Hi everyone. Welcome back to daily gospel.
Exegesis. This is the podcast where we
really look at the literal sense of the Gospel text.
So find out what's going on with the words.
What do the words mean on their most literal original level?
Today, we're looking at a really complex passage.
We're looking at the start of John chapter 17. 18 verses 1 to
11 a and that's the reading. You would hear at Mass today.
Here's today's passage. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven
and said, father, the hour has come glorify your son so that
your son may glorify you and through the power over all
mankind that you have given him. Let him give eternal life to all
those. You have entrusted to him.
An eternal life is this to know you the only true God and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent. I have glorified you on Earth
and finished the work that you gave me to do.
Now father, it is time for you to glorify me with that Glory.
I had with you before the world ever was I have made your name
known to the men, you took from the world to give me.
They were yours and you gave them to me and they have kept
your word now at last. They know that all you have
given me comes indeed from you. For I have given them the
teaching you gave to me and they have truly accepted this that I
came from you and have believed that it was you who sent me I
pray for them. I am not praying for the world,
but for those you have given me because they belong to you, all
I have is yours and all you have is mine and I in them are
glorified. I am not in the world any
longer, but they are in the world and I am coming to you
Okay. So quite a famous passage but an
incredibly deep and complex one here.
So let's start by thinking about the context what has happened?
Just prior to this. So they've just had the last
supper and Jesus has been giving the farewell discourse, which
goes over quite a few chapters. So that is finished.
Now, the farewell discourse is over but that same scene is
continuing. It appears that he and the
apostles are walking somewhere, maybe they have while they're on
the way to the garden. Certainly but they haven't
arrived at the Garden yet, so maybe they have stopped to pray
somewhere at this point maybe in another room in Jerusalem or
something or maybe somewhere outside on the way to the
Garden. Because Jesus says a prayer
here, and this is a very long and complex prayer, we've only
heard a snippet of it, it goes on for quite a while.
In John, chapter 17, it's the longest recorded prayer in all
of the gospels. And so, it's well worth paying
attention to if we want to know how Jesus praise This is often
called the Great High Priestly prayer of Jesus because in this
prayer Jesus plays the role of intercessor and mediator, he
intercedes on behalf of his followers to the father.
And also if you think about it, he says this prayer just before
he does a sacrifice, the sacrifice of himself so it's
quite appropriate to call it. The high Priestly prayer.
Now, this incredible richness and complexity in the prayer
even every single line of the prayer reveal some sort of deep
truth. And we're probably not going to
be able to you know draw out every aspect of what Jesus
intends with each of these phrases because there's so much
depth and complexity there. So just keep in mind that this
really is one of those passages that is inexhaustible.
There's so much in there. One thing that's worth pointing
out that this prayer that we're going to look at, it does not
appear to be the same prayer that Jesus will pray.
Shortly In The Garden of Gethsemane.
They haven't arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane yet.
So it's a different prayer. And in particular, the prayer
we're looking at here in John 17.
The apostles are fully present there with Jesus as he prays
this prayer, whereas in the garden, as you know, they fall
asleep and it's a different prayer.
So, in this first part of the prayer will see, Jesus offering
up his approaching sacrifice to the father.
So, that's the focus of the first part.
Let's start at verse 1. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven.
So Jesus looks towards the father whom he's about to speak
to, it's a customary Jewish gesture, to raise your eyes to
heaven. Now, it would appear.
It doesn't say he closed his eyes at any point.
So, it's possible that throughout this prayer, he
actually kept his eyes open looking up to heaven.
We don't often think about it that way, but It appears that
that's what's going on. Father, the hour has come often,
you'll hear that phrase the our in the Gospel of John and it
basically means Jesus. Crucifixion has come, the time
has arrived the hour. So it's everything in the
father's plan of sending the Sun to Earth was leading to this
moment at the time has come. So he says this to the father.
This is his request, glorify your son.
Now glorify can have different meanings, depending on.
How to translate it, but the basic idea here appears to be
Point people towards me. Glorify your son as in point
people towards the sun, why does Jesus want that?
Not for his own sake. He doesn't want people to look
at him just because it's good to look at him.
There's a deeper. Meaning here Jesus goes on and
says so that your son may glorify you.
This is really, really important.
