Easter 7 ::: John 17: 1-11

After 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.

Translation:  Jesus spoke these things, and lifted up his eyes into heaven (and) he said, "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify your son so that the son may glorify you.  As you have given to him power over all flesh, so anyone who has been given to him, he will give to them eternal life.  And this is eternal life:  that they might know you, the only true God, and whom you sent, Jesus Christ.  I glorified you upon the earth.  I brought to completion the work which you have given me to do.  And now, Father, glorify you me, alongside yourself the glory which I am having alongside you before the universe came to be.

I made known your name to the ones whom you gave me out of the world.  They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.  Now they have known that all things, however many, you have given me are alongside of you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them, and they know truly that I came out alongside of you, and they have 'faithed' that you sent me.  I am asking concerning them--not concerning the universe am I asking--but concerning the ones you gave me because they are yours.  And all mine are yours and yours mine, and I am glorified in them.  And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I also am coming to you.  Holy Father, take care of them in your name that you have given me so that they may be one, just as we."

Background and situation:  The text begins the "high priestly prayer" section of the "farewell discourses" of Jesus in the fourth gospel.  He lifts up his eyes and speaks directly to God the Father.  He speaks of the fateful "hour," which, in the fourth gospel, refers to his crucifixion.  The fourth gospel has been pointing to Jesus' "hour" ever since chapter two when he said to his mother, "Woman...my hour has not yet come."

But now the "hour" is come--present tense.  The "hour" is not the resurrection--not yet--but the cross.  In the cross, the Son will be "glorified" and will "glorify" the Father.  The word is doxa, which means to make radiant and clothe with splendor.  The way of the cross, the downward descent into nothingness and annihilation, is proclaimed the path of true glory.

Eternal life:  It is through the cross that all will be drawn to Jesus--^"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (12:32)--which is why Jesus can now say that he has "power over all flesh." (17:2)  

Power for what?  To give anyone who has been given to Jesus "eternal life."  "Eternal life" is here defined in an interesting and unusual way:  Eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus.

Greek has two words for "life", bios and zoe.  Bios refers to living organisms.  The word here is zoe, which means true life, life at its core.  The word for "know" is ginosko, which means intimate, even mystical, knowledge.  

This intimate knowledge which brings "life eternal" comes by revelation, not reason--it is gift, not acquisition.  It is being "born from above" (3:7) and is, you might say, a tap into the Life Source itself. 

Telos:  Jesus has "brought to completion the work."  The word translated as ""brought to completion" is a form of telos, a very rich word in the New Testament.  It has the sense not only of finishing, but also "bringing to the goal." 

Jesus' last word in the fourth gospel, proclaimed from the cross, is a form of telos, tetelestai, which means, "it has been accomplished," or "it has been completed," or "it has been brought to the goal."  In the second century, Iraneus would speak of the anakephalaiososthai ta panta--the "summing up of all things into the head."  In the mid-20th century, Teilhard de Chardin spoke of the "omega point" toward which the cosmos was heading.

Making known the name of God:  Jesus has "made known" the name of God throughout the fourth gospel.  God's name, revealed to Moses, is YHWH.  It was probably pronounced "YAH-weh," though pronunciation is uncertain since the early Hebrews didn't actually speak the word out loud.   

I'm told that YHWH contains within it every conjugation of the verb "to be."  "I am who I am," or "I will be who I will be"--and every other variation as well.  When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek--the version known as the Septuagint--the YHWH of the Old Testament was rendered into Greek as ego eimi, an emphatic form of "I am."

Jesus says "ego eimi" all over the fourth gospel--45 times, in fact.  "I am the door," Jesus says.  "I am the good shepherd."  "I am the bread of life."  "I am the resurrection and the life."  "I am the light of the world."  "I am the true vine."  "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 

In the ancient world, accessibility to a "name" meant accessibility to the power behind that name.  In so openly expressing himself as "I am," the fourth gospel is saying that the power of God is made accessible to the people through Jesus himself.  (Moreover, in calling God "Father," Jesus is saying that our relationship with God is like the intimacy of a parent.  God is rarely spoken of as "Father" in the Old Testament.)

Rare and high praise for the disciples:  Somewhat surprisingly, the disciples are said to have "kept" God's Word" (logos).  They "know"--ginosko again--and, what's more, they "have received," "truly knew," and "faithed." 

