So far in our examination of chapter 17 we've witnessed Jesus pray for himself and his glorification (verses 1-9), and pray for the disciples and their sanctification (9-19). Today we see how Jesus prays for us, the Universal Church, in verses 20 through 26. So far we've seen that when Jesus prays for his glory, it is so that the Father would be glorified, Also, when Jesus prays for the disciples to be protected in their mission, it is so that many may believe in Jesus and therefore bring glory to the Father. What might be Jesus' prayer for the Church?
We spent an entire article on the first four verses of chapter sixteen because I felt it warranted it. Today, we'll finish our observations on this chapter. The rest of the chapter is written in a style that repeats questions and motifs, used as a method to assure the reader remembers key points. The passage holds true to a Jewish style of story-telling. So that our Western minds are not confused by stylistic choices we'll concentrate on the actual teachings of the text itself. These teachings are important as they are the things Jesus wants his people to know before he leaves them.
In the second half of the upper room discourse Jesus has some things he needs to make sure his disciples understand. This explains why these statements are so repetitive. Due to the repitition it is easy for the reader to skip over, or speed read their way through, the passage. This is a mistake. If Jesus found it important enough to go over the same truths again and again, then it should strike us as important too. What are these important truths? They fall into two distinct categories that we will unravel for you.
There is real evil in this world, scarier than anything from a Hollywood movie. This is not one of those stories. Instead we see one of the greatest acts of goodness and light — of humility — ever performed in world history. Jesus has finished his public ministry and is hours away from his death. How does he spend that time? With those closest to him, surely. Rather than making it all about himself, however, Jesus continues to show his love in a remarkably simple way. By washing the feet of his followers Jesus demonstrates that no task, no matter how unclean, cannot be turned into an act of love.
Yesterday we started an examination of Chapter 17 — the longest of Jesus' prayers contained in the Gospels. We identified three parts to this prayer: Jesus prays for his glorification, the disciples' sanctification and the church's unification. We covered the first eight verses and today we'll cover the second of the three parts in verses nine through 19. Admittedly, this section can be confusing. There is a lot of repetition and use of less-than-straightforward language. We'll sort through it all and uncover the main point: what Jesus asks the Father for on behalf of the disciples, and why.
This marks the start of a prolonged series on the Gospel of Luke. As we’ve already examined the book of Acts, it seems reasonable that the first Gospel we study should be Luke as both share a common author. Ask anyone to compare the gospels and two facts will almost always be mentioned: (1) that John is the Gospel of Love, and (2) that Luke is the Historical Gospel. While it is true that John gives us a look into Jesus’ personal struggles and relates stories not contained in any other gospel account, it is not true that Luke is purely a historical account.
Dinner is over, Judas and Satan had left to go and betray Jesus, and only those who were destined to remain are now present. Jesus has just dropped the news that one of them would betray him, and that Peter would deny knowing Jesus before sunrise. It is natural for the disciples to start feeling defeated even before their individual failings. Sensing the difficulty his followers were experiencing taking in the truth about their nature, Jesus offers them comfort in the form of still more future prophecy. "Do not be distressed," the Savior says. Words we all need to hear sometimes.
These last seven verses of chapter 12 are the last words Jesus speaks publicly to the crowds. Not historically, but in John's Gospel this is the case. It is also the the end of Part IV, The Conflict of Men Against the Messiah. So if I were John, I would put the most important of Jesus' teachings here — and he just might have. The last nine chapters are Jesus' journey to the cross and chapter 13 starts Part V, The preparation for the Messiah. In many ways, then, this is a point of transition making 12-13.17 vital to understanding this Gospel.
Chapter 17 closes out section five, The Preparation for the Departure of the Messiah. This chapter contains the longest of Jesus' prayers contained in the Gospels, so we'll break it down into bite-sized pieces. Today we're covering the first eight verses which, while they contain a lot of theology, make a very simple point. Topically, Jesus prays for himself and his glorification. In verses 9-19 he prays for the disciples and their sanctification. Then in verses 20 through 26 he prays for all believers throughout the rest of time and their unification. Now there are three points that will preach!
Normally I like to follow the literary direction an author sets when trying to understand their message. I mentioned last time, that there are some passages that are better understood by the Western mind when we break the teaching down into its component parts. We did this with the end of the Upper Room discourse and we'll do the same with this passage. This may aid in our understanding, the drawback is that we lose the beauty of the language, of the metaphors. For this reason you should read the passage first, then come back for the breakdown of the teaching.
Did you read the passage again? Do you understand why it is such an uncomfortable passage? Good, because it's now time to address a very hopeful passage(13.18-38) full of despair, betrayal and death. Does it sound impossible, that tragic topics can bring about hope? All things are possible with God. In today's reading Jesus continues to demonstrate his love, but also his power by telling them what is going to happen during the next few hours. The purpose of this foretelling of future events is found in verse 19, "so that when it happens you may believe that I am he."
Before we get started back into our study of John, there are a couple matters that need to be disclosed. First, my apologies for our last post. It is not my best work, and what I post here should always reflect my best. If you would indulge me, I've re-written it and reposted the article in it's original location. I can only say that the original article was a reflection of the constraints and pressures I was under, which lead to the last two weeks of silence, If you are a regular reader and not a member of our Facebook discussion group, there was no warning for this hiatus. I encourage you to join our Facebook community to receive other notices related to this site.
