May 24, 2000 - The 7th Sunday of Easter

SCRIPTURE STUDY
THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR B
MAY 24, 2009


Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Psalm 1
1 John 5:9-13
John 17:6-19


The Collect

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

The First Lesson
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus-- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

The Psalm
Psalm 1 Page 585, BCP
Beatus vir qui non abiit

1
Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

2
Their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and they meditate on his law day and night.

3
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither;
everything they do shall prosper.

4
It is not so with the wicked;
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5
Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes,
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked is doomed.

1 John 5:9-13

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

The Gospel
John 17:6-19

Looking up to heaven, Jesus prayed, "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. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth."


EXEGESIS OF THE GOSPEL:

CHAPTERS 13-18: THE CONTEXT

Following the Passover foot washing (13:1-20), Jesus begins to prepare the disciples for his departure. He foretells his betrayal (13:21-30), gives them the great love commandment (13:31-35), and foretells Peter's denial (13:36-38). He then tells them that he is going to the Father's house where he will prepare a place for them (14:2) and that he will come again to take them with him (14:3). He promises them the gift of the Holy Spirit (14:16) –– not to leave them orphaned (14:18) –– and that the Holy Spirit will teach them everything (14:26). Also implied in his call for them to abide in him is a promise of ongoing connectedness (15:1-17). He warns of the world's hatred (15:18 - 16:4a), and gives the rationale that the Spirit cannot come unless he goes (16:4b-15). He promises them joy (16:16-24) and peace (16:25-33).

Jesus then prays his High Priestly Prayer, of which our Gospel lesson is part. This prayer "really belongs to the discourses. Prayers of Jesus in this Gospel are sermonic (11:42; 12:30), and therefore the readers of 17:1-26 are as a congregation overhearing a pastoral prayer" (Craddock, 277). (Editor's note: Lengthy passages of Jesus' teachings are often called discourses. Craddock is suggesting that this prayer of Jesus is also a discourse –– a vehicle for conveying Jesus' teachings.)

After this prayer, Jesus and his disciples will go to a garden in the Kidron Valley where he will be arrested. This prayer, then, serves as a transition from the discourses of the Upper Room to Jesus' passion (his death on the cross).


VERSES 1-26: JESUS' HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER

This prayer concludes the farewell dinner. It is often called The High Priestly Prayer for two reasons: First, Jesus is preparing to offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Second, he intercedes for his disciples (vv. 6-26) in the same way that the high priest intercedes for the people of Israel (see Romans 8:34).

This prayer is often likened to Moses' farewell address (Deuteronomy 31:30ff), which concluded with Moses' final blessing on Israel (Deuteronomy 33). The tone of that address was positive, very much like Jesus' prayer. Moses was preparing to die, but he said, "Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord" (Deuteronomy 33:29). Jesus is preparing to die, but he prays, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you" (17:1).

Lincoln suggests that this prayer is the Johannine equivalent of the Lord's Prayer as found in Matthew 6:9-15. He calls it "the Lord's prayer transposed into a Johannine key," and notes the following parallels (Lincoln 432-433):

• "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9) is paralleled in John 17:1 by a mention of heaven and Jesus addressing God as Father. Jesus also addresses God as Father in 17:11.

• "hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9) is paralleled in several places by concerns for God's holiness or God's name (John 17:6, 11, 26).

• "Your kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10) is paralleled by a concern for Jesus' hour having come (John 17:1) and a concern about eternal life (John 17:2-3).

• "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) is paralleled by Jesus' comment that he has finished the work that the Father sent him to do (John 17:4).

• "And do not bring us to the time of trial" (Matthew 6:13) is paralleled by Jesus' plea for the Father to protect the disciples, living as they do in a hostile kosmos (John 17:11b-16).

