Hi everyone, welcome back to daily gospel exegesis. And if you've been listening for a while, you know how it works. We really want to give you the tools to understand the literal sense of the biblical text. What was the author trying to say when he use these particular words in this particular time period? So really Into the study of the
Bible text itself today. We're continuing in the great High Priestly prayer of Jesus. We're looking at John chapter, 17 verses 20 to 26. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, holy father. I pray not only for these but also for those who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one father. May they be one in US? As you are in me, and I am in you so that the world may believe it was you who sent me? I have given them the glory you gave to me. That they may be one.
As we are one with me in them and you in me. May they be so completely one that the world will realize that it was you who sent me. And that I have loved them as much as you have loved me. Father, I want those. You have given me to be with me where I am so that they may always see the glory. You have given me because you have loved me before the foundation of the world. Father, righteous one. The world has not known you but I have known you and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known. So that the love with which you loved me, may be in them. And so that I may be in them. So let's start as we always do, by considering the context, what is just happened? So the Last Supper has finished, and they're walking towards the Garden of Gethsemane and it appears maybe they've stopped to pray somewhere. This prayer that Jesus is praying today. It started at the start of chapter 17.
It's often called the high Priestly prayer of Jesus. And when we looked at it yesterday, there's at the the first part of the prayer has a particular focus on. Jesus asking the father to watch over the apostles when they're faced difficult trials in the world, and we looked at that yesterday. And as you would have heard, when I read that passage out, there's some really deep complex. Trinitarian theology in here. There's Deep mystical Unity that Jesus is talking about here.
And so in this podcast, we're not going to be able to draw out all of the riches that Jesus was, you know, probably intending. Even we're just going to do our best to see. What does it mean on the most literal level of the text. But this is one of those Bible passages where perhaps the best way to learn from it is to sit with a meditate on it. Let's start our exploration here at the start of verse 20. Now this Phrase here is not actually in the original. It says Jesus raised his eyes to
heaven and said, holy father. Now, that was part of earlier, in John chapter 17, but the lectionary has also added it to the start of today's reading, just to make it a bit clearer and give it a bit of context before Jesus launches into the prayer. Jesus says, I pray not only for these so Jesus up until now was praying for the apostles. But now he says he's probably not only for these but also for those who through their words will believe in me.
So Jesus is now going to pray for all those who will believe through the preaching of the Apostles in the apostolic age and that probably means by extension. He's thinking of all future Christian Believers, so probably we if we're Christians These are included in Jesus prayer here. Verse 21. Now, Jesus starts use this language of Oneness. May they all be one. So Jesus, here is praying that all Christians past present and future will be United in will, and Mission.
That's the main meaning of will be one United in will and Mission, some Scholars have pointed out that because Jesus wants all future Christians to be one. May they all be one if he really does mean all future Christians, Jesus. Might be talking about a deep Oneness, which actually transcends time and space. In fact, he probably is, he's probably talking about a Oneness that derives from the Trinity itself, who is outside of time. You've probably heard this verse before.
May they all be one and possibly in the context of discussions about relationships between Christian denominations, maybe The ecumenical movement, you tend to hear it talked about in those discussions, where the goal of the ecumenical movement is so that all Christians might all be one.
And that's okay, but we need to keep in mind the next part of the verse, the next phrase in this verse because Jesus is going to tell us what it's going to take in order to Achieve that Oneness father, may they be one in us. So notice that Jesus prayer is not that Christians would be one in and of themselves, but rather be United to God under the father and the son, that's the Oneness that Jesus wants. He goes on as you are in me, and I am in you.
So the father and the son, this Jesus is talking to the father here. He's talking about the Deep Intimacy in unity that they already have as members of the trinity. Jesus is saying that Christians are called to share a similar Oneness amongst themselves and with the Trinity. So, to go over that again, there's this deep Oneness that already exists between the father and the son. And Jesus wants Christians to be part of that same Oneness. We should never forget the kind
of unity. Jesus is looking for here. Jesus is praying for a deep mystical Union between Christians and God himself. A deep mystical Union between Christians and God. Now that would include being in line with God's will. We can't have a deep Unity with God if we're not in line with his will. So this is the difficult aspect of the ecumenical movement or at least using this verse to support The ecumenical movement.
