“Prayer for Glory”

Scripture: John 17:20-26

It is still dinner time at the Last Supper, and Jesus has been praying. First, he prayed that glory might come upon him, so that his Father might receive that glory (John 17:1-5). Next, he prayed for his disciples, that the Father might bless the glory that is upon them, and that he will sustain them as they begin the ministry that is now theirs (John 17:6-19). And in our text for today, he prays for the Church that is about to come into existence, again that the glory that rests upon them might unite them with the Father and the Son.

Jesus knows what lies ahead for all believers, and his great desire is that divine strength and purpose will fill all who come as followers of the true Messiah.

As we read through these prayers, there is never a request to put a halt to the coming opposition and condemnation, but only acceptance of those who will suffer because of the name of Jesus Christ. He never asks that their suffering will be eliminated, never asks that everyone will accept their testimony, never asks that the Church will always be faithful, and never asks that their faith and love will never waiver. Only that glory and unity might be theirs and that their glory and love might be worthy to pass through him to the Father.

Read John 17:20-23

Jesus had begun the work that believers must now take up, and, by faith in the Son of God, that those who come to him will know the same unifying Spirit that exists between Jesus and his Father. But this unity isn’t just for edification and blessing of the Church – it is for their ministry to the world. The word and unity in Christ is given, not so that we might have a wonderfully easy time and revel in Glory, but so that others will come to believe.
This issue of unity is much more than simply getting along with others in the Church – It is about identity. And Jesus lifts up this concern in three parts. First, that “they”, or we, might be united with each other, that the core beliefs of the Church are common for all. I don’t think that this call would condemn denominational differences, such as in worship styles, but rather that the teachings of Jesus Christ would be held by all in the Church. But even after 2,000 years of trying, the conflicts in understanding the details of Jesus’ teaching are still extensive. So it would seem that “identity through unity” is still a long way off.

The second example, that which Jesus offers in the depth of this unity, lies in the relationship that exists between him and the Father. The truth that is in Christ isn’t just what he desires, but what is eternal and perfect in its nature. Over and over in scripture, we read that Jesus goes off by himself to pray (Matthew 14:22-24; Matthew 26:36-37; Luke 5:15-16; Luke 6:12; etc.). These times weren’t simply to offer up requests for healing in others, or for strength to carry out his mission, but to know intimately the Father’s will for his life. We must remember that Jesus wasn’t just God Incarnate, but that he was also fully human as well, and all human temptations and frailties were just as prevalent in his life as they are in ours. And it was by prayer that Jesus was able to be “in the world, but never of the world” in such a consistent and focused way.

The culmination of these two “unities” is not that they might remain self-contained, but that they might allow the third unity to grow – that between the Triune God and his Church. Jesus continues in his prayer to define the purpose for this all-encompassing unity – that the world might know who Jesus is and why he came to live among us. God wants nothing less than the entire world should be saved through faith in him, and that it might come to fruition through the faithful lives living in the world. That is the one and only purpose for the Church – to spread the word of salvation that comes by faith in Christ.

Read John 17:24-26

Jesus now moves from “asking” for glory and unity, to expressing a more intentional desire by saying “I want …” them to be with me. Once again, he is looking for a recognition and expression of unity in faith. For Jesus, it has always been about “your will, not mine’, and it will continue to be so. But as his humanity prepares to slip away, the Lord may very well be at the point of understanding what the Father’s answer is going to be before a question is asked, and is beginning to become more confident and enabled as the Second Person of the Trinity.

“I want” the faithful to be where I am, and to see my glory. And where is Jesus? Sitting at the right hand of God, with full inheritance, full identity, and complete authority, and that is where he wants all believers to be. And when we are where he is, glory will surround both Jesus and his Church.

God’s love abounds! It transcends time! It was before the created order was! And the love of God is unifying beyond anything that the human mind can conceive! And that love becomes ours by faith in the One that the Almighty loved first. By our living and loving in Christ, we come to know Father God intimately.

Unity and love is what is missing in the church of today. We’ve had flashes of unifying love over the years, and there continues to be localized unity from time to time, but they are far too brief. In Acts 2:42-47, we read of what the Church should always be – believers who are focused on Christ’s teachings and on fellowship with each other; that wonders and miracles would become nearly commonplace; that sharing could became a way of life with those who openly give to those who are in need; they eat together, they worship together, and the Church would grow daily! And that is how it should be!

In Mark 12:28-31, Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is, and his response is well known – that we are to love the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength. And in addition, we are to love our neighbor as our self. And when the questioner replies that to love like this is more important “than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices”, Jesus tells him that he is right on track.
Love must be all encompassing. When we love with our heart, it is an emotional love. When we love with our minds, it is through understanding and acceptance. When we love with our soul, it is in a Christ like way. And when we love with our whole strength, it is about commitment.
And this love leads us to love our neighbors in a God-like love, and not the one that the world promotes.

Even John Wesley struggled with this concept. In the early days of his ministry, he thought that we had to love our neighbors in a demanding sort of love – that this was the only way to love as God loved. Even the Holy Club that he established at Oxford was based in rigid adherence to an agreed upon set of rules, hence the nickname “Methodists”. But after his Aldersgate Street experience on May 24, 1738, he wrote these words in his Journal, as edited by Albert C. Outler in his book “John Wesley” (Oxford University Press:New York, 1964, pg. 66 “.. while he [the Moravian preacher] was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation;”. Wesley had just discovered that bringing honor to his God did not involve doing the right thing, but rather by loving in the right way – in the way and truth of Christ.

Unity in the Church will never occur through our doing what we think is right, because everyone has their own concept of what that “right” consists of. Unity in the Church, and unity with God, can only come by loving and living in the example set before us by Jesus Christ and all that he taught.

By the love that God has for us, through the love and passion of his Son Jesus Christ, and in our love for our neighbors, whoever that may be in God’s definition, unity in the Church, and unity with the Lord is not such a stretch for us poor humans. But we have to end our attempts to achieve that unity through our own actions and demands.

Pray for unity in the church. Pray that we might love as Jesus first loved us (1 John 4:19). Pray that each of us might take on an identity that reflects Jesus, and that we might set our own self-created identity aside. Pray for the faith to lead your neighbors, whoever they may be, to the glory of Christ and the love of Almighty God. And pray that all that you might achieve in this life will always be passed on to the only One who deserves it – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that our identity for eternity will be in him.