This Johannine prayer is quite unlike Jesus' Gethsemane prayer in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). There Jesus sweats drops of blood and prays, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me." In John's Gospel, there is a hint of anxiety in Jesus' earlier prayer, "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say –– 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour," (12:27) but no anxiety about his personal fate in chapter 17. "Far from being shaken and shattered by the ruin of all his hopes, as one might have expected him to be, Christ blesses God with a full heart for enabling him to carry through the task with which he had been entrusted" (Gossip, 744).

But though Jesus' prayer is positive, we hear an urgent, concerned tone. He is, after all, about to depart, leaving his disciples in a difficult world with a critical mission. He includes three petitions for the disciples in this prayer:

• First, 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).

• Second, he prays, "I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one" (v. 15).

• Third, he prays, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (v. 17).

• He also prays, "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:20-21). This expands on the emphasis one oneness in the first petition.

"Although the prayer is set within the ministry of the historical Jesus, the perspective of the prayer is also that of the glorified Christ looking pastorally on his church in the world.... The prayer seems, then, to hang between heaven and earth, between the historical and the glorified Christ" (Craddock, 291).

Verses 1-11 have to do with the interrelationship between Jesus, God and the disciples. While Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit on several occasions (7:39; 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:13), there is no mention of the Spirit in this prayer.


VERSES 1-5: GLORIFY THE SON

These verses are not included in this Gospel lesson. In these verses, Jesus deals with various concerns, including his "hour," by which he means his death and resurrection (v. 1a) –– the glorification of the Son and Father (v. 1b) –– the Son's God-given authority (v. 2) –– and eternal life (vv. 2-3).


VERSES 6-8: I HAVE MADE YOUR NAME KNOWN

6"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 (Greek: logos). 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words (Greek: rhemata) 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 have made your name known" (v. 6a). From the beginning, Jesus' mission has been revelation. He is the Logos, the Word, the one sent to reveal God to us (1:1). He has made the Father's name known.

The Jewish people have always been sensitive about God's name, because they consider God's name to be synonymous with God's true nature or character. At the burning bush, Moses asked God's name, and God replied, "I AM WHO I AM" (Hebrew: YHWH or Yahweh) and commanded Moses to tell the people, "I AM has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14). In John's Gospel, Jesus frequently uses this "I AM" formula (Greek: ego eimi) to identify himself ("I AM the bread of life" –– "I AM the light of the world" –– "I AM the gate for the sheep" –– "I AM the good shepherd").

For much of their history, Jewish people considered God's name, YHWH, too sacred to pronounce, so they substituted the word adonai. Now Jesus makes God's name known "to those whom you gave me from the world" (v. 6) –– and the name is Father. Jesus makes God accessible –– makes it possible for us to address God as Father.

"to those whom you gave me from the world" (v. 6b). The disciples about whom Jesus speaks are not outstanding in any way. Jesus could easily complain about their mediocrity, but instead speaks of them respectfully, as if they were a treasure that the Father has placed into his hands. As events will prove, once they are filled with the Spirit, they will become worthy witnesses –– powerful advocates for the kingdom.

"and they have kept your word" (logos) (v. 6c). It is surprising that Jesus would say that the disciples have kept the Father's word. Their performance thus far has been mixed at best –– but see below on verse 8a.

"Now they know that everything you have given me is from you" (v. 7). The disciples do not yet understand Jesus' teachings about his death and resurrection, but they have placed their faith in Jesus as God's prophet –– as one who speaks God's word.

"for the words (rhemata) that you gave to me I have given to them" (v. 8a). Note the difference between "word" singular (logos) in verse 6 and "words" plural (rhemata) in verse 8. Logos (singular) and rhemata (plural) are two different words with significantly different meanings.

• Logos is important in this Gospel. Jesus is Logos –– Word –– the revelation of God. "In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word (logos) was with God, and the Word (logos) was God" (1:1).

