Glorify…

John 17

JOHN 17:01-26

1Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

6I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

13But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.14I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

20I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.

Easter 7C:

John 17: 20-26

The world will see our Unity

Can we honestly say, this is what the world sees when it looks at Christians (or indeed, religious people) today? The Glory of Christ through our Unity?

Perhaps we will never agree on everything when it comes to our theology, but above theology must be love. One of my favorite quotes (and I’m unsure of the source) is, “A disagreement with a toxic person will almost always turn into a fight, a disagreement with most people will typically turn into an argument, a disagreement with a highly conscious person will typically turn into a conversation. It’s important we know the difference.”

I’m not sure when disagreement about religion or politics became excuses for incivility. But this must be the opposite for someone who claims to follow Christ. Can you even imagine him refusing to die for someone that he disagreed with? Jesus died with the person who betrayed him and the person he knew would deny him at his most vulnerable moment.

This is what should set the Christ-Follower apart, not our ability to argue, but our ability to love.

JOHN 17:01-05

The Priestly Prayer

The context of this chapter is critical. Jesus is hours from his death and he’s sitting at table—for the last time—with those who will abandon and even betray him. I’m not sure how you would act at such a soiree, I know I might not be as gracious to those around the table.

The highlights of this prayer include

1. what Jesus wants for his followers

2. how his followers are to behave

3. what will identify them as his followers

All in all, this is a critical letter for Christians, not just for its context, but also for its content.

“…the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You

Would we have the same outlook on being glorified as Jesus did? Betrayed by friends, captured and tortured by religious and political leaders, crucified in front of the public?

Those acts pointed to a higher purpose that Jesus looked upon as glorifying; the purpose of living out his earthly mission and staying true to God.

When we remain true to our purpose, the acts of those around us (whether positive or negative) point to that purpose and not to ourselves. Whether adoration or abandonment, our internal commitment is more important than the opinions of others.

· Glorify, Doxazō, [1392], full of glory, magnify, from Doxa, [1391], opinion, approval, greatness, honor, majesty

“You gave Him authority over all flesh…”

Unfortunately, a lot of religious history creates a duality between the Spirit and the Flesh, claiming the flesh is lesser because it distracts us from God. This is not only psychologically harmful, but spiritually incapacitating as well. The flesh was given to us by God. God doesn’t hate it, God made it.

The issue lies in compulsion, the inability to direct the desires of our flesh towards healthy outlets. As has been revealed constantly in multiple religions, an unhealthy view of the flesh often leads to uncontrollable compulsions in those most vocal about the dichotomy. Look at the Catholic Church’s unhealthy view of celibacy. If anything, their unhealthy viewpoint of all-things-pelvic has resulted in rampant clergy abuse of children, unethical responses to birth control—especially in developing nations—and religious intolerance regarding abortion and divorce. Those stances have fueled a religious evangelical fervor that is threatening to overwhelm democratic institutions around the world.

The all-or-nothing viewpoint that the flesh is unhealthy, leaves little air for teaching healthy responses to physical needs. This is certainly reflected in evangelical approaches to sex education and understanding diverse sexuality.

What’s often missed in this approach is that lust (the Greek term for love, eros) is rarely the basis for long-term intimacy in a relationship. The desire for intimate communication, acceptance and belonging is far more influential in choosing a long-term partner or sexual preference. Adolescents, forming their sexual identity, seek the relationship that gives them the most belonging. Sex has become a socially acceptable (if you observe today’s media) way of expressing those desires. In our culture today, we see sex as the act that seals a relationship. Almost all relationships depicted in the media, consummate the relationship sexually. “If you like someone, you should have sex with them.”

A healthy sex education would teach about this need for belonging and support multiple ways of expressing those feelings other than sex.

Disparaging sex (or The Flesh) will not lead to a healthy relationship with it. It will lead to hidden compulsions; just as outlawing abortions leads to more deaths and increased pregnancies.

· Authority, exousia, [1849], the power to act, the jurisdiction, the liberty, from exesti, [1832], it is permitted, lawful

· Flesh, sarx, [4561], bodily, flesh, mankind, personally

He may give eternal life…

What good is eternal life if it is just more of the same misery or mundanity a person has experienced in this life? There is no reason to believe that—if you can’t find joy and community in this life—there will be an eternity of something different. Are you bringing others to find their joy and personally experiencing it yourself? Are you building the community around you now? Just imagine, your current “NOW,” lasting forever.

Eternal life didn’t just mean living forever, it also meant “The Eternal Way.” What is the Eternal Way for you?