The teaching of this verse is that Christians cannot be one unless we're in line with God's will. That's difficult in the academic, human accomplishment, because different Christians, have different opinions, and different understandings of God. And so, it makes it quite difficult to achieve that particular thing. So with that said, Jesus now explains what he wants. The final goal of Christian union, Unity to be so that the world may believe it was you who sent me?
Jesus desire. Is that Christians would be clearly United to the father's will and then the world will take notice of Christians. And as a result, they will realize that Jesus was indeed sent from God. That's the end goal of Christian Unity for the world to take notice. And to realize that Jesus has in fact, been sent by God. The goal of Christian Unity.
Then According To Jesus is not so much for the church per se as it is. But so, that more people would be turned to God and his kingdom and his church. That's the goal of Christian Unity to bring others into that Unity. So, one of the early Christian writers, st. Cyril of Alexandria says this about this particular verse Christ Wishes.
The disciples to be kept in a state of Unity by maintaining a like-mindedness and Identity of will being mingled together as it were in Soul and Spirit and in the Law of Peace and Love for one another, he wishes them to be bound together. Tightly with an unbreakable Bond of love that they may Advanced to such a degree of unity that they're freely chosen Association. Might even become an image of the natural Unity that is conceived to exist between the
father and the son. So such deep complex, relational language that's used. Here, even from the church Fathers as they reflected on this passage. One thing that's interesting to consider that Scholars have pointed out is that if Jesus wants the world, to notice the church and in terms of noticing the church's Unity, that means the church has to in some sense. Be visible and organized. So it tells us at least to an extent. What Jesus wants the church to look like verse 22.
I have given them the glory. You gave to me. Jesus is talking about the apostles. It appears this appears to be a reference to the Divine communion which exists between the father and the son. And so since the apostles have now entered, the kingdom of God. They have their in fellowship with God. They have achieved eternal life. Jesus is saying that they have experienced this Divine communion of the Trinity also,
which is quite phenomenal. The apostles, According To Jesus. Are experiencing at this moment that he's speaking the Divine Union with God. Then he adds this to the end that they may be one even as we are one. So Jesus desires that the apostles and all Christians would be United, just like the Trinity is so it's incredible. Standard to look, too. Isn't it? The unity of the Trinity is what Jesus wants the unity of Christians to look like.
As far as possible. Verse 23, the he starts to use even more deep language with me in them and you in me, so it's the language of deep abiding. T the Trinity dwells within Christians both individually and collectively. As long as they stay joined to God. May they be completely one or more? Literally. There. It says perfectly one. Notice that Jesus says, he doesn't want Christians to be sort of one or somewhat one.
He wants them to be 100% perfectly United, just as the father and the son are now, naturally that would be impossible to have fallen humans. Achieve 100% Unity by themselves, is not possible. But remember, it's the Trinity's Union, which is the source of this Unity. So it is possible. Regard. And then Jesus against it is that the world will realize that it was you who sent me and that I have loved them as much as you love me. Now, this is not a very good translation.
It's understandable because there's such a difficult language. In those different pronouns being used here. I think our lectionary doesn't get this line. Right? So our lectionary has it as and that I have loved them as much as you have loved me. What the text actually just says here is an test. Love them as you have loved me. And so that would suggest the text is talking about the father. So the father loves Christians, As much as the father loves Jesus, that that would be a
better translation. So that is a profound Truth. The Father loves Christians just as much as he loves the Sun and Jesus wants the world to realize that the father has a special love for Christians. We should never forget that. The father loves the world and that's certainly a teaching of the Gospel of John and he also loves Christians in particular.