• Rhemata is a different word. "A good case can be made that when the Fourth Gospel Jesus refers to his words (plural) he is talking about the precepts he lays down, almost equivalent to his 'commands'…, but when he refers to his word (singular) he is talking about his message as a whole, almost equivalent to 'gospel' " (Carson, 559).

"for they have received them and know in truth that I came from you" (v. 8b). Jesus does not say that the disciples have kept his rhemata –– his words –– his teachings –– but only that they have received them. It would be stretching things to say that the disciples have been faithful to Jesus' teachings, which they have thus far understood only dimly. Prior to the resurrection, they are more clueless than faithful. However, they have been faithful to the Father's logos –– to the Father's revelation of himself through the Son, who is the Logos. The disciples have hung in there with Jesus through good times and bad, because, "You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (6:68-69). It is the disciples' faithfulness to himself to which Jesus refers when he says, "they have kept your word" (v. 6).

"and they have believed that you sent me" (v. 8c). Jesus establishes the chain of custody by which God's words are transmitted. The words came from the Father, who gave them to the Son, who in turn gave them to the disciples. These disciples have not rejected these words, but have "received" them. They are receptive to the words that Jesus gives them, because they believe that Jesus was sent by the Father. If Jesus is truly sent by the Father, it follows that his words are trustworthy.


VERSES 9-11a: I AM ASKING ON THEIR BEHALF

9I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world (Greek: kosmou –– from kosmos), but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11aAnd now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.


"I am not asking on behalf of the world (kosmou), but on behalf of those whom you gave me" (v. 9). This has a harsh ring to it, as if Jesus cares only about his little band of disciples and nobody else. However, when Jesus speaks of the world, he is not speaking of planet earth or all humanity but of the kosmos, which is the "sphere of enmity to God…. The only hope for the kosmos is precisely that it should cease to be the kosmos" (O'Day, 792). The kosmos poses a threat to the disciples, who "are in the kosmos" even as Jesus is preparing to depart from the kosmos (v. 11).

But God and Jesus do not respond with hostility to a hostile world. Instead, this Gospel portrays them as loving the world and working to redeem it. Jesus said:

• "For God so loved the world (kosmon) that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world (kosmon), but in order that the world (kosmos) might be saved through him" (3:16-17)

• "I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world (kosmon), but to save the world" (kosmon) (12:47).

This was clear even to the Samaritans, who said to the woman at the well, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world" (kosmou) (4:42).

"But the salvation of the world depends on the witness of those whom the Father has given him 'out of the world' (see vv. 21, 23), and it is they that need (Jesus') intercession at this junction" (Bruce, 331).

"All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them" (v. 10). "What strikes one... most in our Lord's prayer is not even (Jesus') moving loyalty to his friends, ...but rather his unmistakable pride in them" (Gossip, 746). It seems astonishing that Jesus would claim to be glorified in these disciples. They are a small and ordinary group of people who exhibit no unusual intelligence or talent. They seem unable to learn from the numerous clues that Jesus gives them concerning his future. No matter what Jesus says, they just don't get it. How can Jesus claim to have been glorified in them?

Keep in mind that this Gospel was written quite late, probably after most of Jesus' original disciples died. The author has seen that, somehow, through the grace of God and the work of the Spirit, Jesus has indeed been glorified by these disciples. The church is growing and spreading. However imperfect these disciples might have been, they have succeeded in glorifying the Lord. In fact, when Jesus says that he has been glorified in them, he uses the perfect tense, suggesting an already completed glorification, showing full confidence that they have glorified him and will glorify him.

This is an encouraging word to those of us who are tempted to despair of disciples and discipleship today –– who long for a wart-free church. While the future of the church might seem compromised by the quality and commitment of its people, we can rest assured that the glorification that began with those first disciples continues with the work of the church today. The church is one example of the principle that God chooses the foolish and weak to shame the wise and strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).

