Our Father in heaven

 

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 

- Matthew 6:7–15 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).   In yesterday's reading, Jesus began speaking of practices which strengthen and express our faith, and how we should conduct ourselves through these practices.  Jesus spoke of three spiritual practices we need for our faith:  almsgiving (charitable deeds), prayer, and fasting.  He taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.   Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. . . . Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

  "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  Today's reading appears in the Gospel between Christ's words on prayer and those on fasting found in yesterday's reading, above.  We're given this as a separate reading as it includes what is known as the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father.  Here Jesus has begun speaking against hypocrisy in faith practices, and in particular, in prayer.  And continues by speaking against vain repetitions.  Hypocrisy blocks a true personal communion with God in prayer, and neither can vain repetitions establish such a communion.  My study Bible comments that God doesn't need our "babble."  To partake of this communion, it notes, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore, we pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Moreover, my study Bible notes that Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but is rather teaching us that words must express a true desire for communion with God.  In the following verses, Jesus teaches us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer).  So, it's not repetition itself that is condemned here, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  

 

 "In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name."  My study Bible remarks that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity is a revelation of our potential relationship with God.  Christ is the Son of God, and He grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God," each Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ does the Father.  My study Bible asks us to note that God is not our Father simply because God is our Creator.  God is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with God.  This is a communion coming only by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  

 

 "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  The whole of the Sermon on the Mount is meant to be teaching us about the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven.  Here the prayer Christ gives us shows us our loyalty, and the true desire for God's kingdom to become manifest in our world, as part of our lives.  In St. Matthew's 12th chapter, Jesus will comment, "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (see Matthew 12:47-50).  How do we know what God's will is?  At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:7-9).  So, we follow the teachings He has given us.

 

"Give us this day our daily bread."  My study Bible comments that "daily" here is a misleading translation of a very particular Greek word.  This word is ἐπιούσιος/epiousios. It seems to have been coined specifically for the Gospels.  It literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  So, the expression daily bread isn't meant simply to ask for today's food or bread, for earthly nourishment.  This indicates, as my study Bible puts it, the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  Of course, this living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  The Eucharist embodies this concept in sacrament as instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper.  In Christ's prayer, then, we're not just asking for material bread for physical health, but for the spiritual bread of eternal life (see John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  My study Bible remarks that this request to be forgiven is plural, and directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  This term debts is a reference to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35).  

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  My study Bible comments that God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13); temptations come from the evil one, the devil.  It says that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh, such as lust and anger, which Jesus has spoken of in the Sermon on the Mount as leading to sin (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, my study Bible notes, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.

 

 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible notes that Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a foundation or precondition of God's forgiveness.  It says that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This is a teaching which is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with the same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.   

 

Forgiveness always seems to be a tricky question.  In a commentary by Fr. Stephen De Young on the Sermon on the Mount, he indicated that the teachings in this Sermon are difficult for all of us.  In the final verse in chapter 5, Jesus taught, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (see this reading and commentary).  Clearly, perfection -- and the perfection of our Father in heaven at that! -- is a tall order.  But we are meant to grow throughout our lives in our faith.  This is a bar we seek to continually be approaching throughout our lives.  It's not one where we press a button and are automatically at the goal of the fullness of faith and union with God.  The constant practice of repentance is understood as a constant movement toward God's light in its fullness.  This is a lifelong learning and growth, with plenty of setbacks and stumbling for all of us to learn from and through which to grow in faith and reliance upon our Lord.  So, when we approach forgiveness as Jesus teaches us, it can be daunting.  It's important to understand that the word for "forgive" in Greek means "let go."  It's similar to a bank letting go of a debt, erasing it off the books.  So, in this sense, we can understand Jesus' commands for forgiveness as an extension of His teachings calling on us to refrain from practicing vengeance earlier in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48).  When we are willing to "let go" of a debt, we can let it go to God.  This seems to have the effect of clearing the decks, so to speak.  If we're not focused on retribution, we're free to ask God and pray for the proper way to move forward within a difficult situation or circumstance.  What if the other person continues in hostile behavior?  What if they never apologize?  What if a situation can't be easily rectified or remedied?  All of these questions can be brought to God in prayer -- without seeking tit for tat or "an eye for an eye."  This is one tremendous advantage of forgiveness; it gives us clearer sight, and hopefully a clearer head as well through which to approach a problem.  It also helps to prevent us from landing in deeper trouble than we otherwise might.  Christ's words and teachings are clear, that whatever it is others might be doing, He wants us not to engage in the same evils, but to "keep our noses clean," so to speak.  This is because we are His, we are His followers, His children, His disciples, and that must not just count for something, but be distinguished by the ways in which we conduct our lives and seek to please God first before any other demands or pressures we might feel.  Again, learning to be Christ's disciples is a lifelong process.  We are meant to grow in our faith.  But in the process, as my study Bible indicates, we become sons of God by adoption, we grow as people, and we find we are capable of so much more strength in following His commands than we expect.  As Jesus has said, "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).  If one keeps up acquaintance with popular science and psychology, we read frequently about the importance of neuroplasticity of the brain.  This describes the capacity of our brains even physically to change, adapt, and repair injury.  It's an important concept in the study of dementia, and other diseases of the brain.  But if our popular and significant science focuses on this plasticity of brain in physical and psychological terms, imagine what is therefore possible for us in soul and spirit with God's help.  What Jesus is teaching us about growth in discipleship is only confirmed through modern science and the understanding of change and adaptability of the brain on physiological terms.  So let us proceed with all the tools available for us through our faith -- through prayer, Scripture, the practices of the Church, worship, and our constant transformation through a sense of lifelong repentance.  That is, a lifelong process of turning toward God, finding God's light for us leading the way to our own transformation as God's children by adoption.  For this is where and how the Light of our Lord leads us and teaches us to process and live our lives.   Let us practice what He teaches us in faith, seeking always the deeper communion with Our Father in heaven.  Lest we be tempted to believe that forgiveness means that we tolerate any and all things, consider that Christ brought into this world a spiritual battle against the one He called "the father of lies" and "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44).  Jesus' teachings for us are, in effect, the ways to wage spiritual battle, to combat evil at its source.  Let us become the true children of God our Father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  