And this verse says he loves them as much as he loves his son and that is an incredible privilege that we get to be a part of Verse 24. Father. I want those. You have given me to be with me, where I am. Jesus desires, that his followers can be with him in heaven. That's what he means by those. You have given me as we've seen a few times in this podcast. That's a reference to Christian followers. This is a desire that his followers would be with him in heaven.
I want those, you have given me to be with me where I am. You could also interpret this to mean. He wants followers to be to have the Divine Unity. To the same extent that Jesus has with the father, something like that. But notice how strong Jesus desire is to be with his people. I want those, you have given me to be with me. Where to be with me, where I am. Jesus wants us to be with him. Then he adds this so that they may always see the glory, you have given me.
So if Jesus here is talking about, he wanting Christians to be in heaven with him and that would certainly seem to be what's going on here. Jesus is Desiring. The Christians can see him in his true form, as the Son of God. And in fact, that is a Christian teaching in heaven. Christians will be able to behold Jesus in His True trinitarian Glory. We will be able to see Jesus with the glory, that the father has given him in Catholic theology. We call this. A to the beatific Vision.
That is what Christians get access to in heaven. John the author of this passage would like to reflect on this teaching by saying beloved. We are God's children. Now, what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him for. We shall see him as he is. That's in 1, John 3:2. And then he adds this last phrase because you have loved me before the foundation of the
world. This is an incredible deep trinitarian truth that you could spend hours thinking about this, you have loved me before the foundation of the world. The father has begotten. The son and has loved him and bestowed glory on him, since eternity, before the world, even existed before time existed, the father begat, the son and has loved him and he continues To do this, as well. Jesus continues verse 25, father, righteous one. That's what he calls him in this passage.
The world has not known you, so, the world, which is those who don't believe in in Jesus. They do not understand the father, or his will, because they've rejected Jesus. But Jesus says, but I have known you. So Jesus himself knows the father's will and these you have known that you have sent me. So Jesus. It says, Christian, Believers, present, and future are those who know Jesus is sent by God. That's who Jesus is thinking. Of those who know Jesus is sent by God.
Verse 26, I have made your name known to them. So Jesus says I have revealed the father's will to my followers and will continue to make it known. This is interesting because Jesus knows that he's leaving the world. But he still he promises here to continue to make the father known to his book to his followers. So he must be teaching that he's going to do that from Heaven. He will continue to teach Christians through the Holy Spirit from heaven.
And we see that particular. In chapter 16 verse 13. When Jesus talks about the role of the Holy Spirit. And that's another amazing thing to draw out of this passage Jesus ministry and his service. To Christians does not end at his death. He is teaching and guiding Christians for all eternity, particularly through the guidance of the church. So that the love with, which he loved me. May be in them.
And so that I may be in them. So Jesus desires, that Christian Believers, would be infused with the love of the father and his own presence. He wants his own followers to I love that the father that he's experienced about the father. So there's so much going on there and it's well worth meditating on if we were to summarize, this particular part of the Great High Priestly prayer.
We could say something like this through the Holy Spirit, the Divine love with which the father has loved the Sun from all eternity. Becomes a living reality in Jesus disciples as they come to know the father whom Jesus has revealed more deeply through the Holy Spirit. Eret. The disciples love and participation in the Divine communion will increase until at last. They reached the goal of remaining forever in the father's house. So that is the end of the great High Priestly prayer.
And if you've been following this podcast for a while, over the last three or four weeks. This ends the long section of the complex monologues that Jesus gives on Holy Thursday. For the next few days in the podcast will be looking at something different. We have finished the complex sayings of Jesus on Holy Thursday and you're probably quite excited about that because although there's a lot of richness in them and we've certainly done our best in the
podcast. There's also a lot of depth in them and it can be quite difficult to stay with them for a long time. So, well done on getting to this point. So that's the end of chapter 17.
So if you read on from the Gospel of John, after this you get to chapter 18 and that describes the arrest of Jesus in the garden and his various trials on, Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Now that whole chapter chapter 18 is read on Every Good Friday. If you go to Mass on Good Friday, but it's never read in small chunks. So you don't get a chance to really meditate on specific. Small parts of chapter 18 and 19.