"And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you" (v. 11a). Technically, Jesus is still present in the world, and his death and resurrection lie ahead, but he has begun the process by which he will be glorified and will return to the Father. The kosmos will soon succeed in killing him, but he will emerge victorious through the resurrection. The disciples, however, will continue to live in the kosmos, an alien and hostile kosmos, and we can hear a note of angst in Jesus' voice as he speaks of leaving them behind.


VERSES 11b-16: HOLY FATHER, PROTECT THEM IN YOUR NAME

11bHoly Father, protect (Greek: tereson –– keep, hold, maintain) them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost (Greek: ho huios tes apoleias –– the son of perdition), so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14I have given them your word (Greek: logon), and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.


"Holy Father" (v. 11b) –– in verse 25, Jesus says, "Righteous Father." God is indeed holy and righteous. The holiness of God is "a divine characteristic which we are allowing to fall out of sight. We talk much about the love of God. But...we are not blinded these days by the blazing whiteness of God's holiness" (Gossip, 743). Neither have we adequately emphasized personal holiness as an important element of discipleship. It is an emphasis that we would do well to revive.

This righteous aspect of God was emphasized in the Old Testament to the extent that Jewish people did not feel worthy to address God by name. Now Jesus makes known God's name –– and that name is Father. That name helps us to see God in a new light, not simply as holy and righteous, but also as nurturing. But we must not forget that the nurturing Father is also holy and righteous.

"protect (tereson –– keep, hold, maintain) them in your name" or "keep them in your name that you have given me" (v. 11b). Jesus has been their protector, and gives an account of his stewardship (v. 12). Now he is preparing to depart, so he asks the Father to assume the role of protector to these disciples who are in the kosmos (world) but not of the kosmos –– belonging to the Father but dwelling in a hostile land. If we had been praying, we would have asked simply that the Father protect them, but Jesus prays, "protect them in your name" –– by which he means, " 'keep them in loyalty to you' or 'keep them in full adherence to your character' " (Carson, 562) –– the concern being not so much for physical danger –– and by the time of the writing of this Gospel, the church will have experienced the full savagery of Rome's persecution –– but for spiritual victory in the face of great trials.

"so that they may be one, as we are one" (v. 11b). In recent years, the ecumenical movement has worked to bring denominations together organizationally, their efforts reflecting concerns both for this petition of Jesus and for the church's witness. The unity for which Jesus is praying, however, is deeper –– a unity of heart and purpose. Organizational unity is only a first step. We must also be concerned about disunity within denominations –– within congregations –– between individual Christians.

This is a prayer that, in many respects, has not been answered. The church has fragmented into many denominations and factions. Christians spend altogether too much time fighting one another. And yet, in some respects, Jesus prayer has been answered. Christians work together across denominational lines in many ways –– from sponsoring community worship services to financing relief efforts. There have been a number of efforts to bring together denominations, either in formal mergers or through shared initiatives and mutual recognition of clergy. It is not enough, but it is a beginning.

"While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost" (Greek: ho huios tes apoleias –– literally, "the son of perdition" or "the son of utter ruin") (v. 12a). This probably refers to Judas, who is "characterized by 'lostness,' (rather than being) predestined to be 'lost'…. The reference to the fulfilling of Scripture brings out the divine purpose. This does not mean that Judas was an automaton. He was a responsible person and acted freely. But God used that man's evil act to bring about his own purpose" (Morris, 645).

In a dissenting opinion, Moloney regards this as a reference to Satan rather than Judas. "The only figure in the story Jesus could not 'care for' is Satan who planned the betrayal (cf. 13:2). Jesus washed the feet and shared the morsel with Judas despite Satan's designs (cf. 13:2). Nevertheless, Satan entered Judas (cf. 13:27) 'that the Scripture might be fulfilled' (17:12d; cf. 13:18). There is a divine order in the events of the life and death of Jesus beyond his control. The son of perdition is beyond the control of Jesus, but he has cared for his disciples" (Moloney, 467).

