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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 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
From the beginning of last week (see last Monday's reading) the lectionary has been taking us through the Farewell Discourse of Jesus to the apostles. On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying." Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 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. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father." His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. 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." My study bible says that Christ's prayer, which begins here in today's verses, is often called the High Priestly Prayer, as it contains the basic elements of prayer a priest offers to God when a sacrifice is about to be made: glorification, remembrance of God's works, intercession on behalf of others, and a declaration of the offering itself. It notes also that the hour has come signifies that Christ is Lord over time - He goes to the Cross voluntarily in His appropriate timing. Glorify refers to the redemption of all creation that will be accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection -- the purpose for which Christ was sent into the world. It says, "In this redemption, the Father and the Son are glorified. This is why the Cross, which is a sign of death, is glorified in the Church as 'life-giving' and the 'weapon of peace.'"
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Here is news indeed! Eternal life is knowing God! My study bible tells us that knowledge of the only true God is far more than intellectual understanding. It is participation in His divine life and in communion with Him... thus, "eternal life is an ongoing, loving knowledge of God in Christ and the Holy Spirit."
"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 suggests here that Christ's work cannot be separated from who He is. It says, "This verse is a statement each believer can make at the end of life, no matter how long or short that life may be."
"I have manifested Your name to 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." Jesus speaks of the men whom You have given Me -- the apostles. (We should note, however, that this word for "men" in Greek generally means "human beings.") My study bible says that these are the ones through whom God's word comes to us: "This handing down of God's word to successive generations is called apostolic tradition. Isaiah prophesied that in the days of the Messiah, the knowledge of the Name of God would be revealed (Isaiah 52:6). Your name: In Old Testament times, the phrase 'the name' was reverently used as a substitute for God's actual Name "Yahweh" which was too sacred to pronounce. The fuller revelation of the Name was given to those who believe in Christ, for Christ manifested the Name not only by declaring the Father, but by being the very presence of God and sharing the Name with Him."
"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." A note tells us that Christ first prayed for Himself, and secondly for them (the apostles) -- and then in these verses He prays for those whom You have given Me. That is, all who will come to believe in Him (which will be further addressed in further readings). It says, "Here the world is the portion of humanity in rebellion against God, those who prefer darkness to His light."
"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." The Didache (the earliest known teaching document of the Church, linked to the teachings of the apostles) contains a eucharistic prayer (10:2) that echoes these words: "We give you thanks, Holy Father, for Your holy name which You have made to dwell in our hearts" (10:2).
In this prayer (at least what we have read of it so far) Jesus touches on themes that have already been explored in John's Gospel. First we note that the hour of His glorification has come, the Cross. In His words here, perhaps the Son acknowledges fully the assent to this plan: "The hour has come. Glorify Your Son." Again, as we've been taught, this glory is reflexive between the Persons in this relationship; it is not a self-centered prayer nor plea, nor is it a statement concerning only Himself. Glory is something shared, reflected -- just as He has taught us that we, too, may reflect this glory in the world through faith. Jesus makes this more explicit when He says, "I have manifested Your name." Again, reflecting upon teachings we have already received in this Gospel, Christ manifests the Person and traits of the Father in the world: through Him "we have seen the Father" -- we have been given the Father through the Son. (See John 14:7-11.) Here, He prays for us, He prays for His sheep, the ones who have heard His voice. That includes the apostles through whom all will hear, and it also includes those who will follow. But to my way of thinking, there is something new and emphatic, perhaps a great big glint of a facet we know from this Gospel but which Jesus makes really, really explicit: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." To know God is eternal life. This form of the word know in the Greek indicates something that grows through time, familiarity, relationship, to come to know a person, a growing intimacy, a true meeting of persons and growth in the depth of that coming together. This is not about a simple declaration of faith. It is living in communion with God and growing in that life. It is abiding in God (John 15:4-8). When Jesus prays, "All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them," He is magnifying this relationship into the fullness of what Church really means. This is a relationship of love in which all are inseparable from one another, it is love that includes Creator and creations in which we are embraced and "come to know" God and grow in that knowledge and reciprocal love. It also is an embrace of glory in which we, too, glorify and are glorified by sharing that light. Let us remember, this is a prayer. We are embraced by Christ's prayer, and embraced by the Father and the Spirit. Prayer is our means of communication, the thing that connects us. Jesus prays not just for knowledge, but a depth of "knowing" so deep "that they may be one as We are."