So We want to break down the text of chapter 18 and 19 as bonus episodes of the podcast, and you can get access to those bonus episodes by becoming a patreon supporter. So, if you've enjoyed the way that we've been analyzing these small parts of texts from the Gospel of John and you'd like to see the same thing happen to chapter 18 and 19. You won't get a chance as part of the regular podcast because you never hear small chunks of chapter 18 and 19 in the litter.
Here, but if you are willing to become a regular monthly donor, to help support the work of this podcast, then you can get access to these bonus episodes where we do in exegesis of parts, of chapter, 18 and chapter 19. We break it down into smaller parts, so we can keep going through it and really mind the riches of this text. So, please prayerfully consider becoming a patreon supporter of the ministry and you can see more information about that in the show notes.
So let's finish today and let's finish the sayings of Jesus on Holy Thursday by looking at some catechism passages, as we always do, there's quite a few places in the catechism, which make reference. So this, we just want to read out a few of the highlights paragraph, 260. This is about the Trinity and the works that the Trinity does the ultimate end of the whole Divine economy is the entry of God's creatures into the perfect Unity of the Blessed Trinity.
But even now, we are called to be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity. If a man loves me says the Lord, he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him. That is an incredible Catholic teaching right there. The whole point of the Divine economy. The whole point of salvation for humans is so that we as creatures could become United to the Blessed Trinity paragraph 877. This is about the ecclesial Ministry. Likewise.
It belongs to the sacramental, nature of ecclesial Ministry that it have a collegial character. In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus instituted the 12 as the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the Hierarchy chosen together. They were also sent out together and they're fraternal Unity would be at the service of the Fraternal. Communion of the faithful. They would reflect and witness to the communion of the Divine persons for this reason.
Every Bishop exercises his ministry. From within the Episcopal College in communion with the bishop of Rome, the successor of st. Peter and the head of the college. So also priests exercise their Ministry from within the Presbyterian of the diocese. Under the direction of the bishop. So that particular passage talks about how Jesus wanted the apostles to work, particularly as people, who are going to spread the kingdom of God, and how that extends to priests and Bishops today.
Paragraph 8, 2 0. This is about Unity. Of course a key theme of this passage today has been about Unity Christ. Bestowed. Unity on his church from the beginning. This Unity. We believe subsists in the Catholic church as something she can never lose and we hope that it will continue to increase Until the End of Time Christ. Always gives you this church, the gift of unity, but the church must always pray and work to maintain reinforce and perfect. The unity that Priced Wills for
her. This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his passion and does not cease praying to his father for the unity of his disciples that they may all be one as you father are in me and I am in you may they also be one in us. So the world may know that you have sent me. The desire to recover. The unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the
holy spirit. So here, the Catholic teaching is the desire to do ecumenism is, in fact, a good one one that's motivated by the holy spirit because Jesus himself wants Oneness in the church paragraph 690. This is about the Son and the spirit, when Christ is finally glorified. He can in turn, send the spirit from his place with the father to the Through believe in him. He communicates to them his glory.
That is the Holy Spirit who glorifies him from that time on this joint Mission will be manifested in the children, adopted by the father, in the body of his son. The mission of the spirit of adoption is to unite them to Christ and make them live in him. Lastly, paragraph 2751. This is about Jesus prayer. Finally, in this prayer. Jesus reveals and gives to us the knowledge, inseparably one of the father and of the son, which is the very mystery of the life of Prayer.
So thank you for sticking with us through these past three or four weeks, as we've looked at the complex teachings that Jesus gives on Holy Thursday at the Last Supper in the farewell discourse. And now in the great High Priestly prayer. I hope you'll agree that digging into it in this way. Gives us so much richness that we might not get to think about or understand. If we just listen to a sermon at church, Thanks again for
listening. Please continue to share this podcast around and we'll see you again tomorrow.