In Search Of Truth, John 17

The Gospel Of John, Chapter 17



The nature of God as three persons and yet one God is one of the great mysteries of the Bible. As Jesus prays in this chapter, we gain a little understanding of how Jesus and the Father relate to each other. Although Jesus is just as much God as the Father is, he is a willing servant of the Father. And the Father is the one delegating authority. We see this kind of "servant language" from Jesus throughout his prayer in this chapter.


In verse three, Jesus again affirms that belief in both God and himself is the way to have eternal life. (We just can't seem to separate Jesus from his exclusive claims, can we?)


Starting in verse 9, Jesus shifts away from the topic of his coming death, and begins to focus on his followers who will be left behind. He asks the Father to keep them united (v.11) and away from the evil one (v.15) while still in the world. Notice that although Jesus wants his followers to have his "joy"(v.13), his focus is not on their comfort. Christ's agenda is that we be "sanctified" or made "holy". When something is sanctified or made holy, it means that it is set apart for the purposes of God. Jesus wants us to have the fulfillment of serving the ultimate purpose, the ultimate cause: God himself. So how do we become "set apart for the purposes of God"? Jesus states it clearly and simply. "Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth."(v.17) If we want to be "spiritual" people, it's clear that we need to spend time reading and exploring the Bible, our greatest source of absolute truth.


In verse 20, Jesus extends the focus of his prayer to all who will ever trust in him because of the disciples that were currently with him. (That's all of us that trust in him today!) Jesus prays that future believers will be united together and united with God. How sad it is, then, that we don't see more unity between Christian denominations today. In a few broad strokes we do. Christians will come together for conferences and seminars, camps and concerts. Christians from every denomination also come together and fund organizations like Compassion International, providing food, vocational training and Bible teaching to children in poverty all over the world. But there is still a feeling all too common at the local church level of separation and sometimes even a feeling of competition! "Well, if they want to do THAT, they can just go on over to blah blah church. But WE'RE going to do things different!"


Hopefully we will see a change in climate as the rising generation becomes tomorrow's church leaders. Hopefully we'll see more partnership at the local church level as communities of believers come together to impact the lives of those in their neighborhoods. The more Christians are united in their love for each other and their service of God, the more that the world will know who Jesus really is! (v.23)



Coffee House Question
: When was the last time you did something where you felt strongly united to others?




Just four more weeks in The Gospel Of John! Have another book of the Bible you'd like us to go through? Send your vote to paeter@spiritblade.net !


See you next week for Chapter 18, where God himself is betrayed, captured and put on trial by the very creatures he made!