"so that the scripture might be fulfilled" (v. 12b). The fulfilled scripture is almost surely Psalm 41:9, which is applied to Judas in John 13:18.

"But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves" (v. 13). Earlier, Jesus commanded the disciples to abide in him and to keep his commandments "so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (15:11). The world in which we live –– the kosmos –– tends to think of joy in terms of the baser pleasures. Such joy tastes sweet for awhile, but then turns rancid, leaving a bitter aftertaste. There are joys with deeper roots –– the joy of hearth and home –– the joy of creativity and productivity –– the joy of service and benevolence –– the joy of knowing and serving truth –– the joy of having one's feet firmly planted on a solid foundation –– the joy of being in a right relationship with God. It is these joys that Jesus offers, and they "compensate for the world's hatred, which (the disciples) must encounter because of their loyalty to Christ, whose refusal to accept worldly standards has incurred the hostility of the world" (Howard, 748).

"I have given them your word (logos), and the world (kosmos) has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world" (v. 14). Jesus has given the disciples God's word –– God's logos –– and that word has made them different. These logos-people do not belong to the kosmos-world –– the world that is opposed to God. Their new identity, their separateness, draws the world's ire.

The kosmos-world is suspicious –– afraid of those who have rejected its ways. Kosmos-people feel insecure except in the company of other kosmos-people –– those who accept their values and seek the same pleasures. We see it with drug-addicts, who cannot abide the addict who has quit using drugs. We see it in the criminal world, that cannot abide the person who has "gone straight." Kosmos-people know that the person who used to belong to them but no longer belongs, is especially dangerous, because that person knows their secrets but no longer shares their loyalties.

We see something similar in the shadowy world of enterprises (legal or illegal) that profit from people's weaknesses –– manufacturers of cigarettes or alcohol, people who run casinos and bars, pimps, sellers of pornography and the like. Kosmos-people move among a small circle of colleagues and see the rest of the world as their enemy. They hate anyone who opposes them, whether overtly or by wholesome example, and respond viciously to any perceived threat to their kosmos-enterprise.

We see it in the movies, where Christians are seldom portrayed in a favorable light –– and in the news media, which seldom reports anything good about the church but delights in clergy-gone-awry stories. And we see it in places that we don't expect to see it. I have a neighbor who is likable enough but who has nary a good word to say about the church. I think that he senses something good there, but something that would require a change of heart –– a change that he is unwilling to make. Jesus has not overstated the case at all when he says that the kosmos "hates" the disciples "because they do not belong to the kosmos." That hatred is fueled by guilt, fear of exposure, and fierce resistance to change.

"I am not asking you to take them out of the world (kosmou), but I ask you to protect them from the evil one" (v. 15). "The juxtaposition of the language of being kept in the Father's name and that of being kept from the evil one indicates the two antithetical spheres of power operative in the world" –– God and Satan (Lincoln, 437).

The mission of the disciples is to carry on Christ's work in the kosmos-world, so Jesus cannot remove them from the kosmos. They will do their work in a world to which they no longer belong and in which they no longer feel wholly comfortable. "The church's radical otherworldliness…consists precisely in this: its protection by and orientation to a name not certified by the world. Whenever it neglects its otherworldliness and assumes it exists as an institution like all other institutions, it contradicts its very being" (Cousar, 344). The old gospel song comes to mind: "This world is not my home; I'm just a-passing through." The poetry might be doggerel, but the sentiment is exactly right.

Jesus does pray that God will "protect them from the evil one" (v. 15). Jesus doesn't pray that God would "wrap (the disciples) in some plastic, danger-free safety casing where they would never encounter evil. But the prayer of Jesus was to protect them from succumbing to the onslaught of evil or the evil one" (Borchert, 200).

