Jeff Englund

September 4, 2019September 3, 2019

Photo or Photobomb? – John 17: 22-23

1853, ”Sally and Mrs. Reed” Possibly the world’s first photobomb. (Public Domain)

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.

September 3, 2019September 2, 2019

Credibility – John 17: 21b

May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

At the beginning of his gospel John lays out the principle elements of Jesus mission to earth:

• Jesus is both with God and is God. (vs 1)
• Jesus is the source of life (John equates life with light here) (vs 4, 9)
• Jesus (God/Life/Light) came into the world but the world did not recognize him. (vs 10,11)
• Jesus gives the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name. (vs 12-13)

If people will believe that God has sent Jesus, if they believe in Jesus’ name, he is able to fulfill his mission. The question then becomes what does it take for people to believe that Jesus is real?

People of the world are very aware of people who claim they are not of the world. What believers say and do is important. It affects what the people of the world think about God. If we as Christians act like frauds then it makes sense that our claims about God carry very little weight. If we as Christians live like Christ, then we can credibly represent him to the world.

Our power to live like Christ does not come from our own will. It comes from Christ within us. If we are not one with Christ we have no credibility. If we are one with Christ, then our testimony is valid and our actions reflect our Lord.

But what about other people who claim to be believers?

Being “of the world” does not mean that you cannot claim to be a believer if that is what you want to do. Being one with Jesus does not guarantee that the world will believe you. Jesus asks his Father that his believers would be “in us” so that the world “may believe” that Jesus was sent by God.

I pray that God answers Jesus prayer.

Food for Thought: Does who you accept as a brother or sister in Christ reflect on your credibility as a Christian believer?

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019

Oneness – John 17: 21

… that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

Jesus is praying to his Father. It is late in the evening. He and his disciples have finished the Passover meal. Judas has left to betray Jesus to the chief priests. The clock is ticking. The moment Jesus dies for the sins of all mankind is quickly approaching.

Urgently he prays for his disciples. In our last verse, he expanded the scope of who he is praying for to include you and me. Now, in today’s verse, he tells us why. He wants us to be one.

So the question for today is what does that mean? What does it mean to “be one?”

When we looked at John 17: 16 (“Worlds Apart”) we examined the concept of what it means to be in the world but not part of the world. Now we look at a similar concept from a different angle: What does it mean to be an individual and at the same time so much a part of a group of people that the entire group is considered one?

Oneness suggests that people share a common goal. After 9/11 America seemed to stop its bickering and infighting for a moment and unite in a common cause. For a brief period of time, there was a feeling of oneness in this country. Unfortunately, it was not an enduring oneness.

August 31, 2019August 30, 2019

Personal Message – John 17: 20a

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…

As Jesus continues his prayer to his Father, he reveals more and more about himself and his mission on earth. He wants to glorify the Father and make sure that you and I have eternal life. We learn that he is from the Father and is returning to the Father. Jesus also plainly admits that he existed before the world began (vs 5).

Jesus and God are one. How many times has he told us that in this gospel? A lot! Since he is one with God and existed before the world began, he very likely knows the end of the world as well. He knows that others will follow in the footsteps of his own disciples. Many, many others. In fact, he knows about you and me. I believe he knew about you and me when he walked on earth 2,000 years ago. He knows about us all.

In today’s verse, he prays specifically for you and me. We are among those who believe in Jesus through their message, the message of the early disciples. Jesus knew you would believe. Jesus knows who you are.

Because of his love for us, he sends us a message across two thousand years. He says, in effect, “I am praying for you, too!”

Food for Thought: Does knowing that Jesus knows you personally, and knew about you two thousand years ago affect how you think about him?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

August 30, 2019August 29, 2019

Clean – John 17: 17-19

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

As we look at these three verses it is very important to understand the word, “sanctify,” to get what Jesus is saying. I looked up the Greek at blueletterbible.com and learned that the word means to “make holy,” to set apart, to clean and purify. With this understanding, let’s look at the text again.

Jesus says: Make my disciples holy, set apart, cleansed by your truth.

That makes sense, doesn’t it? Yesterday Jesus talked about being in the world but not part of the world. Today he describes a bit about what that means.

The “world’s” view is that truth is relative to who you are and how you feel about things at a given time. Jesus refers to “the” truth. He then adds the clarification that God’s word is truth. This word is not only the word spoken to Moses but every word that Jesus himself has spoken. The truth cleanses the mind, it purifies the one who hears the word, and to those who believe it sets them apart.

