A Homily – John 17:1 - 11 ©

The Gospel According to John – 2017.05.28

Getting it Wrong, Again

The writers of John’s Gospel reveal, once again, their fundamental misunderstanding of Jesus and mission.

The ministry of Jesus was centered on real people, living real lives, facing real hardship, in the real world.

His gaze was focused toward the Earth, not toward the heaven.

Jesus was not here to seek glory, or power, or dominion over mankind. He was selfless and meek, and gave everything away, including his life. There is a kind of power in this, but it is not power in the sense of force, or energy, but in its root, potens, potere, meaning ability. Jesus possessed the ability to love.

Jesus was not a Gnostic, but the writers of John would make him out to be one. He did not teach a secret doctrine. He himself wrote nothing down. He taught by the word of his mouth and through his actions. He proclaimed justice, and promoted love; through healing, and sharing, and community work.

Jesus prayed, but he only gave us one prayer. He prayed for bread, and mercy, and the strength to be merciful.

If the church is finally able to be like Jesus, then Christ will have risen in it.

Eternal Life

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you; and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him, let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.

And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world was. I have made your name known to the men you took from the world to give me.

They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now at last they know that all you have given me comes indeed from you; for I have given them the teaching you gave to me, and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you, and have believed that it was you who sent me.

I pray for them; I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you: all I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them I am glorified. I am not in the world any longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.’

7^th Sunday of Easter