What does seem to be overstated is Jesus' claim that "They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world" (v. 16). "That sounds by far too generous; more generous than true" (Gossip, 748). These disciples are flawed people who have failed Jesus in the past and who will fail him again in the future. Nevertheless, they have become different, because Jesus has given them God's word (v. 14). That word moved them from the kosmos camp to God's camp. Jesus is not just being generous. The disciples, in fact, no longer belong to the kosmos.


VERSES 17-19: SANCTIFY THEM IN THE TRUTH

17Sanctify (Greek: hagiason –– set apart as sacred to God –– make holy –– consecrate) them in the truth; your word (Greek: logos) is truth. 18As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify (Greek: hagiazo) myself, so that they also may be sanctified (Greek: hegiasmenoi) in truth.


"Sanctify (hagiason) them in the truth" (v. 17a). Hagiason comes from the word, hagios, which is often translated holy, but which also means separate or set apart (Barclay, 253). Hagiason (and variants) is the word used in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) for the consecration of animals for sacrifice to God (Deuteronomy 15:19). God required that animals set aside for sacrifice be without blemish or serious defect (Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 22:21). People were not allowed to sacrifice an animal that was lame or blind (Deuteronomy 15:19).

This is related to Jesus' concern in this passage for the holiness of the disciples (vv. 15-19). Jesus has already said that the disciples "do not belong to the world" (v. 14), which is simply another way of saying that they are separate or holy. We cannot perform our mission of witnessing to the love of the holy Father in this world unless we ourselves are holy. While the concern with regard to sacrificial animals was physical wholeness, the concern with regard to disciples is spiritual wholeness –– spiritual holiness –– freedom from serious spiritual defect.

Hagiason is also the word used for the consecration of prophets and priests (O'Day, 793). God did not set apart prophets and priests for honor but for service. The same is true today when we ordain people to church offices. While it is, in one sense, an honor to be chosen for such work, it is, in a larger sense, ordination to servitude –– to becoming a servant.

Hagios and its variants are found in only two places in this Gospel –– here and in 10:36 –– part of the Festival Cycle (chapters 10 ff.) where "the high priest, the one who bore the insignia of holiness/set-apartness to God...settled for an unholy compromise to kill Jesus in order to calm religious renewal and zeal and to maintain his own status and position (11:48-52)" (Borchert, 196-197, 202-203). Being holy in an unholy kosmos (world) was fatal for Jesus, and we should understand that being holy will be dangerous for us too.

"your word (logos) is truth" (v. 17b). " 'Your word is truth' (v. l7b) is a subtle allusion to John 1:14. Although Jesus is never explicitly called 'the Word' in the body of the Gospel, this understanding of him underlies the affirmation here. God's Word, incarnate in Jesus, is truth-as well as the way and the life (14:6)" (Williamson, 226).

It was the gift of God's word that made the disciples separate and holy in the first place (v. 14). Now Jesus calls for an additional measure of this same gift to make the demarcation even clearer and to equip the disciples for their difficult work.

"As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world" (v. 18). Jesus is not of this world, but emptied himself so that he might take on human form and live in the kosmos-world on a mission of mercy and salvation (Philippians 2:5-11). Now he is preparing the disciples to continue this incarnational ministry in a world that is no longer their own. "The task is no less than the sanctification of the world through the sanctification of the disciples" (Sloyan, 197). "The parallelism between (Jesus') sending and (the disciples' sending) is to be observed…. (Jesus is at the end of his earthly ministry, and) therefore hands over the mission to his men whom he has prepared for this task…. As Bultmann expressed it, 'The community takes over Jesus' assault on the world' " (Beasley-Murray, 300-301).

"And for their sakes I sanctify (hagiazo) myself" (v. 19a). "If the disciples are to be effectively set apart for the work which they must do, the Son must first set himself apart for the work which he must do" (Bruce, 334). When Jesus speaks of sanctifying himself, he is talking about setting himself apart for the sacrifice of the cross.