Food for Thought: If you are a believer, you are being sanctified. How have you seen that work out in your life?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

August 29, 2019August 28, 2019

Worlds Apart – John 17: 16

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

By my count, the word “world” is used fifty-seven times in John’s gospel alone. Fifty-seven! When Jesus uses the term it seems to mean something different than when us earthlings use the term. In today’s verse, Jesus once again refers to the world as something apart from the … world.

What do I mean by the world being apart from the world?

The way Jesus uses the word, the disciples are not part of the world. Yet we know that from a human perspective that until they died they still lived in the world. In yesterday’s verse, Jesus says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” So Jesus uses the word “world” two mean two different things. One world they remain a part of, the other world they are not part of. Or as Jesus puts it, they are “not of the world.”

As usual, Jesus grammar is telling. He sees things differently than the rest of us humans. What does he mean, “…not of the world?”

August 28, 2019August 27, 2019

Protection – John 17: 15

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

If I had been there with Jesus when he prayed this prayer before his disciples, I think I would have had mixed feelings at this point. The idea of being taken “out of the world” sounds rather intriguing. There are days when the idea sounds downright inviting! If you are old enough you might remember the tag line, “Take me away, Calgon!” from the 1970s. The bath powder was so delightful that it would take you away from all your problems. Out of this world, in a manner of speaking.

Staying in the world has its upside, too. Yet it can be tough. Being cast out of your social network, mentally bullied, intimidated, and physically beaten is no fun. All these things happened to the disciples after Jesus left. Yet even though he was gone, he did not leave them unprotected. Jesus prayed that God would “protect them from the evil one.”

What does that mean? What can the “evil one” do that is so bad? Why do we need protection?

August 27, 2019August 26, 2019

Life Itself – John 17: 14

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

Have you ever noticed how someone’s emotions can go from hot to cold in the blink of an eye? Sometimes all it takes is saying one wrong thing and people go from friend to enemy. Couples once happily married find that their feelings have changed. Where laughter once filled their lives now hate rules the day and rules their actions.

From Jesus’ point of view, the world is like a jilted lover. His disciples, once part of the world were embraced by that world. If not embraced, at least tolerated. The disciples have turned their back on the world and given their lives and their hearts to Jesus. The world is not pleased. In fact, the world is downright angry about this. Angry, bitter, and spitting mad. So mad that the world that the prince of this world* will cause those who are under his sway to hunt down Jesus’ followers and kill and imprison them. The world hates those who follow Jesus because Jesus has made it possible for those who believe to escape the grasp of Satan and death.

August 26, 2019August 25, 2019

Affirmation – John 17: 13

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

Perhaps you have been wondering why Jesus would be praying like he is at this time? We have been told that it was not uncommon for Jesus to go off by himself to pray. Why this prayer here and now? Why pray where his disciples can hear him?

Todays’ verse gives us the answers to these questions. Jesus wants his disciples to hear him tell his Father about them. Is this a reasonable thing to do? It is if you are Jesus and you are more concerned about how your disciples feel that you are your own feelings.

Where you ever in a situation where someone was bragging on you to someone else that you cared about? When you were a child, did a teacher ever say something nice about your work in school to your parents when you were listening? Have you ever worked for someone who stood up for you or praised you in front of his boss or manager? How does that feel?

August 25, 2019August 25, 2019

God’s Eye View – John 17: 12b

None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Judas is not generally a topic for discussion in polite Christian circles. The idea of having a traitor among Jesus’ disciples is repulsive to the mind. Yet, like everything else Jesus says, there is purpose and meaning in this sentence.

Jesus is talking with his Father with his disciples present. There is a lot of important information being relayed to God the Father, and the disciples are privileged to hear it. They are all listening intently. All except Judas that is.

Judas is off plotting with the Pharisees and Chief Priests to capture Jesus. He knows where Jesus hangs out, and he knows when he will be vulnerable and without the protection of the crowds. Apparently, the Pharisees and chief priests would not have been able to do this on their own. (I suspect that the reason for this is that even they had a sense of propriety about this. At some level, they could not be seen as actually hunting down Jesus. Having a disciple offer Jesus up, however, would be an entirely different matter.)

The person chosen to be a disciple and still betray Jesus to death had to meet a very special criterion. They had to be doomed to destruction.

Jesus does not elaborate on this point, but let’s apply what we know about Jesus and what he taught and see if we can make sense of this.