“Belong to Me”

Scripture: John 17:6-19

For the past two weeks, we’ve been thinking about what it means to walk with Jesus. We’ve seen that we need to believe in the Lord – in all that he taught, and all that he has done on our behalf. And when we believe, we also begin to closely follow him, and watch what he does, and learn why he does what he does.

And after following, and watching, and learning from him, we discover that we truly like what we see, and make the decision to become more and more like him. But as we read with the children today (2 Corinthians 11:4), the winds of earth will also be blowing through our lives, and sometimes they carry us away from the Lord instead letting us fall into the loving arms of our precious Savior. But if we decide to stay with him, we will continue to grow and change and choose to become one with him and his life.

Today, we consider the third step in our life with Christ – that of surrendering our ways, and claiming the new relationship that he offers us. It’s about choosing to join God’s family. But as with any family, there are standards that define them, and when we become part of that family, we have to either accept them, or try to change them, and in the family of God, it is only God who has the final say on the collective way, and our only option is to accept them as they are.

And as we come to understand the Lord’s new way, we learn that it is no longer a matter of our trying to meld our old life with this new relationship – that by following the Lord Jesus, and listening to his teachings, we discover that his way is actually the better way for us.

Read John 17:6-9

One of the significant differences between John’s gospel and those of Matthew Mark, and Luke, is the depth of his treatment of the time from the Last Supper until Christ’s ascension. As an example, Matthew spends 3 chapters to cover this same period, while John uses 8. His writing about the Last Supper itself involves 5 chapter alone, and our reading today is part of his final prayer before departing for Gethsemane.

This portion of his prayer is for his disciples, and it is, without a doubt, passionate. John’s emphasis on Jesus’ final Passover Feast shows the Lord’s one last effort to teach his followers about the way of God. He has already prayed for himself, and has proclaimed that his time has now come. He tells the Father that his mission has brought glory, not to him, but to God Himself, and that the life he is about to enter will bring the full knowledge of the Lord to each of those who follow him. And he asks the Father to bestow glory upon the Son.

But now the prayer turns to his disciples. His ministry has not been centered upon himself, but rather on revealing the Father, and his way, and his word, to those who have been with him for these past few years. The Jesus we have come to know through the gospel writers continues be that humble power that we have grown to love.
He remembers that his ministry has never been his own idea, but was totally based in all that the Father has given him. This prayer, right from its inception, has reinforced the relationship that exists between the Father and the Son. It reflects on the gifts that each produces for the other, and each offers honor and authority beyond themselves. And Jesus now knows that his disciples are fully aware of who he is, even though they will still have a few problems with that truth, and that they understand, at least to some degree, the relationship that exists within the Divine Family.

And this section concludes with the thought that his prayer is for no one except his immediate band of followers. We might wonder why he doesn’t lift up the world, that they might also believe in him! But we have to remember that so far, the prayer has centered on the relationships that are, and not so much on those that are to come.
Just as in any family, we need to be intentional in strengthening the connection that we currently have with those who are closest to us, for if we ignore those, and focus on the new ones that we are trying to cultivate, the ones that are already so important to us will slowly begin to fade.

I have two younger brothers who live quite a distance away, and it’s been a while since we have been able to spend time together. But we manage to stay in touch through texts and emails that we send almost weekly. We share pictures, joys, hurts, memories, and struggles, and we offer each other encouragement, and sometimes advice, which usually is more of a remembrance and reflection of the days when we were growing up. We can be strangely close at times!

Each of us has other relationships of course – our children, our churches, and other friends, but we are trying to intentionally stay close to those who are already part and parcel of our lives. And so does Jesus. And so must we.

Read John 17:10-12

In the first portion of this prayer, when Jesus was praying for himself, he addressed the glory that he had brought to the Father, and the glory that he needed to come back to him. Now, as he continues his prayer for those who have, and will, give their lives to and for him, he tells the Father that they, too, are bringing glory to the Son. He prays for those who will remain to continue the ministry that he has begun.

Jesus will no longer be in “the world”, but his disciples must remain in it for a time. We need to understand, though, that when Jesus uses the word “world”, he isn’t speaking strictly of our physical planet. He is referring to the attitude that the people of earth show toward him – and it isn’t nice! The “world” that Jesus speaks about is the people’s arrogance toward him - their hostility, their hatred, their refusal to listen to the heavenly message that he brings. He will soon leave all of that behind, but his family of believers will be staying, and he is concerned for their well-being.

Jesus turns proactive on their behalf, and prays for protection by the name that is both God’s and his – the family name, if you will, and he prays that by this protection - this blessing - that they will receive the same “Family Name” that he and the Father already enjoy.
What a prayer! By faith, and by becoming more like Jesus, he prays that those who are so close to him will no longer be just friends and students – that they will now be “one” with both him and the Father – that they will now be part of their Family.

And what keeps them safe and protected? It is by being granted, and claiming, the name of “Christ”! The family of Jesus Christ, known as Christian, brings with it, not only an obligation to stay close to the ways of the family, but it will also bring presence, and purpose, and direction, and guidance, and relationship – it brings a sense of BELONGING to a greater destiny than we have ever known before!

Read John 17:13-19

Think, for just a moment, about the words and phrases that we are reading here.
The full measure of Christ’s joy has become ours.
We have been given the full word of God through Christ.
By faith, we are hated by the world because we are no longer one with them - for now we are one with another.
In this new relationship with the Father and Son, we must remain within the hatred of “the world”, even while we are protected from them.
Jesus sanctifies us, purifies us, grows us - for the time he will send us out into the world, to minister to the people in the Name that is above all names – the Name that now defines us.

The glory that rests upon the Father and Son, is now our glory. And it only comes to those who belong to the Family!

And what comes to us by belonging to the Family of God? Well, more on that next week!