"so that they may be sanctified (hegiasmenoi) in truth" (v. 19b). "The holiness of God, made visible in the human story in the holiness of Jesus' gift of himself for his own (v. 19a), is to be matched by the holiness of the disciples (v. 19b) as Jesus is sending them into the world to make God known, just as God sent him (v. 18). To succeed in this mission they must be holy, as God is holy (cf. Lev 11:44; John 17:11b, 17,19)" (Moloney, 469).


TRUE STORY:

Speaking of mothers' prayers, Richard Moore's mother prayed for him for many years. Richard, you see, lost his eyesight as a child. He grew up in Northern Ireland during the troubled times there, and was hit by a rubber bullet fired by a British soldier. He was walking home from school –– ten years old.

Richard's mother prayed for him. He remembers waking up to find his mother kneeling beside his bed, pleading with God that her son's eyesight might be restored –– but, as nearly as anyone could tell, nothing happened.

Many years later, as a grown man, Richard learned the name of the soldier who shot him. He located the man's address and asked if he could come to visit. When the man gave his permission, Richard went to see him and to offer his forgiveness.

When he did that, he felt something change deep inside himself. He discovered a kind of peace that had eluded him throughout his life. He said:

"When I met the soldier and forgave him,
I believe my mother's prayers were answered.
I was given a new vision,
and my real wound,
the one that needed healing more than my eyes,
was healed."


THOUGHT PROVOKERS: (Top of page)

There is nothing that makes us love a person so much
as praying for him....
By considering yourself as an advocate with God
for your neighbors and acquaintances,
you would never find it hard to be at peace with them yourself.

William Law


* * * * * * * * * *

He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast.
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God that loveth us,
He made and loveth all.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
The Ancient Mariner


* * * * * * * * * *

The servants of Christ are protected by invisible,
rather than visible, beings.
But if these guard you,
they do so because they have been summoned by your prayers.

Ambrose

EDITOR'S NOTE: And Jesus' prayer.

* * * * * * * * * *

No Christian escapes a taste of the wilderness
on the way to the Promised Land.

Evelyn Underhill

* * * * * * * * * *

The Church is not so much a continuously living thing,
as something that has survived a thousand crucifixions
through a thousand Resurrections.

Fulton J. Sheen

* * * * * * * * * *


BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible, "The Gospel of John," Vol. 2 (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1955)

Beasley-Murray, George R., Word Biblical Commentary: John (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999)

Borchert, Gerald L., New American Commentary: John 12-21, Vol, 25B (Nashville: Broadman Press, 2002)

Brown, Raymond, The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI (Garden City: Doubleday, 1970)

Bruce, F. F., The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983).

Carson, D. A., The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991).

Cousar, Charles B., in Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R. and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV––Year B (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993)

Craddock, Fred R.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; and Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993)

Gossip, Arthur John and Howard, Wilbert F., The Interpreter's Bible, Volume 8 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1952)

Howard-Brook, Wes, Becoming the Children of God: John's Gospel and Radical Discipleship (New York: Maryknoll, 1994).

Kostenberger, Andreas J., Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: John (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004)

Lincoln, Andrew T., Black's New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John (London: Continuum, 2005)

Malcolm, Lois, in Van Harn, Roger (ed.), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Text. The Third Readings: The Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001)

Moloney, Francis J., Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of John (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1998)

Morris, Leon, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995).

O'Day, Gail R., The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume IX (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995)

Palmer, Earl F., The Book That John Wrote (Vancouver: Regent College Publishing, 1975)

Ridderbos, Herman (translated by John Vriend), The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997)

Sloyan, Gerald, "John," Interpretation (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988)

Smith, D. Moody, Jr., Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: John (Nashville: Abingdon, 1999)

Lamar Williamson Jr., Preaching the Gospel of John: Proclaiming the Living Word (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004)

Wright, Tom (N.T.), John for Everyone: Part 2, Chapters 11-21 (London: SPCK and Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002, 2004)

Richard Niell Donovan, SermonWriter.com