For the Greek/Hebrew believer, there was an added dimension. Heaven included the concept of older warriors gathered around a campfire telling stories of their battles together. This is also close to the Norse concept; your fealty didn’t matter, what mattered was how boldly you fought. Old friends talking about a cause they were committed to on a level that meant death if they failed. But worse than death was cowardice or betrayal.

Who would want to be around that campfire if they had abandoned or betrayed or even fled from their friends?

What cause would you give your life for and who is on the “front lines” with you?

I remember once as a youth, when I had angered a Catholic nun teaching my fourth-grade religion class. In one heated exchange, she said, “Mr. Goebel, would you like to go to hell?”

In my honest, no-nonsense, tweener response, I said, “Sister, if you’re not there.”

Today, I can think of a number of Christian Evangelicals and clergy leaders I would NOT want to spend eternity with… and, for sure, many of them would not include me in their “forever campfire.”

· Eternal, aiōnios, [166], agelong, eternal, from [165], aiōn, an age, continued space of time, eternal, ancient

· Life, zoē, [2222], life, alive, from [2198], zaō, life, to live, to be alive

JOHN 17:06-12

I have manifested Your name…

All of our lives manifest something—whether intentionally or not. To manifest, in Greek, meant to make visible, make obvious or bring to light. Jesus’ life manifested God’s name. God’s name meant God’s character, cause and calling. What is the calling God has for us?

Jesus summed it up as loving like he loved us. Sacrificial love, a commitment to the unconditional dignity of another. The fallacy of love is that I always approve of what you do. This is deceptive. The truth of love is I always commit to you seeking and growing your own dignity and if there are times where the way you are living does not grow your dignity, I will let you know. Sometimes even firmly. If I love you like that, what I want for you is your absolute best.

Jesus wanted the absolute best for God and God wanted the absolute best for creation.

The manifestation of my life is not going to be revealed by me, but by others reflecting on my commitments and my actions. What will my actions and commitments manifest?

A friend of mine is eulogizing his twin brother today, he will talk about the manifestation of his twin’s life. The manifestation will not include all the minute details of his life, but the general way that he left people feeling in daily interactions. Was it inspiring or detrimental?

· Manifested, phaneroō, [5318], visible, disclose, outwardly, from [5318], phaneros, visible, apparent, obvious, well-known, from [5316], phainō, to bring light, appear, shine

· Your name, onoma, [3686], authority, cause, calling

… they have kept Your word

In this priestly prayer, Jesus commends his closest followers to God. He says those who have “kept your word.” What does it meant to keep God’s word?

It certainly doesn’t mean we kept it to ourselves. It means we honored it; we held it closely to our hearts as we went about God’s instructions (God’s Word) in our daily lives.

We keep a belief, not just by telling it to others, but by living it daily in our example.

· Kept, tēreō, [5083], guarded, held in custody, kept watch over, preserved, observed

· Your word, logos, [3056], account, instruction, from legō, [3004], address, order, command, thought, thing spoken

…keep them in Your name

Jesus petitions God on behalf of his followers saying, “The have kept your Word, so keep them in your Name…”

This is not really a reciprocal relationship, for how can we ever reciprocate what God offers us? Yet, it also points to an attitude that is part of a healthy life. When we amble through life acting as if we deserve all the love and adoration we received as cute babies, we miss so much of the true joy in life. True joy is a product of two G’s: Giving and Gratitude. The true attitude we should have—not just to God—but for all the love we receive is one of thankfulness.

It is often a great sadness in life that we forget to be grateful for those things we need the most and can’t do without:

1. Our daily breath

2. The world (nature) around us

3. The love of those closest to us

4. Personal freedom or health

To be thankful for the love that comes our way in this life is a significant component to liberation for almost everything that oppresses us.

How can you foster an attitude of thankfulness in all relationships and even in just being alive?

…not one of them perished but the son of perdition

My mentee, “T”, is pursuing a university degree in Christian Counseling in the Oregon State Penitentiary system. I can’t say how grateful I am to Corban University for offering this program—even through COVID. T is a brilliant young man whom I have known for over thirty years. This is a perfect opportunity for him to shine and offer his abilities to those around him instead of just wasting time in a penal facility normally focused on punishment.

At this time, his class is studying Calvinism and predestination. I think of this because this statement in the Priestly Prayer of Jesus often makes people reflect on predestination. Was Judas a lost cause even before he was born? He knew Jesus personally and lived with him intimately for years, yet he still wound up betraying the Lord.

I lean towards free will but believe Jesus knew Judas so well, that he knew Judas would succumb to temptation and yet, the Lord made him an apostle anyway. There are people I know from the intense experiences we have had together, and I pretty much know what they are going to do in most situations. Yet, because I don’t choose for them, I’m always open to being surprised.