 

"O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  

 

- John 17:20–26

 

On Thursday, we began reading the High Priestly Prayer; that is, Christ's final prayer at the Last Supper.  Yesterday we read that Jesus continued, "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.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."  Jesus prays for those who will believe.  My study Bible comments that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  Christians enjoy two kinds of unity, it says:  first with God and also with one another -- the latter being rooted in the former.   See Christ's naming of the two greatest commandments in the Law (Matthew 22:36-40).  

 

 "O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   My study Bible says that the ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and even of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person.  

 

 Let us note how Christ frames our unity.  Our unity is in love.  He says to the Father about His followers, "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  Through faith in Christ's words and teachings, which come from the Father, we enter into God's love in the kind of unity that is one way to understand what it means to have eternal life.  For if the love with which the Father loves the Son is also in us, and Christ is also in us, then this means we may dwell with them.  Effectively, we are united in love.  John's Gospel is known as the Gospel of love, for it is St. John who teaches us so much about Christ's love and how it is inextricably linked to our faith.  For if the relationship between Father and Son is love to begin with, then for the Father and the Son (and the Spirit) to dwell within us, and we are to know that love, then love becomes all in all, and this is a kind of declaration in Jesus' prayer that ultimately, love is everything.  It is St. John also who will write in his Epistle that God is love.  "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8).  So really, at its heart, our faith is all about love, and that is what one reads in His prayer.  It opens up a line of inquiry necessary for us to understand what we are about to wonder exactly, what is love?  For many people seem to define and live a variety of versions of love, or what people believe that love is.  There is the love that is covetous, that wants something, and wants it all to oneself. There is a kind of love that seeks to control, or wants others to be stamped in their image (say, a child, for example).  But throughout the Gospels, Jesus does not speak of love as taking or controlling.  Jesus speaks most often of actions that indicate expansiveness, giving.  He speaks of forgiveness (Matthew 18:35).  He speaks of giving up our lives to save our lives ("For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" - Matthew 16:25; "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" - John 12:25).  Jesus prepares His disciples for His Passion at the Last Supper by telling them, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13).  All of these actions of love as given to us by Christ as actions of grace, actions that in some way emulate or express the love of God.  This love is generous, and cares for each one as is necessary for each one.  As the Good Shepherd, He calls us all by name; in Him we are known and we know Him (John 10:2-4).  Through His truth our Shepherd does not compel or enslave, but makes each one free who hears and follows ("If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" - John 8:31-32).  Moreover, in this love through which the Father, Son, and Spirit may dwell in us is a home with many rooms, many dwelling places, room for each one ("In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" - John 14:2).  Let us consider carefully this understanding of Christ's indwelling, for the whole purpose seems to be to enfold us in love, so that we also become like God, and able to live and practice this love in our hearts also.  For this is a love we don't fully know, not a love like the world loves; this is a reconciliation of true peace for it is truly gracious ("Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" - John 14:27).  Let us learn from Him, follow Him, remain true to His word and grow in His love as His disciples.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give us this day our daily bread

 

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

 As we forgive our debtors. 

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 

- Matthew 6:7-15 

 

 We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your  Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

  "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we expanded upon this verse, and the question of what constitutes vain repetitions. See yesterday's commentary here, in which we included the subject of the Jesus Prayer.  To reiterate from Jesus' talk about prayer from yesterday's reading, let us recall that Jesus speaks against hypocritical prayer.  The true spirit of prayer is an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and vision -- my study Bible says that vain repetitions cannot establish this, but both silence and words are necessary.  The use of many words is not condemned of itself.  Rather, words must express this desire for communion with God.  Additionally, neither is repetition itself condemned here but "vain repetition."  Many psalms and prayers and hymns are repeated throughout Church services for generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  

 

 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  My study Bible explains that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals our potential relationship with God.  Christ is the Son of God, and grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" a Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ models for us in serving the Father.  My study Bible asks us to note that God is not our Father just because God created us.  He is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with Him.  This is a communion that comes by the grace of adoption alone (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  Note that with sonship follows obedience and love of God's will; the prayer Jesus gives us prays fully for God's kingdom to come and God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

 

"Give us this day our daily bread."  Here is the center of the prayer, and appropriately, it's a unification of heaven and earth.  "Daily," my study Bible explains, is a misleading translation of the Greek.  This word is επιουσιος/epiousios, which literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  The expression daily bread, then, doesn't mean simply bread for today, for earthly nourishment.  This is the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, and the nourishment of our immortal soul.  This living, supersubstantial bread, my study Bible says, is Christ Himself.  In the Lord's prayer, therefore, we're not simply asking for material bread for physical health.  Rather, we as for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  My study Bible emphasizes that this request to be forgiven is plural -- just as the prayer itself is the prayer of community ("Our Father")  -- and this directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  The term debts is reference to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35, and also the final verse in today's reading).

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  God tempts no one to sin, says my study Bible (see James 1:13); temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  My study Bible tells us that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, it notes, but we pray that great temptations; that is, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.  

 

 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible comments that Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  People who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with the same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.  

 

It may be important to remember, as we read throughout this Sermon on the Mount, that Jesus is speaking to His disciples.  That is, to a group of believers, and in this sense, to His future Church.  All of these teachings are meant for us to apply them within this community, our community of believers.  Throughout history, as Christian faith became associated with countries or nations, that community then extended to all who were a part of it.  But for us in our present day and age, it seems important to remember that the Church was not meant to be an imitation of the world, but to bring about, as Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."   Jesus emphasizes this new covenant that creates its own community by living in accord with that faith, when He says to His disciples at the Last Supper, "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" (John 16:33).  This difference between "the world" and believers in the Church is emphasized by St. Paul when he writes to the Corinthians about discernment within the Church, and outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).  In the early Church then, the methods of treating one another, of living the life of faith, distinguished Christians from the societies in which they lived, and this, of course, made a great impact in terms of drawing people to the Church.  This remains entirely essential for us today, to understand that we don't want to drag "worldly" ways of behaving into the Church, but we must think of ourselves as a community with an important mission, and that mission -- as defined here by Christ -- consists in how we live our faith, especially within the community itself and between one another.  Many wise saints have taught us that the Church is not just an institution.  It is meant to be a hospital, a place of healing.  How can we heal from a world filled with things that harm and oppress except by the practice of the kind of love that Christ teaches us, and particularly among one another?  In this prayer given to the Church (which we pray communally to "Our Father" and not simply individually) Jesus lays out what it looks like to prepare a way to bring the Kingdom into the world, and to seek to live the Father's will.  Mutual forgiveness is a part of that, mercy is a part of that.  This is not to say that abuse is tolerated at all -- there are far too many passages in which Jesus warns us starkly about that, and in which St. Paul chastises his flock for such behaviors.  But forgiveness takes particular forms for us, and above all that means that we pray for one another, we don't seek vengeance, but peace between one another as best we can.  For all of this, we have great help, for Christ is always with us, and where Christ is, there are also the Father and the Spirit, and the great communion of saints and angels.  We endeavor, of course, to have peace with all around us.  But let us remember the community of disciples to whom Christ speaks, within which we each are counted. Our daily bread is the bread of the Kingdom with which we seek to be fed, and in which we wish to grow.

 

 

O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?

 

 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 

 

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to the disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  

 

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

 

- Luke 9:37-50 

 

Yesterday we read that, about eight days after Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ of God, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

 

  Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  As Jesus is just returning from the mountain of the Transfiguration together with James, John, and Peter, the disciples who were attempting to cast out the spirit were the other nine left behind.  

 

Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  My study Bible comments that while the disciples' faith was incomplete (Matthew 17:19-20), Christ's rebuke is also to the crowds, whose faith was weaker still (see Mark 9:22-24). 

 

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to the disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  My study Bible remarks here upon Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion.  It says that this was meant to encourage and strengthen His disciples for the terrifying events that they would faith -- and also to assure them that Christ was not powerless but went to the Cross willingly. 

 

 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Perhaps because of Christ's warnings which the disciples do not understand, they believe that a worldly kind of kingdom will manifest for Christ; so they dispute among one another which one would be greatest in that kingdom.  Jesus points to a little child to correct their thinking.  Jesus emphasizes humility and gracious service as the key to greatness among His disciples in His Kingdom.

 

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."   My study Bible comments that Theophylact sees John's comment as regret, as his conscience was pricked by what Christ said about the least and the great.  But, on the other hand, St. Ambrose of Milan see John as expecting full obedience to accompany such blessings.  Christ's response, my study Bible says, shows that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples.  Theophylact is quoted:  "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples" (see also Numbers 11:24-30).  On those who use Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23; Acts 19:13-16.

