Sunday, May 4, 2008
John 17:1-11
Senior Pastor
Last week we talked about the presence and the scope of the work of God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus made a huge promise to his disciples and indirectly to all of us, that God would be with us, and active in teaching us and leading us throughout our lives. We were reading from the 14th chapter of John.
Today we are reading from the 17th chapter of
John, but the setting is the same. This
is still part of the experience John tells us the disciples and Jesus had on
the last night he was with them.
Although it shifts into the form of a prayer at this point, when John
says, [Jesus] looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come.” (v. 1)
But then he makes another huge statement, I think, when he begins to
pray about eternal life for his followers.
Usually we think of eternal life as that which commences sometime after physical death. As Christians we typically tie our hope for eternal life to the resurrection of Christ. I ran across a poll done about a decade ago by Time and CNN. The pollsters were asking Americans questions about the afterlife. (Quoted in Stories, Illustrations and Quotes by Robert J. Morgan, p. 419)
Do you believe in the existence of heaven, where people live forever with God after they die? Yes: 81% No: 13%.
Immediately after death, which of the following do you think will happen to you?
Go directly to heaven? 61%
Go to purgatory: 15%
Go to hell: 1%
Be reincarnated: 5%
End of existence: 4%
Which of the following do you believe are in heaven?
Angels: 93%
St. Peter: 79%
Harps: 43%
Halos: 36%
Does only a person’s soul live in heaven, or does a person have both a soul and a body?
Only soul: 66%
Soul and Body: 26%
Interesting things to think about, but our text today throws a twist into the way most of normally think about eternal life. Jesus defines eternal life and does not mention anything about death or resurrection. Look with me at verse 3 when Jesus says: And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. The implication seems to surely be that knowing God initiates eternal life. It starts now for those of us who have come to know God through Jesus Christ. It is not something we must wait for but is something that has already begun. Knowing God, having a connection with God opens the door to eternal life. Jesus goes on to pray as if it has already happened for those first disciples. They are experiencing eternal life already. That was surprising to me. I mean I have read it before, but it struck me with a sharper clarity this week. Having a relationship with God begins eternal life now.
Michael Jordan Segal
writes about his father, Rabbi Jack Segal. He tells how every Christmas his father volunteers at a hospital
in Houston, so Christian employees can spend Christmas with their loved
ones. One Christmas he was on the switchboard answering phone
calls. One of the calls he received was from a woman, obviously upset.
“Sir, I
understand my nephew was in a terrible car accident this morning. Please
tell me how he is.”
After the woman gave the boy’s name, Rabbi Segal found that he was in critical
condition. As soon as he said, “critical,” the woman immediately began to
sob and she screamed, “Oh, my God! What should I do? What should I
do?”
Hearing
those words, the Rabbi softly stated, “Prayer might be helpful at this time.”
The woman quickly replied, “Yes - oh, yes. But it’s been ten years since
I’ve been to a church, and I’ve forgotten how to pray,” then asked, “Sir, do
you know how to pray? Could you say a prayer for me while I listen
on the phone?”
“Of course,” and he began saying an ancient prayer for healing in Hebrew.
He concluded, “Amen.”
“Thank you, thank you
so much,” the woman on the phone replied. “However,” she went on, “I
truly appreciate your prayer; but, I have one major problem. I did not
understand the prayer… since I do not speak Spanish.”
The Rabbi
inwardly chuckled and said, “Ma’am, that was not Spanish. I’m a Rabbi and
that prayer was in Hebrew.”
Then, the woman sighed heavily in relief.
“Hebrew? That’s great. That’s God’s language. Now He won’t need a translator!” (A Daily Serving of Chicken Soup for the
Soul, September 20, 2007, A Special Prayer)
She
desperately wanted a quick relationship with God and wanted to make sure that
the prayer to God got through. Now that
view of how God hears prayer seems a bit narrow, but wanting to get through to
God is a common feeling for most of us, especially when we are feeling desperate
and don’t know what else to do.
But
notice that in our passage today Jesus sees himself as our translator. In verse 6 he says: “I have made your name known to those
whom you gave me from the world.” Jesus
is the translator. He makes God
known to us. Through Christ a
relationship with God is available now and forever. I find that amazing and refreshing and life saving. What an offer!
Occasionally
you hear about people having deathbed conversions to Christianity. Constantine, emperor of Rome, stopped
persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, but it is reported that he did
not himself actually convert and receive baptism until he was on his
deathbed. That is great if he finally
came to trust God in Christ. But think
of all that might have happened if he had come around earlier in his life. All of Western history may have been
changed.
But on
a personal level, think about what he missed.
He missed the glory of a lifetime with God. He missed the peace, like we discussed last week, that Christ
offers. He missed the joy of living as
a follower of Christ. He missed out on
the guidance and wisdom available to followers of Christ. But perhaps most importantly, he missed a
life lived in union with God; he missed the life filled with the divine life
and love.
In the
last verse we read today, Jesus prays about this very thing. He prays: Holy Father protect them in
your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. (v. 11) The prayer continues beyond where we
stopped and reiterates this deep desire Jesus has that his followers may be
one together and one in union with the Father and the Son. The entire ministry of Jesus in predicated
on the basis of Jesus being one with God and doing all that he says and does
based on direction from God. As we read
through this Gospel, we can find this theme mentioned continuously. Jesus stayed focused on that connection with
God. I find most of us allow that to
lapse.
As you
await your time for Holy Communion, let me offer you a few questions to
consider: Where you are in trusting God with all of your life? How well are you tending to your connection
with God? Are you experiencing
eternal life now, as Christ defines it?
Jesus prays that we might know God and be one with Him and with our
brothers and sisters. Are you
experiencing unity with God and those around you? If you struggle with any of these, I pray that you will start
today, start now and let Jesus be your translator.
…a huge promise… God would be ________ ____…
…another huge statement I think when he begins to pray
about ______________ life for his followers.
Do you believe in the existence of heaven, where people
live forever with God after they die? Yes: ____% No: ____%.
Jesus defines eternal life
and does not mention anything
about __________ or
resurrection.
v. 3
Having a relationship with God begins eternal life ______.
__________
Jack Segal
”I did not understand the prayer,
since
I do not speak ______________.”
v.
____
Jesus
is the ____________________.
…having
________________ conversions to Christianity.
…most
importantly he missed a life lived in __________ with
God;
he missed the life filled with the divine life and love.
v.
____
…this
deep desire Jesus has that his followers may be ______
together
and one in union with the Father and the Son.
Are
you experiencing eternal life ______, as Christ defines it?
Are
you experiencing unity with God and those around you?
Kid’s
Question: What is the deep desire of Jesus for his followers?