As parents and guardians, it is important for us to know the permeability of the boundaries our children are forming. Parent(s) and youth workers should offer themselves as “the last ‘no’” if children find themselves in a situation with peers where they need an out.

As a leader, it was my responsibility not to put people in situations that might overwhelm their ability to choose a healthy path.

Judas showed every sign of being overwhelmed by being the overseer of the purse for the Apostle’s and the apostles knew and discussed it—not so much the love of money as the love of controlling it. Jesus must have known this as well and when the opportunity to gain power and prestige from forcing Jesus’ hand arose, Judas took it—and Jesus knew he would.

He knew Judas would betray him and loved him anyway….

· Perished, apollumi, [622], utterly destroyed, from apo, [575], away, desert, against, away from

· Perdition, apōleia, [684], destruction, waste, perish, from apollumi, [622], destroy utterly, put to death, ruin

JOHN 17:13-19

…they may have My joy made full in themselves

True joy always overflows, it can’t be withheld or reserved. True joy is also not event-based, it’s life-based. It’s a pattern, a habit built from daily choices of seeing life through the eyes of gratitude and hope regardless of circumstances.

This is the joy that Jesus asks God to give to his followers.: To make full, to overflow.

Here are seven habits to practice if you want to build a life of joy.

1. Seize your morning

When you wake in the morning and while you’re still laying in bed. Practice being in the moment. Call back your mind from concerns of the future (anxiety) and regrets of the past (worry). Focus on the moment. Use a mantra if that is helpful. I use Q,R,S: “Quiet my mind, Relax my body, Smile.”

2. Write down what makes you grateful

It’s not enough just to remember what your grateful for, write it down. There are days where it is going to be hard to remember your “gratitudes,” so get them on paper.

I used to tell parent(s) and guardians to create a Gratitude Jar and put it next to the child’s bed. When a child was melting down, they could reach into the jar and find a “Gratitude” to share.

Daily “Gratitudes” are best as part of every evening’s ritual and every morning’s wake up habit.

I don’t suggest keeping them on an electronic device, because the blue light will wake your brain and you might be tempted to check other messages—a major cause of sleep deprivation these days. By the way, sleep is important to gratitude as well. It is a crucial aspect of self-care.

3. Be openly thankful

Look for ways to tell people thank you throughout the day. Personal thank you’s are best as they are a strong source of oxytocin release. But thanking people electronically is beneficial as well. When you go through a thank you list in your mind, it is similar to creating your gratitude list. Remember thankful moments—the more detailed the better—is a prime source of releasing oxytocin and other endocrine chemicals that will increase your joy.

4. Seek out ways to praise others

Being thankful to others is one way of deepening your relationships and increasing your joy, but so is praising people. People grow from specific praise. Effective praise is not only specific, but it is also tied to effort. Make sure what you are praising doesn’t become a burden in a person’s life. For example, if you praise someone as an artist, research has shown they may stop doing art because they fear it will damage their reputation if they aren’t perfect. Instead of saying, “You’re a great artist…” say, “I can see you spent hours on that piece. You worked really hard.”

Build their character, not their resume.

5. Get outside and exercise

I’m sort of cheating here by combining two activities in one task. But exercise has been shown to increase in effectiveness if we are surrounded by nature. Instead of using an exercise machine, take a walk outside.

My little brother (a physical therapist and triathlete) used to say, “The best exercise is the one you’ll do.” It isn’t always best to set a daily record for your exercise routine, if it doesn’t lead to a long-term habit. Better to take little steps that you’ll repeat than giant leaps that might become psychological hurdles down the road.

6. Practice your smile

You smile not only makes you look great, but it also releases endorphins that make you feel more confident and joyful. However, it must be a sincere smile and at least 90 seconds in length. Practice “smiling with your eyes.” Smiling with our mouths is a good start, but when our smiles show up around our eyes, they become transformative. Go ahead, earn some crow’s feet. They are the most attractive wrinkles a person can have.

7. Be a goldfish

I’m borrowing this from the television show, “Ted Lasso,” In season 1, episode 2, Coach Lasso asks a player, “Do you know what the happiest animal in the world is?” and tells him it is a goldfish because it has a 10-second memory. “Be a goldfish,” he says.