 

 Today's reading begins with a father desperate to save his son from the spirit that harms the child.  He has gone to the disciples to cast it out, and they cannot.  Jesus' response to this scene He comes upon from the Mount of Transfiguration is to say, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?"  Jesus then rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.   It's important that we know that Jesus has just returned from the Transfiguration, in which it was revealed to the disciples on no uncertain terms that Jesus is God; as such, this scene coming upon the heels of that event is significant in its juxtaposition.  We don't all know God's will clearly and concisely; a great revelation -- a Theophany, or revelation ("manifestation") of God -- has just been given to Peter, John, and James.  This is, of course, a rare and exceptional event that teaches about the true reality of Christ as Son of God.  But coming down from the mountain, the encounter with the people returns us back to our state of daily worldly life.  We simply don't know God fully; we are full of doubt and fear when we have troubles, and we don't have certainty.  Some would interpret this scene to say that all we need to do is have enough faith in what we are praying for, and it will happen for us.  But we are forgetting, then, that our faith is not about magic.  It's not about special incantations that "work" one way or another.  It's not even really about us; it's about Christ.  What faith must do for us is not to convince ourselves of the inevitability of the outcome for which we pray.  Faith is not about putting faith into what we want per se as if all of our desires define all possibilities of life.  Faith is about trust in Christ.  Let us note that this healing is framed as a spiritual battle, wherein the people and the disciples could not fully trust God in the struggle.  In the scene that follows, Jesus once again asserts to the disciples that He will suffer.  He says, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  We know Christ goes voluntarily to His death; and yet, in the garden of Gethsemane, He will pray, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  We see His natural human abhorrence of death expressed in a prayer we can all understand, and yet He prays, "Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  This is trust, and this is faith, that we give our problems to God to find God's way through them.  We pray for what we deeply desire, but keep our hearts in faith that there is so much more that we don't know.  We don't understand why God allows things we call evil to happen.  We don't understand why God allows suffering, and we see so much suffering in our world.  We don't understand why God allows evil in our world, for the evil one, the devil, to continue in influence.  We know the defeat of the devil is in Christ, and the power of Christ, but we still live in the place where we human beings are the battlefield, and we are invited into the midst of this struggle.  We know that death is not the end, but that life in Christ is eternal.  And so, the devil's defeat is done -- and yet conditions in our world still render us in a struggle with temptation and sin and all that goes with it.  A friend is deeply struggling with an ill child.  It seems like things get better, only to take a step backward later, and it truly seems like this affliction works like a demon.  But the power of God is something we should remember as always present.  Regardless of this child's suffering, God has allowed a circumstance in which great glory is on display in my friend as a father, for his love shines through, and the strength of his child shines through.  There are so many people he has gathered together in prayer and care, his love has magnified across a great swathe of people who pray and who follow the illness of this child.  Of course, we don't know the outcome.  But one thing is quite certain, if even Jesus prays, "Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done," then so this should also accompany our prayers and our love.  For God's vision is always beyond ours, and our blessings are things we don't necessarily know nor grasp.  When Jesus teaches us about faith, this is what we need to remember:  that the God who loves us is the God who brought defeat of death about through death, that even the suffering of Crucifixion made possible through faith the glory of Resurrection shared and offered to us all.  Let us remember what faith is, even in the worst of times, and add faith in God to all that we do and desire.  Finally in our reading today, the disciples dispute and wish to be the greatest.  But Jesus must set them straight on exactly what greatness is, and it's not on the world's terms.  Neither is it on their terms, there are others who act in His name who do not follow with them.  The final lesson in our reading remains that of humility before God.  Let us know that even when God's outcome is not the one that we desire or expect as "good," we will find we are blessed nonetheless through the struggle in our faith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

- John 17:20–26 

 

In our current reading, the lectionary is giving us what is known as Christ's High Priestly Prayer.   The setting is the Last Supper, just after Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples (John 14 - 16), and just prior to His arrest.  The first part of this prayer is found in Thursday's reading.  Yesterday we read the second part, and today we're given the third and final part of the prayer.  In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus prayed, "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.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."  My study Bible comments here regarding those who will believe.   It notes that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  It remarks that Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.  See Matthew 22:36-40.

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  My study Bible notes here that the ultimate goal of Christ's High Priestly Prayer, and indeed of life itself for all of us, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person.  

Perhaps the most important statement we will read in all the Bible is just this one by Jesus, "that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  As He puts it here, this is a declaration of the intent of all of His ministry, His purpose, why He has "declared to them Your name, and will declare it."  It's intriguing that on the very eve of His arrest, which is imminent here, Jesus speaks of the future, that He will declare it [the Name of God the Father].  Perhaps the greatest declaration of the Name of the Father is Christ's glorification on the Cross, and His Resurrection.  But perhaps also this passage speaks to the ongoing activity of the Trinity in our world and in our midst (Luke 17:21).  Perhaps both are true, that Christ's witness to the Father will fully manifest in His sacrificial love for us and His Resurrection; but also at the same time, He will live in us, continually declaring the Name of God so that it dwells in us and through us in the world.  If we look closely at this last statement, it sums up Christ's whole prayer by couching everything in love.  Christ repeatedly speaks of unity between the Trinity and believers; in this we can assume the whole cosmos is a part of this mission.  But His final statement truly teaches us what He means:  "The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   The declaration of God's name is a pronouncement of love, of love going out and resting within the hearts that will receive it, and will reciprocate. Jesus speaks, then, of an entire created order couched, held, received, and permeated by love.  And in this love is our communion with Creator and one another -- even the great love of the Father for the Son is that in which we all may share.  May your life be blessed with the knowing of this love and its ever-flowing expression through us as well.  For so we also glorify God.

