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It might be helpful to preface the reading of this text with an introductory comment that these words are part of Jesus' prayer that concludes his last meal with his followers before his arrest. In a way, these words are Jesus' last will and testament.
We are concluding the Easter Season with Jesus' concluding prayer.
Malina & Rohrbaugh, Social Science Commentary on John, pages 243 - 248, offer a number of helpful insights on this rather dense text from John.
A few interpretative keys are:
- John's stress on relationships - bonding, trusting, being loyal, honouring.
- John's stress on SEEing Jesus - seeing how what Jesus has done in this world is a sign of who Jesus is in God's world.
- John's stress that God - not the authorities of this world - is the author of all that is about to happen.
Verses 6 to 8. Note the stress on everything being from God: Jesus himself, Jesus' followers, and "the words that you gave me." In particular, the emphasis in verses 7 and 8 is not that "they know everything you have given me," nor that "they have received the words that you gave to me," but that "everything ... is from you," and "they have believed you sent me." (my emphasis)
Verses 9 and following are Jesus' last request before his execution.
As usual with John, John is very specific that the requests are for the in-group of those bonded with Jesus, and more specifically, for those who remain in the world.
And though these words are in the form of a prayer of intercession, because they are requests from the Word made flesh, from the Son sent from the Father, and on behalf of those who are the Father's, they have the weight / substance of Jesus' declaring his estate / his blessing - the "goods" his followers will inherit after his death. They are:
- Jesus is honoured (glorified) in us (verse 10)
- We are protected so that we may be one as God and Jesus are one (verse 11)
- We are guarded from ever being lost (verse 12)
- Jesus' joy is made complete in us (verse 13)
- God's word is given to us (verse 14)
- We are protected from the evil one (verse 15)
- (We belong to God) and not to this world (verse 16)
- We are truthfully and truly set apart (sanctified) (verse 17)
- We receive the mandate / mission / purpose that Jesus had - we are sent into the world (because God so loves the world ...) (see John 3:16)
For our sakes, Jesus sanctifies himself. That is, sets himself apart / dedicates himself wholly for God's purpose of loving the world.
However, lest we rejoice too quickly and easily that Jesus does this "so that (we) also may be sanctified (set apart / dedicated) in truth," recall that in a few short hours, Jesus' dedication to truth will end with him before Pilate, and then on a cross.
Whenever we are offered a blessing in the Bible, we might be tempted to run and hide - because a blessing never comes without a God-sized mission. And God-sized missions never come without a cost.
David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca
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