John 17:1, 6-12
Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you.....
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
Today’s reading is another piece of that extremely long good-bye speech that the writer of John’s gospel has Jesus give at the Last Supper. John’s gospel (and no, we don’t really know who this John is) was written about the year 90 CE, placing at least 60 years between the life of Jesus and the writing down of this gospel account.
The writer, whoever he or she was, was unquestionably Jewish, but from somewhere in the Diaspora, and not among those Jews who lived clustered about Jerusalem. Perhaps because of this, this particular gospel, while the author is definitely knowledgeable in Jewish tradition, is also heavily influenced by Greek philosophy – particularly Platonism. It is often more philosophical than evangelical.
One of the most important differences between this gospel and the three synoptics is that it is really less of a life of Christ than it is a state-of-the-church document. That’s why we will find much more talking than action in this gospel. This gospel tells us more about where the church of the diaspora was theologically at this time, than it does about who Jesus was and what all he did.
The language here, while poetic in its descriptions, often sounds stilted to our ears in the passages that are supposed to be conversational – and that is because the words the author places in Jesus’ mouth are awkward and unlikely in any normal conversation. While they are purportedly spoken by Jesus, they often sound like Jesus talking about himself in the third person. They tell us less what Jesus said, than what the church of that time and place believed about Jesus’ teachings – so that we often feel an odd temporal displacement when reading John’s gospel – a question as to whether we are talking about then or now.
Because I don’t pass out a bulletin here you don’t ever see the titles of my messages – but I still title them for my own clarification. The title of this one is “Already, but Not Yet,” a line which I took from Dianne Bergant, a prominent Catholic bible scholar and writer. I think that simple phrase perfectly encapsulates the writings found in John’s gospel. They are written for all of us, at all times – not just then, and not just now -- and that’s good for us to know because what Jesus is quoted as saying here is very good news.
The writer, whoever he or she was, was unquestionably Jewish, but from somewhere in the Diaspora, and not among those Jews who lived clustered about Jerusalem. Perhaps because of this, this particular gospel, while the author is definitely knowledgeable in Jewish tradition, is also heavily influenced by Greek philosophy – particularly Platonism. It is often more philosophical than evangelical.
One of the most important differences between this gospel and the three synoptics is that it is really less of a life of Christ than it is a state-of-the-church document. That’s why we will find much more talking than action in this gospel. This gospel tells us more about where the church of the diaspora was theologically at this time, than it does about who Jesus was and what all he did.
The language here, while poetic in its descriptions, often sounds stilted to our ears in the passages that are supposed to be conversational – and that is because the words the author places in Jesus’ mouth are awkward and unlikely in any normal conversation. While they are purportedly spoken by Jesus, they often sound like Jesus talking about himself in the third person. They tell us less what Jesus said, than what the church of that time and place believed about Jesus’ teachings – so that we often feel an odd temporal displacement when reading John’s gospel – a question as to whether we are talking about then or now.
Because I don’t pass out a bulletin here you don’t ever see the titles of my messages – but I still title them for my own clarification. The title of this one is “Already, but Not Yet,” a line which I took from Dianne Bergant, a prominent Catholic bible scholar and writer. I think that simple phrase perfectly encapsulates the writings found in John’s gospel. They are written for all of us, at all times – not just then, and not just now -- and that’s good for us to know because what Jesus is quoted as saying here is very good news.
They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
These are declarative sentences – nothing wishy-washy about them – this is how it is -- and they are about us, today, as much as about those who might have been present that night. That already, but not yet quality reaches out to include those of us sitting here today. The writer has Jesus speaking as if all these things have come perfectly to pass: All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.
I have been glorified. Jesus speaks of an accomplished fact – done and over. Now, we look around us and see such pain and disarray and know perfectly well that God’s reign is not completely present here on earth, not yet. We look at ourselves and see quite clearly (at least most of us do) that we are far from the perfected beings that we were created to be. And yet, in this prayer, this conversation between Jesus and God, Jesus is presenting us to ourselves as the perfected beings that God sees when God looks at us.
We were God’s from the beginning, this tells us. God gave us to Jesus to care for and to teach for a while, and then Jesus gave us back – each loving us from the very first moment.
This is what a life in Christ truly looks like – this is who we are. Living in that already, but not yet that Jesus shows us in this prayer. Elsewhere in the gospels we are told by Jesus that the reign of God is right here, right now, among us today ..... We look around and we don’t see it – not yet – but still we are called to live there, not someday, but right now -- to claim it as already so because God sees us already there.
We look around us and call this reality. God looks at us and sees a different reality. Which reality do we claim for ourselves and for this world we live in? Only those of us who are a little crazy in faith can live – for now – with a foot in each camp; claiming the perfect reality of already, while working to heal the obvious brokenness of the not yet.
I have been glorified. Jesus speaks of an accomplished fact – done and over. Now, we look around us and see such pain and disarray and know perfectly well that God’s reign is not completely present here on earth, not yet. We look at ourselves and see quite clearly (at least most of us do) that we are far from the perfected beings that we were created to be. And yet, in this prayer, this conversation between Jesus and God, Jesus is presenting us to ourselves as the perfected beings that God sees when God looks at us.
We were God’s from the beginning, this tells us. God gave us to Jesus to care for and to teach for a while, and then Jesus gave us back – each loving us from the very first moment.
This is what a life in Christ truly looks like – this is who we are. Living in that already, but not yet that Jesus shows us in this prayer. Elsewhere in the gospels we are told by Jesus that the reign of God is right here, right now, among us today ..... We look around and we don’t see it – not yet – but still we are called to live there, not someday, but right now -- to claim it as already so because God sees us already there.
We look around us and call this reality. God looks at us and sees a different reality. Which reality do we claim for ourselves and for this world we live in? Only those of us who are a little crazy in faith can live – for now – with a foot in each camp; claiming the perfect reality of already, while working to heal the obvious brokenness of the not yet.
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