This is high praise indeed since "knowing" in an intimate and mystical way, receiving Christ, and "faithing" in Christ are three of the major themes and exhortations in the fourth gospel.  Jesus is even "glorifed in them." 

The fourth gospel understands "them" as both the Johannine community, and, more broadly, the children of God.  The community of the children of God "knows" Jesus in an interior and mystical way.  They live out the teachings of Jesus through "faithing"--following in radical trust--which is made manifest in an open community that reaches across all worldly barriers.  Through them, Jesus himself is glorified--indeed, "made radiant."

"That they may be one":  Today's lection contains the phrase off-cited in the ecumenical movement--"that they may be one."  In recent years, some say the ecumenical movement has flagged, and its energy has dissipated.  If so, it's because the ecumenical movement has been so wildly successful. 

Fifty years ago, it was not difficult to find a Lutheran or a Catholic or a Baptist who thought that everyone but them was going to hell.  Today, that sort of thing is still around, but has been abandoned by the vast majority.  People today regularly visit, participate in, and join up with various traditions in the course of their lifetime.

The recent Pew Forum study on religion in America found that, more and more, people were willing to change from one tradition to another.  The study described the American religious landscape as "fluid and diverse."  “People will be surprised by the amount of movement by Americans from one religious group to another – or to no religion at all,” said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum.

The people are speaking.  They obviously no longer see various doctrinal issues as "church dividing."  In fact, as the various Christians traditions engage in dialog, they are, in effect, trying to catch up with where the people already are.

Image:  Sanctuary ceiling, Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Denver.

 

After 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.

Translation:  Jesus spoke these things, and lifted up his eyes into heaven (and) he said, "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify your son so that the son may glorify you.  As you have given to him power over all flesh, so anyone who has been given to him, he will give to them eternal life.  And this is eternal life:  that they might know you, the only true God, and whom you sent, Jesus Christ.  I glorified you upon the earth.  I brought to completion the work which you have given me to do.  And now, Father, glorify you me, alongside yourself the glory which I am having alongside you before the universe came to be.

I made known your name to the ones whom you gave me out of the world.  They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.  Now they have known that all things, however many, you have given me are alongside of you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them, and they know truly that I came out alongside of you, and they have 'faithed' that you sent me.  I am asking concerning them--not concerning the universe am I asking--but concerning the ones you gave me because they are yours.  And all mine are yours and yours mine, and I am glorified in them.  And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I also am coming to you.  Holy Father, take care of them in your name that you have given me so that they may be one, just as we."

Background and situation:  The text begins the "high priestly prayer" section of the "farewell discourses" of Jesus in the fourth gospel.  He lifts up his eyes and speaks directly to God the Father.  He speaks of the fateful "hour," which, in the fourth gospel, refers to his crucifixion.  The fourth gospel has been pointing to Jesus' "hour" ever since chapter two when he said to his mother, "Woman...my hour has not yet come."

But now the "hour" is come--present tense.  The "hour" is not the resurrection--not yet--but the cross.  In the cross, the Son will be "glorified" and will "glorify" the Father.  The word is doxa, which means to make radiant and clothe with splendor.  The way of the cross, the downward descent into nothingness and annihilation, is proclaimed the path of true glory.

Eternal life:  It is through the cross that all will be drawn to Jesus--^"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (12:32)--which is why Jesus can now say that he has "power over all flesh." (17:2)  

Power for what?  To give anyone who has been given to Jesus "eternal life."  "Eternal life" is here defined in an interesting and unusual way:  Eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus.

Greek has two words for "life", bios and zoe.  Bios refers to living organisms.  The word here is zoe, which means true life, life at its core.  The word for "know" is ginosko, which means intimate, even mystical, knowledge.  

This intimate knowledge which brings "life eternal" comes by revelation, not reason--it is gift, not acquisition.  It is being "born from above" (3:7) and is, you might say, a tap into the Life Source itself. 

Telos:  Jesus has "brought to completion the work."  The word translated as ""brought to completion" is a form of telos, a very rich word in the New Testament.  It has the sense not only of finishing, but also "bringing to the goal." 

Jesus' last word in the fourth gospel, proclaimed from the cross, is a form of telos, tetelestai, which means, "it has been accomplished," or "it has been completed," or "it has been brought to the goal."  In the second century, Iraneus would speak of the anakephalaiososthai ta panta--the "summing up of all things into the head."  In the mid-20th century, Teilhard de Chardin spoke of the "omega point" toward which the cosmos was heading.

Making known the name of God:  Jesus has "made known" the name of God throughout the fourth gospel.  God's name, revealed to Moses, is YHWH.  It was probably pronounced "YAH-weh," though pronunciation is uncertain since the early Hebrews didn't actually speak the word out loud.   

I'm told that YHWH contains within it every conjugation of the verb "to be."  "I am who I am," or "I will be who I will be"--and every other variation as well.  When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek--the version known as the Septuagint--the YHWH of the Old Testament was rendered into Greek as ego eimi, an emphatic form of "I am."

Jesus says "ego eimi" all over the fourth gospel--45 times, in fact.  "I am the door," Jesus says.  "I am the good shepherd."  "I am the bread of life."  "I am the resurrection and the life."  "I am the light of the world."  "I am the true vine."  "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 

In the ancient world, accessibility to a "name" meant accessibility to the power behind that name.  In so openly expressing himself as "I am," the fourth gospel is saying that the power of God is made accessible to the people through Jesus himself.  (Moreover, in calling God "Father," Jesus is saying that our relationship with God is like the intimacy of a parent.  God is rarely spoken of as "Father" in the Old Testament.)

Rare and high praise for the disciples:  Somewhat surprisingly, the disciples are said to have "kept" God's Word" (logos).  They "know"--ginosko again--and, what's more, they "have received," "truly knew," and "faithed." 

This is high praise indeed since "knowing" in an intimate and mystical way, receiving Christ, and "faithing" in Christ are three of the major themes and exhortations in the fourth gospel.  Jesus is even "glorifed in them." 

The fourth gospel understands "them" as both the Johannine community, and, more broadly, the children of God.  The community of the children of God "knows" Jesus in an interior and mystical way.  They live out the teachings of Jesus through "faithing"--following in radical trust--which is made manifest in an open community that reaches across all worldly barriers.  Through them, Jesus himself is glorified--indeed, "made radiant."

"That they may be one":  Today's lection contains the phrase off-cited in the ecumenical movement--"that they may be one."  In recent years, some say the ecumenical movement has flagged, and its energy has dissipated.  If so, it's because the ecumenical movement has been so wildly successful. 

Fifty years ago, it was not difficult to find a Lutheran or a Catholic or a Baptist who thought that everyone but them was going to hell.  Today, that sort of thing is still around, but has been abandoned by the vast majority.  People today regularly visit, participate in, and join up with various traditions in the course of their lifetime.

The recent Pew Forum study on religion in America found that, more and more, people were willing to change from one tradition to another.  The study described the American religious landscape as "fluid and diverse."  “People will be surprised by the amount of movement by Americans from one religious group to another – or to no religion at all,” said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum.

The people are speaking.  They obviously no longer see various doctrinal issues as "church dividing."  In fact, as the various Christians traditions engage in dialog, they are, in effect, trying to catch up with where the people already are.

Image:  Sanctuary ceiling, Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Denver.

After 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.

Translation:  Jesus spoke these things, and lifted up his eyes into heaven (and) he said, "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify your son so that the son may glorify you.  As you have given to him power over all flesh, so anyone who has been given to him, he will give to them eternal life.  And this is eternal life:  that they might know you, the only true God, and whom you sent, Jesus Christ.  I glorified you upon the earth.  I brought to completion the work which you have given me to do.  And now, Father, glorify you me, alongside yourself the glory which I am having alongside you before the universe came to be.

I made known your name to the ones whom you gave me out of the world.  They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.  Now they have known that all things, however many, you have given me are alongside of you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them, and they know truly that I came out alongside of you, and they have 'faithed' that you sent me.  I am asking concerning them--not concerning the universe am I asking--but concerning the ones you gave me because they are yours.  And all mine are yours and yours mine, and I am glorified in them.  And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I also am coming to you.  Holy Father, take care of them in your name that you have given me so that they may be one, just as we."

Background and situation:  The text begins the "high priestly prayer" section of the "farewell discourses" of Jesus in the fourth gospel.  He lifts up his eyes and speaks directly to God the Father.  He speaks of the fateful "hour," which, in the fourth gospel, refers to his crucifixion.  The fourth gospel has been pointing to Jesus' "hour" ever since chapter two when he said to his mother, "Woman...my hour has not yet come."

But now the "hour" is come--present tense.  The "hour" is not the resurrection--not yet--but the cross.  In the cross, the Son will be "glorified" and will "glorify" the Father.  The word is doxa, which means to make radiant and clothe with splendor.  The way of the cross, the downward descent into nothingness and annihilation, is proclaimed the path of true glory.

Eternal life:  It is through the cross that all will be drawn to Jesus--^"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (12:32)--which is why Jesus can now say that he has "power over all flesh." (17:2)  

Power for what?  To give anyone who has been given to Jesus "eternal life."  "Eternal life" is here defined in an interesting and unusual way:  Eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus.

Greek has two words for "life", bios and zoe.  Bios refers to living organisms.  The word here is zoe, which means true life, life at its core.  The word for "know" is ginosko, which means intimate, even mystical, knowledge.  

This intimate knowledge which brings "life eternal" comes by revelation, not reason--it is gift, not acquisition.  It is being "born from above" (3:7) and is, you might say, a tap into the Life Source itself. 

Telos:  Jesus has "brought to completion the work."  The word translated as ""brought to completion" is a form of telos, a very rich word in the New Testament.  It has the sense not only of finishing, but also "bringing to the goal." 

Jesus' last word in the fourth gospel, proclaimed from the cross, is a form of telos, tetelestai, which means, "it has been accomplished," or "it has been completed," or "it has been brought to the goal."  In the second century, Iraneus would speak of the anakephalaiososthai ta panta--the "summing up of all things into the head."  In the mid-20th century, Teilhard de Chardin spoke of the "omega point" toward which the cosmos was heading.

Making known the name of God:  Jesus has "made known" the name of God throughout the fourth gospel.  God's name, revealed to Moses, is YHWH.  It was probably pronounced "YAH-weh," though pronunciation is uncertain since the early Hebrews didn't actually speak the word out loud.   

I'm told that YHWH contains within it every conjugation of the verb "to be."  "I am who I am," or "I will be who I will be"--and every other variation as well.  When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek--the version known as the Septuagint--the YHWH of the Old Testament was rendered into Greek as ego eimi, an emphatic form of "I am."

Jesus says "ego eimi" all over the fourth gospel--45 times, in fact.  "I am the door," Jesus says.  "I am the good shepherd."  "I am the bread of life."  "I am the resurrection and the life."  "I am the light of the world."  "I am the true vine."  "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 

In the ancient world, accessibility to a "name" meant accessibility to the power behind that name.  In so openly expressing himself as "I am," the fourth gospel is saying that the power of God is made accessible to the people through Jesus himself.  (Moreover, in calling God "Father," Jesus is saying that our relationship with God is like the intimacy of a parent.  God is rarely spoken of as "Father" in the Old Testament.)

Rare and high praise for the disciples:  Somewhat surprisingly, the disciples are said to have "kept" God's Word" (logos).  They "know"--ginosko again--and, what's more, they "have received," "truly knew," and "faithed." 

This is high praise indeed since "knowing" in an intimate and mystical way, receiving Christ, and "faithing" in Christ are three of the major themes and exhortations in the fourth gospel.  Jesus is even "glorifed in them." 

The fourth gospel understands "them" as both the Johannine community, and, more broadly, the children of God.  The community of the children of God "knows" Jesus in an interior and mystical way.  They live out the teachings of Jesus through "faithing"--following in radical trust--which is made manifest in an open community that reaches across all worldly barriers.  Through them, Jesus himself is glorified--indeed, "made radiant."

"That they may be one":  Today's lection contains the phrase off-cited in the ecumenical movement--"that they may be one."  In recent years, some say the ecumenical movement has flagged, and its energy has dissipated.  If so, it's because the ecumenical movement has been so wildly successful. 

Fifty years ago, it was not difficult to find a Lutheran or a Catholic or a Baptist who thought that everyone but them was going to hell.  Today, that sort of thing is still around, but has been abandoned by the vast majority.  People today regularly visit, participate in, and join up with various traditions in the course of their lifetime.

The recent Pew Forum study on religion in America found that, more and more, people were willing to change from one tradition to another.  The study described the American religious landscape as "fluid and diverse."  “People will be surprised by the amount of movement by Americans from one religious group to another – or to no religion at all,” said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum.

The people are speaking.  They obviously no longer see various doctrinal issues as "church dividing."  In fact, as the various Christians traditions engage in dialog, they are, in effect, trying to catch up with where the people already are.

Image:  Sanctuary ceiling, Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Denver.