 

 

Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You

 

 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."

 

- John 17:1–8 

 

 In yesterday's reading, we were given Christ's parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

  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."  As the lectionary continues to prepare us for the Lenten journey (which begins this week in the West, and for the Armenian Apostolic Church), today we're given the beginning of what is termed Christ's High Priestly Prayer (John 17).   In it, He prays for Himself, after He has addressed His disciples at the Last Supper (John 14 - 16).   This prayer contains the basic elements of a prayer which a priest would offer to God when a sacrifice is about to me made.  As my study Bible explains it, these elements comprise glorification (verses 3-5, 25), remembrance of God's words (verses 2, 6-8, 22-23), intercession on behalf of others (verses 9, 11, 15, 20-21, 24), and a declaration of the offering itself (verses 1, 5).  Here His words bear witness to Christ's divinity, and His filial relationship with the Father.  My study Bible comments on Christ's words here that the hour has come signifies Christ is Lord over time.  To glorify refers to the redemption of all creation that will be accomplished through this voluntary mission of the Cross and Resurrection; in fact, the purpose for which He was sent into the world by the Father.  In this redemption, my study bible adds, 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."  The knowledge of the only true God is far more than intellectual understanding, my study Bible comments here.  This knowledge is, in fact, participation in God's divine life and in communion with God.  So, therefore, 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 says that Christ's work can never be separated from His identity.  This verse, it notes, is a statement which each believer can make at the end of life, regardless of 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."  Here Jesus prays for the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  These are the apostles.  My study Bible explains that these are the ones through whom God's word comes to us.   This handing down of God's word to successive generations is what is called apostolic tradition.  My study Bible says that 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 the times of the Old Testament Scriptures, the phrase "the Name" was reverently used as a substitute for the name of God "Yahweh" (after the Hebrew letters which represent the name given to Moses in Exodus 3:14), because the Name was considered too sacred to pronounce.  The  fuller revelation of the Name, my study Bible explains, was given to those who believe in Christ, for Christ manifested the Name not simply by declaring the Father, but by being the very presence of God and sharing the Name with God.

If we take a close look at the overall theme of these verses of Christ' High Priestly Prayer, we see that it is all connected within the understanding of the fullness and completion of His mission into the world.  It is therefore inseparable from the Father and the aims of the Father.  Additionally, it also encompasses not simply the relationship between the divine Persons of Father, Son, and Spirit but also includes believers, "the men whom You have given Me out of the world."  Actually in the Greek, this is possibly more literally translated as "those whom You have given Me out of the world."  Therefore, this is about Christ's faithful believers.  Certainly it was most relevant to those at the Last Supper, but Christ's prays for all whom the Father has given to Him, and this is a process which is still ongoing.  So both the fullness of Christ's manifestation, and glorification encompasses all the communion of saints, the fullness of the Church even including in its ultimate sense, and the divine Persons of the Trinity.  In this way, all is inseparable from Christ's mission, which Jesus now goes forward to complete in the Cross and the Resurrection.   This beginning of Christ's High Priestly Prayer invites us to consider what "glory" means, and how this glory is interconnected to Christ's manifestation of the fullness of the Father, which also includes in time and in eternity the fullness of the Church.  But this kind of glory is completely different from worldly notions of personal glory.  If we can get an idea of what this type of glory is truly like, we will come to understand also what it means when we read in the Gospels the notion of the fulfillment or completion of joy.  At the Last Supper, Jesus tells the disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11), and He compares their imminent suffering to that of a woman in labor, who rejoices once her child is born (John 16:20-22).  This understanding of joy is linked to Christ's glorification, because both are bound up in the fulfillment of Christ's mission, in the fulfillment of the will of the Father, and each of our roles in that fulfillment.  It is the same with John the Baptist, when he declares, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled" (John 3:29).  This fulfillment of joy is one that is found not simply as an individual, or in a self-centered way, but one that comes in the completion of communion, a joy found in the sharing of the life in Christ, and the fullness of mission in this sense.  If we, also, are to find this fulfillment of joy, then we look to Christ's understanding of glory, and how it is found in the life that God prepares and asks us to fulfill in our own faithful living, through the light that Christ gives us for this path in each of our lives.  Joy becomes a part of the glory of God in which we might share and play our own roles, an expansion of the heart that cannot be contained in selfish and limited versions of worldly glory or renown.  Let us consider this integral, expanded, deep understanding of joy, and how it is connection to the ways we find ourselves in Christ, to the life of faith we're offered.  For the joy in our hearts comes from the fire of love (Luke 24:32), which which begins with God who is love and which Christ has manifest to us so that we also may participate in this life, and in His joy.

