Is John 17 about unity?
If I was given sixpence every time I heard someone quoted John 17.21 '…that they might be 1…' and then I'd accept a lot of modify that I wouldn't know what to exercise with. It is normally suggested that, in this, Jesus' 'high priestly prayer', nosotros see his last desire expressed to his heavenly Father, and that desire is for his people to have visible unity. We must therefore take this seriously, and brand information technology a priority above other issues since, afterward all, it was so important to Jesus that it formed his final wish.
Information technology is worth looking at the prayer a lilliputian more closely, and putting it in its context both in John's gospel and among the gospels as a whole. The prayer form the climax of the Last Supper soapbox in John—only of class John himself mentions no supper, merely instead focusses on the washing of the disciples' feet past Jesus. This reminds us that we need to read John in one hand with the synoptics, and particularly Mark, in the other; the 2 fill out each other and requite each other context. So we read that, after this prayer of John 17, Jesus goes out to Gethsemane in John 18.i, but we demand to plough to Mark 14.32 to know the name of the place and what happens there.
It is as well worth noting from the outset that the longer form of Jesus' speech communication in John is not, in itself, a reason to care for the synoptics as more than historical, and John more of a theological construction of what Jesus said. Fifty-fifty the speeches in John are relatively short, and the teaching of Jesus recorded in the synoptics would have mere hours to recite, then we must treat them equally (quite possibly reliable) summaries of longer and more extensive pedagogy.
Turning to the prayer itself, we find many of the before themes and ideas in John fatigued together. First, we meet the notions of 'hour' and 'celebrity'; John has from the first been interested in days and hours, and in Cana Jesus tells Mary that 'my 60 minutes has non yet come' (John 2.4) and yet, in the phenomenon and in anticipation of what is to follow here, 'Jesus did the first of his signs…and revealed his glory' (John 2.11).
Then we have the interrelated ideas of life and truth: eternal life is to know the true God, whom Jesus solitary reveals. In the prologue in John 1, nosotros take already been introduced to the low-cal who was life for the globe from the starting time of creation. And that light is constantly linked with testimony—of John, of Jesus' disciples, and of Jesus himself. The idea of the piece of work of the Son being aligned with the work of the Male parent takes the states back to the idea that 'my Father is always working' in John five.17 and that the work demanded of us is organized religion—believing in what Jesus teaches (John half-dozen.29).
The distinction of the disciples from the world touches on John's ambiguous theology of 'world'—information technology is the object of God's love (John three.16) but is also opposed to God and the things of God (John 15.18), so that (paradoxically) to beloved the world is to hate God (ane John 2.15). This contrast between the disciples and the globe reflects Jesus' own human relationship with the globe (John 17.16); though the earth 'came into being through him, it did not know him' (John 1.x) and 'his own people [both the Jews and all humanity] did non receive him' (John one.11). His own ministry and kingdom do not have their origin in the world—that is the real meaning of Jesus' statement to Pilate in John 18.36, often mistranslated as 'of this earth' rather than 'from this earth', as if the kingdom did not accept an affect on earthly structures of power. The question of where Jesus 'remains' or stays or abides has been of involvement from the disciples' beginning see: 'Rabbi, where are you staying/abiding?' (John 1.38). We at present acquire that Jesus abides in the Male parent, and we demand to abide in him, and that he will no longer abide in this world simply is going to the Father. (This idea of move from the Male parent's side, down to the incarnation, and up again back to the Begetter is neither late, not uniquely Johannine, since we notice the aforementioned motility in Phil ii.5–11 and in two Cor 8.9).
Now we begin to approach the heart of the prayer, where the statement virtually unity comes. Jesus' key concern is for the protection of the disciples in the midst of the world in which they remain simply to which they do not vest. 'Brand them holy in the truth; your discussion is truth.' The linguistic communication of truth goes to the heart of a key theme in John; as Andrew Lincoln and Marking Stibbe have pointed out, the whole of John tin be understood every bit a course of trial narrative, with witnesses called to testify to the truth of Jesus' claims and identity, and the Begetter even called to the witness stand (John 8.18). That is why the conflict is and then sharp with the 'leaders of the Jews' in chapters v to 8, because they are the prosecuting counsel, and that is why John's account of the crucifixion naturally includes the extended dialogue with Pilate (conveyed to us past 1 of the servants there) which is non included in the synoptics.
'Your word' here cannot refer to Jesus himself, even within the 'logos' Christology of John, not least considering Jesus has already talked of the cleansing and sanctifying work of his words, that is, his teaching of truth, in relation to abiding in the vine (John fifteen.3). To be holy involves remaining in the person and work of Jesus, and remaining in his teaching which reveals the truth about united states of america, God and the world. It is into this context that Jesus then longs for the unity of his people. The parallel with the unity between Jesus and the Begetter cannot be exact, non least with retrospect we have following the Nicene expressions of our understanding of the Trinity. But it is about the unity of commitment, volition and agreement; simply equally Jesus does the volition and work of the Father, and simply as the Father'due south testimony is completely unified with the testimony of Jesus, so his disciples are to have that one commitment to true testimony which reveals the truth of God—and which will then lead many who take not themselves been witnesses of Jesus too to believe (John xx.31). There is no sense here that the unity of the believersin and of itself, disconnected to the truth, plays any role in the conviction of the globe.
Jesus finishes the prayer with aninclusioreturn to the theme of glory, simply does so with a unique address to God as 'righteous Male parent'—just the third time John uses the term 'righteous' (after John 5.30 and 7.24) and the only time in the New Testament that God is described in this way.
So Jesus' prayer for unity is tightly spring with concerns for the truth, for holiness, for the distinctive testimony of his people over against the world to which they do not vest, leading to the revelation of the celebrity of God and by which, through faithful testimony, many in the globe volition come to believe that Jesus is the but true revelation of the Father who loves them and draws them to himself.
And of course nosotros discover very similar inter-relationships between these concerns elsewhere. In the frequently-cited example of the Council of Acts 15, it is hit that the agreement of the new experience of seeing the Spirit poured out on the Gentiles is interpreted past means of discerning God's purposes in Scripture, and (most notably for u.s.a.) is then recognised by all of God'due south people in unanimity. The accord with Scripture and the unified reception by the people both attest to the truth of the estimation.
Perhaps this is an object lesson in the dangers of the 'retentivity verse' approach to reading Scripture, by which we isolate i phrase from its immediate and wider context, and then lose important elements which it needs in order to be understood properly.
Follow me on Twitter @psephizo
Much of my work is done on a freelance basis. If you have valued this post, would y'all consider donating £1.20 a month to support the production of this blog?
If you enjoyed this, do share it on social media (Facebook or Twitter) using the buttons on the left. Follow me on Twitter @psephizo. Like my folio on Facebook.
Much of my piece of work is done on a freelance basis. If y'all have valued this post, you can make a single or echo donation through PayPal:
Comments policy: Proficient comments that engage with the content of the post, and share in respectful debate, can add real value. Seek first to understand, and then to exist understood. Make the most charitable construal of the views of others and seek to larn from their perspectives. Don't view debate as a conflict to win; address the argument rather than tackling the person.
Source: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/is-john-17-about-unity/
0 Response to "Is John 17 about unity?"
Post a Comment