These words were spoken by Jesus as he lifted His eyes toward heaven, and said, Father the hour has come, glorify (honor) your son, that your son may honor you. As you have given him power over all flesh, that he should give to as many as thou has given him. and this is life eternal, that they may know you, the only true God. For I have given thee unto them, the words you have given me and they have received them, and have known surely that I came from you and they have believed that you did send me.
I pray for them: I pray not for the world; but for those whom you have given me. For they are yours and all mine are yours and all yours are mine. And I am glorified in them. (honored).
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father.
Keep through your name the ones you have given me, that they may be one as we are one. This prayer from John 17:9, is giving us an Idea of what Lord Jesus Christ is asking for now on our behalf. Oh, that it may come home. to us as a reality that our savior who lives forever prays for you and me, knowing us better than we know ourselves. and that such things as these, for which He prays for. What a common mistake it is among us to think that the only object Jesus Christ has with reference to the human race is to gather a few of them out of this world's destruction and carry them to a better world. But, Jesus said: I pray that you should not take them out of the world, but to keep them from evil; for Jesus heart longed after those who had been with him, for He was going out of the world.
They wondered why they couldn't go with him, even though in self confident fervor one said, " I am ready to go with you to death." Many good people think hard of themselves because they do not want to die. They say its against nature. It is impossible; it is wrong. The Lord Jesus Christ proposes not merely to rescue some souls from this world's ruin, but to rescue them now in this world and make them live in this world as they were meant to live, with the help of His grace.
This world belongs to him, and what he proposes is to take all of them that will except his call to come to him- that are oppressed by sin, and to help them here to live a life such as they should live.
The bible tells us the Elijah laid under a juniper tree in the desert and requested for himself that he might die; yet really I suppose there had been no time for many years when he was not better fit to die than at that moment. In answer to his prayer, an angel came with food that he might eat and lie down and sleep again, and getting up might go to work in God's service. Jesus lives to intercede for you and me; He prays for us that we might be kept from evil, but also that we may be made Holy. Here is the common error among men about the service of Jesus Christ, that He proposes merely to show them the truth that makes them Holy, and avoid the evil of sin.
Remember Pilate asked the question next morning: " What is truth?" and here was the answer the night before, " Thy word is truth." We know that word and we may use as the great means of becoming Holy. Regard the Bible as the great means of making you better. I know there is many times you do not love to read your Bible, but would take up a newspaper looking for something else, when the Bible is lying neglected by your side. When you finally pick-up the bible, you feel its dull reading. So when you hear it read in Church or in private, regard it as the great means of making you better, strengthening you.
Now for our text: Jesus final words to his disciples on the night of his arrest, Jesus encourages obedience to his commandments and speaks of the Spirit who will be with them forever. But He who rejects me and receives not my words, has one who judges him: the word I have spoken, the same shall judge him. I know that his commandment is life, to everlasting (eternal) whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. The time has come for him to by life for mankind with His own death. (Jn. 1248-50).
At the end of Jesus public ministry, and despite all His miracles the Jews remained unconvinced and many of those who did believe were afraid to say so openly. It matters how each of us reacts to Christ, because He comes on God's authority, it is all important. The conversation continues as they make their way to Gethsemane.
Jesus last words to his disciples as Jesus washes their feet, the occasion is the last supper, the disciples have been arguing all day who is the greatest (Luke.22:24). Judas made a deal with the priests to make a secret arrest, and now the moment has come. The rest of the disciples have no idea of what is to come. Jesus knows. It was night-quite literally. Light and darkness acquired a meaning that darkness of the moment could not overcome. His death means a return to the Father (12:28).
John calls the Spirit of truth our Advocate. This image implies a trial and the probability of judgment. Standing before God ( We like Moses) need some one to speak on our behalf. The reading fro 1st Peter includes the image of a trial in which we must defend our stance. In John 14 we heard hoe Jesus use adoption imagery for those who receive the spirit of truth, yet Paul's sermon at Aeropagus calls all his pagan hearers God's offspring.
For centuries, Jewish and Christian theologians have discussed how humans are both like and unlike God, and how we enct our relationship to the Divine. A dominant teaching has been that, just as God cares for creation, so as God's offspring, we are dedicated to that care
One early Christian Bishop directed his clergy to hold baptismal candidates down under the water three times until they rose up grasping for air. The water of baptism not only gently washes the infant; it also joins the candidate to the death and resurrection of Christ. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment