I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Jesus understands his creation well. He knows that we do not always listen as we should. He is not repeating himself because his Father is hard of hearing. He is repeating himself so that we understand what he is saying is important. Let’s take another look at it:
”I have given them the glory that you gave me,”
What glory did the Father give to Jesus? What did Jesus pass on to his disciples? We talked about the meaning of glory in “Humble Glory” (John 17: 10). Honor is a major component of glory, and Jesus shares the honor of being a child of God with those who follow Him. This, in turn, glorifies God.
”that they may be one as we are one— “
In the post on “Oneness” (John 17: 21), we talked about this concept of two being one. My view is that oneness is both simple and complex. It is simple in that all we have to do is to submit completely the will of the Father as revealed to us by Jesus through his Word and the Holy Spirit. It is complex in that we humans can make even the simplest thing complicated.
”I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.”
My personal journey to understanding God’s Word has taken me down some lonely roads. It seems like the world is full of people who want to “interpret” God’s Word for me. Instead of finding unity in Jesus, they typically want me to find unity in them. Having been down this path many times before I have become very sensitive to any attempt to draw my attention away from my Lord.
The image for today’s post is an example of a photobomb – someone inserting themselves into a picture that was supposed to be of someone else. This is what happens when a person draws attention to their interpretations instead of allowing the picture to focus on Jesus.
”Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
In the post “Knowing” (John 17: 7) we discuss Jesus revealing that his disciples know he has been sent by God and that everything Jesus has comes from the Father. This knowing is a state of knowledge superior to guessing or hoping. Knowing involves a level of confidence that what is known is actually true.
What Jesus is talking about here is the antithesis of a photobomb. The picture is about God the Father. Because Jesus is in the Father and they are one he too can be seen in the picture. Those who are one with Christ are also in the picture. They are in the picture, but because they are one with Jesus they do not detract from the picture.
If we allow Jesus to be the center of who we are, then the world will know that Jesus was sent by God the Father. They will also learn that Jesus loves those who are in him even as the Father loves Jesus.
Food for Thought: Why is it important not to photobomb Jesus?
I love the photo-bomb image. Good analogy. We do not want to misrepresent Jesus. I imagine that all of us at some time will fail and insert ourselves into the picture. But obviously, that is something we want to avoid to give an accurate picture of Jesus that is unfiltered and pure.