Daily Bread 2011 - John 17
Daily Bread Together 2011 – John 17
Scripture:
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
What Does This Mean?
In John 17, we see Jesus’ heart as revealed through three prayers. Prayer for himself, as He begins to prepare himself for what will happen and that He will be back with His Father in heaven soon. Secondly, he prays for His disciples that they may be protected in the world, as they have been set apart (sanctified) by Him and given the words to carry on Jesus’ ministry. Finally, He prays for all believers that would come through their ministry, which includes us. And His prayer is that they would be “one”, as He and the Father are one.
Importantly the unity that Jesus prays for comes from the very unity that Jesus and the Father have together. Jesus has given them the glory that the Father gave him, and now He has shared it with His disciples that they too might reflect God’s glory.
Then, we see Jesus’ longing for those who have been given to Him to be with Him in heaven. He wants them to see the glory He has had before the Creation of the world. He wants them to see the full extent of the Father’s love that has been the motivation of everything Jesus has done on earth. Though He gave them a glimpse of this love it would not be fully realized until they joined Jesus in heaven.
What Does This Mean For Us?
Sometimes our efforts at unity fail in the church because we try to boil down our faith and beliefs to the least common denominator, so we can all get along. Yet the key to unity lies not in our ways of interpreting God through the various denominations, but it starts with God himself. If we are to have any chance at unity in the Church it should start with the unity God has in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus came to reveal to us the great love of God and the love that the Trinity has enjoyed since the Creation of the earth. As we participate in that love that Jesus came to share and keep our eyes on the source of this love, our differences will seem to be less severe.
And in fact, in this passage, it says that as we exhibit the unity and love God has within the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit: the world will be able to see what God’s love is really like. One day we will all be one, but for now it would be good for us to see true unity through the eyes of the One whose desire it is for us to be One, as He is One.
Heavenly Father help us to be One as you are One in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Keep our eyes on the love you share within Your Holy Family as we become more like you on earth so the world may truly know who you are. Amen.
Scripture:
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
What Does This Mean?
In John 17, we see Jesus’ heart as revealed through three prayers. Prayer for himself, as He begins to prepare himself for what will happen and that He will be back with His Father in heaven soon. Secondly, he prays for His disciples that they may be protected in the world, as they have been set apart (sanctified) by Him and given the words to carry on Jesus’ ministry. Finally, He prays for all believers that would come through their ministry, which includes us. And His prayer is that they would be “one”, as He and the Father are one.
Importantly the unity that Jesus prays for comes from the very unity that Jesus and the Father have together. Jesus has given them the glory that the Father gave him, and now He has shared it with His disciples that they too might reflect God’s glory.
Then, we see Jesus’ longing for those who have been given to Him to be with Him in heaven. He wants them to see the glory He has had before the Creation of the world. He wants them to see the full extent of the Father’s love that has been the motivation of everything Jesus has done on earth. Though He gave them a glimpse of this love it would not be fully realized until they joined Jesus in heaven.
What Does This Mean For Us?
Sometimes our efforts at unity fail in the church because we try to boil down our faith and beliefs to the least common denominator, so we can all get along. Yet the key to unity lies not in our ways of interpreting God through the various denominations, but it starts with God himself. If we are to have any chance at unity in the Church it should start with the unity God has in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus came to reveal to us the great love of God and the love that the Trinity has enjoyed since the Creation of the earth. As we participate in that love that Jesus came to share and keep our eyes on the source of this love, our differences will seem to be less severe.
And in fact, in this passage, it says that as we exhibit the unity and love God has within the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit: the world will be able to see what God’s love is really like. One day we will all be one, but for now it would be good for us to see true unity through the eyes of the One whose desire it is for us to be One, as He is One.
Heavenly Father help us to be One as you are One in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Keep our eyes on the love you share within Your Holy Family as we become more like you on earth so the world may truly know who you are. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment