And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

"I have manifested Your name to all the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."

- John 17:1-11

All through last week, we were reading Jesus' Farewell Discourse to His Apostles. Today, we continue with the discourse, starting chapter 17. On Saturday, the lectionary gave us the passage in which Jesus spoke of His going away "for a little while" and of the great sorrow the Apostles would feel -- albeit temporarily. Jesus said, "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." Jesus warns them again that in the coming times, they will be scattered, and leave Him alone. But He warns them so that they may have peace when all happens. He said, " In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." My study bible says that the fact that Jesus says, "the hour has come" signifies that He is in charge of time. It is He who decides whether or not the time is right to lay down His life. It is the time of glory: of recognition of true identity in both Father and Son. The eternal life that we may be granted is just this, to participate in the life of Father and Son and Spirit so that we may live with and grow in knowledge of God. My study bible has an important note: "The knowledge of God, which is eternal life, goes far beyond rational or academic pursuit; it is participation in divine life and communion with God. Thus, eternal life -- life proper to the age to come -- is an ongoing, loving knowledge of God in Christ." Jesus has finished His work on earth, the hour has come -- and in all things in that work, He has glorified the Father. He has followed God's will in all things; and the time has come in which God restores Him to the fullness of life with God, as before Incarnation (even "before the world was"). But He has authority over all flesh: my study bible says: "For Christians, there are two important and interrelated aspects of Christ: (1) who He is: the eternal Son of God incarnate; and (2) His work: accomplished through His Incarnation. His work is not limited to the Cross. It incorporates everything from His conception in the womb of Mary to His Ascension and enthronement in the eternal Kingdom."

"I have manifested Your name to all the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me." To manifest the name is to reveal or make it real and present to others. God's "name" (as we have previously discussed) is all that belongs to God, just as with the name of an emperor or king. My study bible says, "Isaiah 52:6 prophesies that in the messianic days the knowledge of the Name, which is an extension of the being and power of God, will be revealed (see Rev. 3:12; 22:4)." The name of God is linked to all the acts that God commands -- the word given to Christ to give to those whom the Father chose out of the world. So, together with what has come earlier in the passage, above, Jesus has gathered those to Himself whom the Father has gathered to Him -- and through the understanding of the "name" of God, through the words He has been given with which to teach, all become one, a Church. It is all about relationship: from the Father to the Son to the Apostles -- and by extension, of course, to us. Jesus does more than return to the glory and state He had "before the world was" -- He has established His church on earth through the depth of relatedness expressed here, to those whom the Father has gathered to Him, and this is the work in the world which He has completed. It is a full relatedness of faith and love and discipleship, which extends from the Father down to the human beings who will live in that faith.

"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are." And here is the depth of prayer for this new thing in the world, this singular relatedness of the group of human beings together with Father and Son (and Spirit, of course) who constitute "Church." He prays that His work will continue, that not one will be lost, despite the fact that His work as Incarnate Jesus in the world is over and He is leaving to rejoin the Father in glory. He also prays, so significantly for us, that He is glorified in us. It is not only a heavenly glory, distant from this world, but a glory that lives through us and in us. It is a full relationship of each to each, with the presence of God with us -- Emmanuel. As so often in the past, He prays a full circle of reality here: the Father has given Him the Apostles, He has kept them and glorified God's name in His work with them in the world. They have full faith in the relationship between Father and Son and the word they have been given. And now He prays for one more powerful thing to be real and kept alive in the world: "that they may be one as We are." My study bible quotes the eucharistic prayer of Didache 10:2: "We give You thanks, Holy Father, for Your Holy Name which You have made to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which You have made known to us through Your Son Jesus."

Over and over again, we will encounter Jesus' restatement of relationship, and how significant it all is in the face of the great truths He teaches us. Here, the relationship of Father and Son is highlighted, and the glory that is to happen as Jesus returns to that state He was in "before the world was." But there is so much more to it. We cannot see Jesus as simply returning to that early state of communion or oneness with the Father in the divine reality; instead He carries us with Him. The great work He has done is for our salvation, to bring us to eternal life, or -- as it says in today's reading -- "that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." To know is to live in relationship, as in to get to know someone, to grow in an intimate understanding. And, as my study bible says, this involves so much more than rational or academic pursuit, but rather to "live in participation in divine life or communion with God." All in all, this is a prayer about love -- and the relatedness in love that extends from the exalted heights of mystery in the Father, right down to us: or rather, to the Apostles, through whom the word will come to the world. When we accept that word, which is so much, then we too may be gathered into this communion. My study bible says, "The word which they have kept is Jesus' revelation, and especially the new commandment to love one another, which is a definitive mark of discipleship (13:34)." God is glorified in us when we keep His word, and as we grow in this relationship, which is eternal life. Today, this moment, you have a choice to step onto that eternal road. Will you take it? As the prayer says, "Your Holy Name which You have made to dwell in our hearts" -- it is right there. Will you open the door to it and see where it takes you today?