O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

- John 17:20–26 

 

In our current readings, Jesus has just finished delivering His Farewell Discourse to the disciples (starting with this reading), and has begun praying what is commonly called the High Priestly Prayer (begun in this reading).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus prayed:  ""While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." 

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   My study bible comments that those who will believe describes the Church in every generation, participating in the life and glory of the Trinity.  It says that Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.   Ultimately, it says, the goal of Christ's prayer, and of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person. 

 

 In these final verses of Christ's High Priestly Prayer,  Christ prays not only for the disciples before Him, but for all those who are to come to faith, "those who will believe in Me through their word" (that is, the word of the apostles).  His prayer is first for unity ("that they also may be one in Us"), and that this unity will convey that faith to the world ("that the world may believe that You sent Me").    The great theologians of the Church, such as St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. John Chrysostom, and others connect this unity to the gift of the Holy Spirit; that is, to grace.  But when we look closely at Christ's prayer, there are other elements also connected to this unity, and they are also gifts, that were given to the Son from the Father, and in turn are given to us.  Christ next speaks of the glory given to Him by the Father, and this, also, is linked to the Holy Spirit and to grace:  for, like unity, it is a gift from Father to Son, but also shared with the faithful.  Jesus links this glory with perfection in one, and so we understand it as redemption -- that is, a life lived according to grace.  But finally Christ speaks of love, the love of the Father shared with the Son before the foundation of the world, before all ages, before time.  Unity, perfection, glory, and love are inseparable.  They all exist within this bond of Father and Son, and Christ prays to extend them to all who have faith, who know the Father, and understand and perceive that Christ is from the Father.  Just as He prayed about many mansions, and going to prepare a place for His followers (John 14:2-3) so they may be together, here He prays that they may not only be with Him, but also to behold His glory given by the Father, from the Father's great love for the Son.  Jesus calls the Father righteous, giving us a hint about what constitutes true glory, but declares that "the world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me," once again separating a world of darkness -- unknowing -- from those who come to know and love God, and share in this unity.  Finally, there is the declaration of the Father's name, which is also linked back to love, a love of the Father for the Son, and which is shared fully with Christ's followers, those who will come in faith and through grace.   These words imply a unity between Creator and creature, made possible through the love of the Father, the Father's gifts to the Son, and those gifts shared with the faithful -- made possible with the gift of the Spirit and hence of grace.  They are mystical words which need a mystical perception to begin to understand, but they call us into a unity in which we may participate and share glory, redemption, the Father's name, and most especially the love that exists between the Persons of the Trinity.  While the prayer speaks of a unity that exists outside of time; that is, it may convey both a desire of Christ, and an outcome which will only find its fullness in the culmination of ages of this world -- it is also a prayer that is at work within and through time.  And we might catch glimpses of each of these things within our own faith lives, our deeper growing trust, an understanding of love and righteousness, and even glory or true value, and what it is to be a part of "the name" of the Father and the Father's house or "many mansions."  What is perhaps most remarkable is simply the concept present here in love, because this shared love is meant to be shared within a family, a home, "a name" -- meaning the house of God.   As creatures, and subject to time, we cannot comprehend how exactly all of this happens.  But we are capable of participating in it and experiencing it, however short such glimpses and perceptions are, however nuanced.  We can feel our deep loyalty to this name, this "house" or home of God the Father, Son, and Spirit, and we can feel our belonging.  When we call on God for help, we sense a deep love and trust, the same way a child senses love and trusts.  All these things are shared in the fullness of participation, and they are found in the fullness of this prayer by Christ.  It is a prayer for all the ages and beyond the ages; it may find the fullness of its answer when ages cease and even beyond time, but for now it is at work through time, and all of these things:  glory, worth, righteousness, love, and the unity found in these things can be experienced through the grace that works in us, the gift of the Spirit.  This is what our services and prayers are for, and Christ's prayer must be the most potent of all.  It is important that we understand the ancient concept of "perfect" which Christ prays here.  Note that He doesn't pray we "are" perfect, but that we may be made perfect in one.   This word for "made perfect" in the Greek is τελειόω, related to τέλος/telos, or "end."  Essentially it means literally brought to an end, completed.  It implies a work through time, a fullness of something, brought to its most complete point.  And this is what we are to understand in Christ's prayer; it is a fullness on the way to being most fully manifest, and through the fullness of time to its end point, known only to God.  This is what is at work in us, and how it is working, and so we must understand ourselves and our faith as works in progress, and works in love.  Christ's prayer is always working, no matter what things may temporarily look like from our perspective, and we can count on its potency and love. 

And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth

 

 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  

 

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

- John 17:12–19 

 

 In our current readings, we have just completed Jesus' Farewell Discourse, which began at the Last Supper, and continued as Jesus moved the disciples to another location.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus began what is called the High Priestly Prayer:   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 the 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."

