Jesus had prepared his disciples to be commissioned and sent out in the world to do his work, which is Father’s work. He had given everything given by the Father to them so that they would know what to do and share it with those whom they minister to in making disciples.
Jesus also pray those who were not yet become his
disciples but believe in him and that he was sent by the Father
Today’s Gospel Reading (John 17:20-26) is the final
part of Jesus’ high priestly prayer given during Last Supper, before entering
the Passion.
Jesus first prayed for his threefold glorification:
his death, resurrection, and ascension (John 17:1-5), then, for his disciples,
especially for their successful apostolic life (John 17:6-19), and, finally,
for all believers on earth to have the true unity with him, as he is one with
the Father (John 17:20-26). This is a threefold prayer.
As his hour for glorification was so imminent, Jesus
has been speaking to the Father in the presence of his disciples.
He was making a petition to the Father not only for
his disciples but those who would believe in him through the evangelization
works of his disciples on mission (John 17:20). In fact, he was praying for
those whom he had called “other sheep” to be brought into his herd (John 10:16).
Jesus expressed his heart’s desire for Christian unity, being one with those who
would come to believe in him and to be brought into his one holy catholic
apostolic Church, in one with him, as he is one with the Father (John 17:21).
Jesus wants to extend the glory he had with the
Father (John 17:5) before the Creation (John 1:1-8; 8:58; 17:24b;Colossians
1:15-17; cf. Proverbs 8:22-36) with all who believe and would believe in him
for Christian unity, for his Church (John 17:22). The glory that Jesus had with
the Father before the beginning of the world (John 17:5) had been revealed to
his disciples through his work (John 17:4), and would be also revealed to those
who would believe and become new disciples, as the disciples would carry on
with his work to a greater extent (John 14:20)(John 17:22).
In this prayer, Jesus had a vision that he is in all
his believers as the Father is in him (John 17:23a), reiterating John 17:21,
expanding this with his immediate disciples (John 14:20) even to “another sheep”
to be brought in (John 10:16), as they would know that he was sent by the
Father because He loved them (John 3:16) as He loved him (John 3:35; 5:20; cf.
Matthew 3:17//Mark 1:11//Luke 3:22; cf. Matthew 17:5//Mark 9:7//Luke 9:35)(John
17:23b).
Jesus acknowledged that all the believers and disciples were gift from the Father and expressed his wish to be where they are, though he was about to return to Him (John 17:24a). And he prayed that they would see his glory, which was given by Him, as the Father had loved him before the Creation (John 17:24b). In this, as Jesus regarded all the believers and disciples were Father’s gift to him, he was reiterating his view as the Good Shepherd that all the sheep under his care were gift from the Father (John 10:29). He desired that they would remain in him as he in them (John 15:1-17), staying as one heard of Jesus the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18), even though he was departing soon, as they would see his glory, which the same glory that he was given by the Father before the Creation (John 17:5). The glory that Jesus had with the Father before the Creation (John 17:5) is, indeed, because the Father had loved him before all ages (John 14:24).
In concluding this prayer, Jesus contrasted those
who belong to the world and those who belong to Him through him: the former did
not know the Father, because they do not believe in him, while the latter knew
as they believed and knew that the Father had sent him (John 17:25). This
contrast was already reflected in his exchange with the Pharisees, as he
contrasted those who were in light of life, which he is, and those who were in
darkness (John 8:12-59), as well as a contrast between his sheep that enter
through the gate, which he is, and those that only cause harms (John 10:1-10).
Finally, Jesus summed up his mission to the Father:
he came to the world to make Father’s name known to his disciples, those who
came to believe and follow him during his public ministry and also implied that
the Father’s name would continue to be known by the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos, even after his departure
from the world and return to the Father, through the apostolic mission of the
disciples (John 17:26a). The Father’s name is always made known to the world
and will be son until Jesus’ return through the mission of the one holy catholic
apostolic Church of Jesus upon Pentecost. So that the Father’s love for Jesus
since he was begotten before the Creation, keeping him in hypostatic homoousios
with the Father, is in all the believers and disciples – in his Church, as he
himself is in us all (John 17:26b).
Jesus’ threefold farewell high priestly prayer for his
glorification (John 17:1-5), for his disciples’ success with their apostolic
mission (John 17:6-19), and for the total Christian unity – for the healthy
Church as one body (John 17:20-26), is his earnest petition to the Father to
unite the Church and her head, Jesus, as one, just as he is one with the Father,
through love (ἀγάπη
/agape), which is the divine essence (θεία ουσία /theia ousia). And this is reflected in the glory of
Jesus, given by the Father.
On Pentecost, as Jesus is coming to us (John 14:18,
28) in the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos
(ἄλλον Παράκλητον/allon Parakleton)(John
14:16,26, 15:26; 16:7), we will be send out in the world, so that the Father’s
name will continue to be known and made known, through our apostolic work,
which is his work, and the Father’s. This way, we are agents to bring what
Jesus prayed in John 17:1-26 in reality. The glory of Jesus has been completed
through his threefold glorification: his death, resurrection, and ascension. As
Jesus’ disciples on apostolic mission, we continue to make disciples, so that
we will have a greater Christian unity, living through love of God, the divine
essence, shining with the light of Jesus’ glory.
Today’s First Reading (Acts 22:30; 23:6-11) jumps
quite a bit from yesterday’s (Acts 20:28-38) but it stays on with Paul.
As he was wrapping up his third mission journey
(Acts 18:23-21:17), Paul summoned the elders of the Ephesian church to Miletus
and gave them a solemn farewell discourse on what it means to be lead the flock
of this new church in Ephesus and how they would take care of them altogether,
leaning from his example of pastoral leadership (Acts 20:16-38).
On his way back to Jerusalem, while staying in Tyre,
the Holy Spirit had warned Paul of his trials in store (Acts 21:4). And, those Jews
of Asia Minor, who attacked Paul and tried to derail him from preaching on
Jesus, came all the way to Jerusalem, as they knew that he was back in this
holy city, to kill him, driving “fellow” Jews in Jerusalem to be instigated,
resulting in a riot. Paul was arrested, in part, for safety and was also given
an opportunity, by the Roman authority, to make his own defense, for he was a
Roman citizen (Acts 21:15 - 22:29). Then, he was given an opportunity to speak
on himself and his mission to the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:30) and delivered a powerful
defense, appealing the perfect Jewish nature of Jesus to the Jewish leaders
(Acts 23:1-10).
Whether speaking to the Jews or the Gentiles, to the
Roman authority or the Jewish authority, Paul remain persistent in making the name
of the Father known by making His only begotten Son, Jesus, known. And, he was
always ready and able to explain his history: how Jesus drew him away from
persecuting those whom he prayed for (John 17:20-26) to making more for him and
his glory.
In response to Paul’s defense, some Pharisaic
scribes argued for Paul’s innocence, supposing that either spirit or angel
spoke through him (Acts 23:9). Because many wanted Paul to be judged as guilty
according to the Mosaic Law, his defense at the Sanhedrin turned into a serious
dispute, to which the Roman authority had to intervene for Paul’s safety (Acts
23:10). And Jesus stood by and spoke to Paul on the following night from this
event:
Take
courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must
also bear witness in Rome (Acts 23:11).
Now, you see how Jesus comforted Paul and
commissioned him to be sent to Rome.
Paul had been working selflessly and tirelessly for
what Jesus had prayed (John 17:1-26) ever since he was made born anew in Jesus,
three mission journey and counting!
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