· Joy, Chara, [5479], joy, greatly, from chairō, [5463], be glad, greeting

· Made full, plēroō, [4137], complete, accomplished, from plērēs, [4134], abounding, filled, covered

I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one

Despite what many preach and believe, being Christian is not a free pass out of pain or deprivation, far from it, if you look at the lives of authentic Christians, they experienced trials daily. They were politically persecuted, religiously ostracized, unable to find homes or jobs, frequently jailed and often tortured, even martyred. Christians were an easy blame for political hacks like Nero who watched Rome disintegrate under his degenerate oversight. Like Hitler blaming the Jews for Germany’s economy and the GOP blaming immigrants for everything from crime to job loss, Nero would blame the Christians for all the woes of Rome. Yet, like these other despots, it was Nero’s graft and debauchery that emptied his coffers and created enmity across the empire.

In his priestly prayer, Christ doesn’t ask God to remove Christians from “the world,” he asks God to make them strong enough to withstand “the evil one.” Rather than “take them,” Christ’s asks God to “keep them.” The difference is substantial. Clearly, we don’t get a “pass jail card” when we choose to follow Christ, in fact, for many early disciples, that was their “Go to jail card.”

Though we might wish that becoming Christians makes us exempt from the tragedies and inconsistencies of life. Our response to life’s interruptions should never be, “It’s not fair…” but, “How will this make me grow?”

The question we must ask is, “Can I keep my faith, even if the world takes everything else I have?”

· Take them, Airō, [142], lift them, remove, weigh anchor, raise, take up

· Keep Them, tērēo, [5083], guard, keep watch, reserve, preserve, hold in custody

…sanctified in truth

Let’s focus on the difference between sanctified and sanctimonious. Sanctified means to be made holy or made whole, to be consecrated or set apart. The concept includes the beauty of what God offers, but also the horror—because almost all beauty holds a hidden horror. It is similar to the bitter sweetness of loss. We only know bitter sweetness if we’ve felt the depth of love and all love eventually leads to loss. Perhaps it is like a fire that is too hot for humans to hold on to. But we should never read about being sanctified without including a huge sense of humility.

When I see bumper stickers that say, “I may not be perfect, but at least I’m forgiven,” I think to myself, “What hubris!!!” Forgiveness is not an excuse for poor behavior, it’s an opportunity to begin again WITH the realization of our fragility.

It is also critical to analyze the concept of “truth.” Truth isn’t being Right. It is being empathic. But there is no sanctimony in truth either. We are fortunate if we have what is mostly true to us, but it doesn’t give us a right to force that truth on others. Just as we discovered our own truth, we can only invite people to discover theirs and we do this through a process of invitation, never coercion. People rarely embrace forced truth. They may become compliant, but never enamored.

· Sanctified, hagiazō, [40] to make holy, to consecrate, horrible

· Truth, alētheia, [225], certainty, most, rightly

JOHN 17:20-22

… all be one

I write as a wave of ultra-conservative Christians are trying to force their political will on the United States. The net result has been a wave of mistrust towards Christianity—especially among the young. Church attendance is abysmal and has been on a steady decline for decades. Largely, denominations have lost their leadership by focusing on pelvic issues: birth control, abortion, homosexuality. This is not the focus of Jesus Christ who—in this final priestly prayer—pleads for unity.

Our unity is not based upon being right or having THE corner on truth, our unity should be based upon justice, our acts of compassion with the vulnerable. This is how Christ says we should be known; by our love—not our ideology.

It is love that captures and inspires generations, not truths, not dogma. When we lead with love, people long to follow us, not out of compliance or coercion, but out of desire, love, and hope.

· All, pas, [3596], all things, all people, all nature, everything, everybody, forever

· One, heis, [1520], agreement, alike, common

… so that the world may believe that You sent Me

How will the world believe? The world will believe when they see our outstanding love, when they see our unity and inclusivity. Many groups have unity—often a cohesion based upon a sense of “rightness,” turned into clique-ness—but our unity must be demonstrated by inclusion. Encouraging the development of various opinions and ideas and celebrating the diversity of the people around us.

This is the “Responsibility” side of rights. Every right has a responsibility and the responsibility of the Freedom to Worship is to guarantee that others have that freedom as well.

JOHN 17:23-26

… perfected in unity

In this final priestly prayer for his followers, Jesus instructs us what will perfect (complete) us. First, let’s look at what does NOT perfect us:

1. It is NOT theology

2. It is NOT being right

3. It is NOT coercing others into our system of belief through political bullying

It is unity.

A word about perfection here, we’ve examined this word before and it originally meant to be perfectly focused, telescopically. Focused on what? Compassion, service to the vulnerable. Nothing should be more binding on followers of Christ than our acts of humble service.

· Perfected, telioō, [5048], bring to an end, complete, make perfect, a full number, from telios [5046] having reached its end, mature

· Unity, heis, [1520], agreement, alike, one