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Gospel: John 17: 20-26
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Twenty percent of John’s Gospel comes from one conversation that Jesus has with his friends – and it happens to be during his final night on earth. Today we refer to it as the, “Last Supper Discourse,” covering four chapters in John’s Gospel.
We’ve been reading through it over the last number of days.
In today’s portion, the Lord reveals several important truths:
He prays for us.
He loves us.
He longs for us.
He has entrusted us with his ministry.
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I find this a fascinating and beautiful truth. In his final hours, Jesus looks at the men who will betray and abandon him. He washes their feet, feeds them with his very Self, and calls them his “friends.”
Then he prays for them – as he prays for us – that we would carry on his ministry in the world.
Clearly, the Lord is not dwelling on the disciples’ faults or failings; if he did, then he’d neither trust them nor call them his friends.
Rather, he sees the good in them; their potential; and their budding faith, which will eventually be restored and help to change the world.
What the disciples will learn is that God’s power is made perfect in their weakness. What they cannot accomplish on their own – the courage they lack, the faith they need, the words they must find – will all come from the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
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The same is true in our own lives.
If today feels like you’re standing at the base of an impossible mountain, which you must climb, remember this: God’s power is made perfect in your weakness.
In allowing Jesus to share the yoke of life with you, you’ll not only overcome what lies before you, you’ll also glorify God along the way.
“Do not be afraid,” the Lord says, “I have overcome the world.”
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Image credits: (1) Wholeness/Justice/Onenness, jdm.org (2) The Last Supper, Vicente Juan Macip (3) Jesus Culture, X.com