endure silently and let the perpetuators get away with, but rather that sometimes in unjust situations we need to sacrifice our lives for those thus treated. Maximillian Kolbe is a good example where in a prison of war camp, he offered his life (that of a single man) in the place of another married man’s life.

This passage is referring specifically to the incident of the final days of our Lord, and if we find ourselves in similar situations, then we should do likewise – like Kolbe and many saints who opposed slavery and apartheid in similar ways.

Central to the message of Christ is that every person is precious in the sight of God and needs to be treated with the greatest dignity and respect. Only when passages like this are not seen within the context of the whole message that it can be abused as it has so often been in the past.

Within the Church, social barriers are broken down. Many of the early Christians were humble people, but even the humblest were able to rise to leadership and some were even slaves. Peter is urging his readers – in this context – to be ‘good slaves’. Christians work to the best of their ability – because it is as if they are working for Christ. So, this raises the question: “What does a Christian do when they are treated unfairly?” Peter replies that this is exactly what had happened to Jesus, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 and we need to follow the example of Jesus. But we suffer in a holy way and this does not mean that we do not sin and we never tell lies or any other deceit; when we are abused we do not return the abuse; we suffer in such a way that our abusers are shamed into changing because of the holiness of our response.

Perhaps one of the best examples of this comes from that great Hindu, Mohatma Gandhi. His satyagraha (non-violent protest) showed such dignity and holiness that the soldiers and leaders eventually had to back down. He of course inspired the wonderful example of Martin Luther-King and the Civil Rights movement in the USA and the unknown Robbie Robertson, who started the first non-racial Presbyterian Church in South Africa in 1962 (and which I attended until 1969).

This is where I parted company with organisations like the ANC and PAC who adopted armed resistance, because this cheapened the value of human life and which is a reason why (I believe) there is still so much murder and violence in South Africa today. Non-violence does not accept injustice, it provokes a response and through its holiness and goodness prods the deepest sense of shame in the offender that their humanity is reawakened and the injustice needs to end.

I complete my reflection on the Epistle by focusing on the last verse where Jesus is referred to as ‘... the shepherd and guardian of your souls ...’ As always, William Barclay is brilliant when it comes to looking at the importance of specific words and titles, and I acknowledge my indebtedness to his work.

Shepherd: This is one of the oldest names for God 2.g. Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd still one of the best known of all passages of scripture. But the Old Testament is cluttered with other examples as well: Isaiah speaks of God as the shepherd who will feed his flock; Ezekiel’s reference is Messianic. Jesus adopted the title and spoke of himself as the ‘good shepherd and one who would lay down his life for his sheep. In the East this would have been a vivid and precious image referring to ceaseless vigilance and self-sacrificial love of God for us – “We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

Guardian of our souls: This is interesting because I never realised before that ‘guardian’ is a translation of the word episkopos. In secular Greek, this word was used in The Iliad when speaking of a guard, one who keeps wives and children safe. In Plato, the word was used for an overseer of games, one who fed and educated children, supervised personal conduct and administered punishment. Episkopoi refers to a complex set of different ideas – all noble – protector, guardian of honour, truth and honesty, overseer of education and public morals and administrator of public law and order. God is all this.

Jesus – God incarnate – is all this – he is our Shepherd and the Guardian of our souls. Barclay concludes:

“In his love he cares for us; in his power he protects us; in his wisdom he guides and directs us in the right way.”