John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

“And I do not ask regarding these only, but also regarding the ones who believe in me through their word in order that all should be one just as you, Father, are in me and I in you in order that they should be in us in order that the world should believe that You sent me.  And I have given to them the glory that You have given to me in order that they should be one just as we are one.  I in them and You in me, in order that they should be having been kept as one in order that the world should know that You sent me and You loved them just as You loved me.  Father, those whom You have given to me, I desire in order that where I am these also should be in order that they should see my glory which You have given to me because You loved me before the beginnings of the world.  Righteous Father, even though the world did not know You – but I knew You – even these ones knew that You sent me.  And I made even Your name known to them and I will make it known in order that the love which You loved me should be in them and I should be in them.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The purpose of Christianity is believing that Christ comes from the Father.  Jesus says as much in the opening sentence of this section.  Christ prays for our unity so that we should be united with the Father and the Son.  But Jesus then tells us that the purpose of such unity is so that others should believe that Christ comes from the Father.  We are inherently supposed to be a people of mission.  Yes, our belief does speak to our own salvation bought by Christ on the cross.  But that’s done at the beginning of our relationship with Christ, not the end!  From the moment we receive salvation, our purpose is no longer for ourselves but rather for the world!  From the moment we receive salvation, we live and draw closer to God so that the world might see us and follow.  Christianity is not a self-serving religion.  Christianity is a faith where people find salvation and spend the rest of their time living for the sake of others and their relationship with God.

Do you think most Christians see Christianity this way?  Do you think most Christians are focused on helping the people around them exist in a relationship with God?

Second Thought:

This prior point is so vitally important to Christ that He says almost the exact same thing twice in this prayer.  However, in the second time of stating this He also adds that in knowing that the Father sent the Son the world might also know the love of the Father.  Many people think of God as a vengeful and wrathful God.  And yes, God is capable of true righteous judgment.  But He does not desire that we should live or exist in wrath.  He desires that we should know salvation and truth.  He desires us to know His love in spite of our sinfulness.  This is why he sent the Son!  In knowing that the Son came from the Father so that we could be saved, we can truly know the depth of the love that the Father has for us.

When you think of the Father, do you think of love or wrath first?  Why is this true for you?

Third Thought:

At the end of this passage, Christ talks about His glory.  Remember that His glory first is the cross – which comes through His obedience to God.  Afterward, His glory is in the resurrection and then the ascension followed by eternal life with the Father.  This is what Christ means by glory.  Christ’s disciples embrace the cross first.  We embrace obedience to God, we embrace laying down our own lives, and we embrace picking up God’s calling for us.  We become obedient – even to the point of denying ourselves as Christ denied Himself upon the cross.  Through this glory of obedience to God we will find the glory of our resurrection and life eternal with the Father.  So often when we think of glory we simply think of the good parts like eternal life.  But we must remember that for Christ and His disciples, the glory of eternal life only comes through obedience to God as we pick up our own cross.

Are you obedient to the Father?  Have you laid down your life only to pick up the life that God truly desires you to have?  What does that even mean to you?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 18:1-11