 

 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves."  My study bible tells us that the son of perdition (or "destruction") is Judas Iscariot (John 6:70-71).  Old Testament prophecy, it says, alludes to Judas (Psalm 41:9, 109:2-13; Zechariah 11:12-13), and Judas becomes a type for all who will fall away in the last days (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3, in which "son of perdition" refers to the Antichrist). 

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one."   My study bible notes here that inasmuch as Christ is from heaven, those who are joined to Him become like Him.  In this way, all believers attract the world's hatred.  The second-century Letter to Diognetus (6:3) states, "Christians dwell in the world but do not belong to the world."  To be reborn in Christ, Christian citizenship is in the Kingdom of God (John 3:1-5), but their vocation is in the world, where they must be protected by God against the evil one.  

"Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."  To sanctify, my study bible explains, means to consecrate, make holy, separate, set apart from the world, and bring into the sphere of the sacred for God's use.  St. John Chrysostom interprets this verse as saying, "Make them holy through the gift of the Spirit and by correct doctrine."

To be holy or consecrated, to be sanctified, is to be set apart in some sense.  Therefore, if we look closely at what Jesus says in today's reading, He indicates that through the truth of God and God's word, we are set apart from the world.  St. John Chrysostom's paraphrase of Christ's words:  "Make them holy through the gift of the Spirit and by correct doctrine," indicates that we are set apart through the gift of the Spirit and through an understanding of correct doctrine.  What this teaches us about is the hostility of the world to such a doctrine.  We proclaim God and the mission of Jesus Christ in a world that is going to be hostile to that mission.  John's Gospel, from the beginning, speaks of the light shining in the darkness, while the darkness does not comprehend that light (John 1:5).   The word for "comprehend" in the original Greek, means both "to understand" and "to take in," just as it does in English.  The darkness can neither overcome the light, in the sense of enfolding, engulfing, or taking it in -- nor can it understand the light.  This in itself is a clear enough explanation of why "the world" will be hostile to believers.  What can neither be understood nor overcome is frustrating to a selfish impulse for power.  Jesus has set apart His Church and His doctrine quite specifically from the power structures of the world, when He taught the disciples, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:25-28).  A defining element of Christianity, and of the Person of Jesus Christ, is a sacrificial love.  That is, a willingness to sacrifice for something greater and higher, in service to God and to humankind.  This is done in loyalty of service to God and to human beings who need God's righteousness and salvation for true fullness of life, for love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable from one another (see Matthew 22:37-40).  But to place the love of God as one's first commandment means to be set apart from the world, because a basic understanding of the constant desire for power and control is rooted in a more selfish or self-centered perspective.  To serve God is necessarily a collaborative and sacrificial way of life, to be willing to be disciplined (to be a "disciple") in a way of being and thinking that teaches something different, that organizes in principle around a deeper and broader love than the self alone.  To love God with all one's heart and soul and mind, and to love neighbor as oneself, is no longer simply to serve a self-centered impulse to power and possession.  It is to live a life of service to what is essentially good, and true, and beautiful, and it is to engage in relationship with someone much greater than oneself alone.  Indeed, our participation in the life of Christ means, ultimately, redefining the self via this participation and worship appropriate only to God.  This is salvation, and it means not only to find and place the impulse to worship where it correctly belongs, but it also means to find our own identity within that participation of love.  It is a life lived in contradiction to a rebellion against God, an ultimately destructive impulse that is centered only on a broken concept of the self.  In truth, this place where we worship is as close as the soul, as close as our breath.  It's not outside of us, but within us (Luke 17:21, John 14:23).  In today's reading, Jesus once again speaks of His joy:  "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves."   Christ's joy is in this fulfillment of "true self," if you will, the participation in the life of God appropriate to Him, and He extends that joy and its fulfillment to His followers, those who will believe in Him.  This sanctification of which He speaks comes in this truth of how we find ourselves within this communion, a life lived in love and service:  "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."   Jesus calls upon each of us to take up our own crosses (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27), but His sanctification will take place at the Cross for all.  He will meet the world at the Cross, and defeat darkness and death for all of us.   There is only one Christ, but each in our own way, we are to follow Him and find our own places in God's many mansions, the places prepared for us in love.

 

I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours

 

 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 the 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 

 

We have currently been reading through Jesus' Farewell Discourse, given to the disciples at the Last Supper, and following as they moved to another location.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus said to them, "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 I 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 have will 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 the authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him."   Verses 1-26 of chapter 17 of John's Gospel make up a prayer, frequently called the High Priestly Prayer of Christ, as it contains the basic elements of prayer which a priest offers to God when a sacrifice is about to be made.  These things consist of glorification, to which Christ refers in verses 3-5, 25, remembrance of God's works (verses 9, 11, 15, 20, 21, 24), and a declaration of the offering itself (verses 1, 5).   My study bible explains that the hour has come signifies that Christ is Lord over time, establishing His voluntary acceptance of the Cross.  It says that glorify refers to the redemption of all creation that will be accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection.  This is the purpose for which Christ as sent into the world.  In this redemption, both Father and Son are glorified.  It adds that this is why the Cross, 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 my study bible comments that the knowledge of the only true God is far more than intellectual understanding.  Rather, it includes participation in God's divine life and in communion with God.  Therefore, 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 explains that Christ's work cannot ever be separated from who He is.  Thus, this statement regarding the work which You have given Me to do is a one each believer can make at the end of life, no matter how long or short one's life might 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 refers to the apostles when He speaks of the men whom You have given Me.  The apostles are the ones through whom God's word comes to us, my study bible reminds us.  This handing down of God's word to successive generations is called apostolic tradition.  My study bible tells us that Isaiah prophesied that in the days of the Messiah, the knowledge of the Name of God would be revealed (Isaiah 52:6).  Jesus declares, "I have manifested Your name . . .."  In the Old Testament times, the phrase "the Name" was a reverent substitution for God's Divine Name "Yahweh," considered too sacred to pronounce.  This fuller revelation of the Name is given to those who believe in Christ, for Christ manifested the Name not simply 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.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You."  My study bible notes here that Christ first prayed for Himself (in verses 1-5), and secondly for them, the apostles (verses 6-19).  Only then He prays for those whom You have given Me -- that is, all who will come to believe in Him (verses 20-26).  Here, the world is the portion of humanity in rebellion against God, those who prefer darkness to God's light.  

 

"Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."  In the Didache, there is a eucharistic prayer (Didache 10:2), which echoes Christ's words:  "We give you thanks, Holy Father, for Your holy name which You have made to dwell in our hearts."

Jesus prays to the Holy Father, "I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours."    My study bible tells us that in this instance, Jesus refers to the world as those who are in rebellion against God; specifically, those who prefer darkness to God's light.  This is in keeping with the understanding of the terminology of royal names and houses, in the sense that the devil has been referred to (also in John's Gospel) as "the ruler of this world."  Please see John 12:31, 14:30, 16:10-11.  This might seem a bit disconcerting and confusing, as we also are to understand that Christ goes to the Cross for the redemption of the world, even for His enemies.  When He gave His new commandment, "Love one another as I have loved you," this is the way we are to understand it, the measure of Christ's love, that He would die even for His enemies.  How is this possible for us to reconcile?  Is there a contradiction here, in that Jesus would pray for His own -- and those to come who will believe in Him -- but not for "the world" that is in rebellion against Him and the Father?  This is something important for us to discern.  It's important to note the different senses of time that are inherent in Christ's teachings.  Earlier He has taught that the Holy Spirit will be sent from the Father after Christ's Ascension, and that the Holy Spirit will "convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8).  But let us note that this work of the Holy Spirit is such that it spans the age which Christ has initiated, the whole of what might rightly be called the "end times," which has progressed for some two millenia.  We are not to understand this conviction as something we explicitly know in some worldly sense, or something we -- as creatures, human beings -- can put a time limit on or fully comprehend.  God's judgment is God's judgment, and the heart has depths that only God knows:  whether sinful or righteous.  Secondly, Christ also came to redeem, to forgive sins through grace, and that is also something we cannot fully understand from our human perspective, as creatures rather than Creator.  Do we know the depths of the heart, or how a person might come to repentance, how their lives are going to evolve?  We can say none of these things.  So, it is in the fullness of this understanding that Christ can say that He does not pray to the Father for the world, but rather prays for His own.  For He goes to the Cross in order to save all -- to offer the hand of salvation to all.  But as creatures, our own work in cooperation in God requires of us one thing:  to give our assent, to accept God's work in us.  The work of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, in us seems to me to work at such a depth that we are not necessarily entirely conscious of it, but yet there is an assent within us, a consent to the love of God, and a mutual return of that love.  And at least from the perspective of the Lord in the Gospels, nevertheless, although at such a depth as to be even something of which we are not entirely aware until it comes to us as conviction -- and, of course, experience in this may vary -- this is accounted to us as acceptance, our "yes" of belief.  It is so linked to loyalty and love as to be -- in my experience and estimation at least -- inseparable.  It is the same as the love we feel for others which we can't necessarily explain away from merely the rational mind or intellectual choice:  all we know is that we love, even at a depth we can't necessarily name.  Yet this still accounts to us as assent, as choice.  It's just that the choosing happens within a depth of the self, and we are so used to living on the surface of life, even on the "surface" of what really constitutes the fullness of ourselves.  There is also a sense of time passing in terms of repentance, coming to love and embrace God, in the sense in which we can't rightfully know all the steps necessary in repentance to get from point A to point B.  So often repentance is a complex set of steps, of psychological change, and of gradual transformation.  This is something we cannot predict nor map out, as it takes a divine perspective to fathom and understand.  We are capable of discerning this movement only in hindsight, and possibly only for ourselves or from another who has experienced such depth of change.  So let us consider Christ's love, given to all, but specified as returned by some, by those who will love and welcome the light, and resisted by those who prefer the darkness.  And this is our world in which we live, and we are given that light to share in, in which to participate, and to reflect and shine into the darkness, as did He.  We don't know what effects that will have.  We can only seek to know the work that Christ gives us to do (John 6:28-29).  It is for this He gives us His commands to follow Him.