This is the Father's goal in sending Jesus to die on the
cross. The father allows Jesus to die
on the cross. In fact, he, you could say, he
requires Jesus to die on the cross.
So that people will look to Jesus as the son.
They'll see his great Act of Love on the cross and then
hopefully they'll be pointed back to the father and they'll
see this great exchange of life and love within between the
father and the son. So that's the whole mission of
God. Bye.
Jesus dying on the cross, Jesus will be glorified because people
will look at him. But in that process of people
looking at him, people will be appointed back to the father.
So the father gets glorified to, you see this deep relationship
between the father's Mission and the sun's Mission and that comes
through all the way through you. The sun's mission is to point
people towards the father to glorify the father verse 2 and
through the power. Over all mankind that you have
given him older translations. Put this line this way since
thou Hast given him Power Over All Flesh.
So the teaching here is, the, the father has granted the son
over power over all mankind, not a power to Lord, it over them.
But to draw as many people as possible to the father, that's
why the father has given the the sun power so that the sun will
draw more people to the father Jesus continues, let him give
eternal life to all those. You have entrusted to him.
So here the translation starts to get a bit confusing because
of all the hymns and all the pronouns.
It appears that what's going on here is something like this.
Father, please allow the sun to give eternal life to all those.
You have entrusted to your son, that's what's going on.
So Jesus is requesting that the father follows through with
their plan almost and that's a theme in the Gospel of John,
Read chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, particularly, which is
about the Good Shepherd. There's this idea that the
father has given the Sun, a certain number of people to
protect in order that the sun would bring those people to the
father. So when he says those, you have
given me that's a reference to Christian believers, who the
father has drawn to the Sun. So it's Christian believers.
And the way God has set, the father has set this up, is the
son has the responsibility to provide for and protect these
Believers for the purpose of bringing them to the father,
that's what's going on. Jesus he requests that the
father follows through with the plan to give eternal life to all
of Jesus followers at that time, his request is Father, please
allow me to give eternal life to these followers.
That you've given me to protect, that's his prayer.
Why the necessity for Jesus to pray like this?
Wouldn't it just be automatic? Well, if you think about it, the
way, this is working where people can come to the father
through. The son is a new thing.
It had never the New Covenant is just beginning.
It had never happened before this time period before this to
come to the father. One had to go through the old
Covenant. So Jesus is in effect saying
Lord, we're beginning a new thing.
This is the first time we've tried this to bring people to
you through the New Covenant Lord.
I pray that That you would honor the agreement or something like
that and bring these people to you, through me.
It's the first time that something like this has
happened. And obviously, there's some
complexities there with salvation, but that appears to
be the main point of the prayer verse 3.
And eternal life is this. We want to listen to this
because Jesus is about to specify exactly what he
considers eternal life to be. And his answer might surprise
you because it's not to go to heaven when you die.
That's not eternal life. Here's what he says, eternal
life is this to know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent. So according to Jesus that's
eternal life to know the will of God and to be in a deep abiding
relationship with the father and also with the Messiah Jesus who
has come to join us to him. So a deep mystical Union with
the father is what all people are called to, and if one
experiences that they are experiencing eternal life, So,
how does that relate to going to heaven?
Then a lot of Christians would say, eternal life is what
happens when you get to heaven. According To Jesus, it's a bit
more complicated than that. Going to heaven when we die to
be with God. According To Jesus, it's a
natural extension of the relationship.
We already have with God on Earth if we experience God's
Divine Life, and he and communion with him on Earth,
then that continues, when we go to heaven in the next life.
But if we don't have that relationship during our life on
Earth, then it doesn't Can you after death into eternal life
either? So Jesus has this model of
eternal life is an extension of whatever you were doing in the
current life. This deep intimate, personal
knowledge of the father was actually prophesied to be an
aspect of the New Covenant even in the Old Testament.
They predicted that this would happen.
If you look at Jeremiah chapter 31, in his famous declaration,
that I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Jeremiah 31 verses 33 to 34 verse for Jesus says, I have
glorified you on Earth and finish the work that you gave me
to do. So the father sent the son to
Earth. Earth with specific missions to
accomplish through his teachings and actions, Jesus has pointed
people towards the father. That was the whole point to
point people, towards the father, verse 5 now.
Father, it is time for you to glorify me.
Here's where the translation starts to get a little bit
confusing. It appears that our translation
is omitting some words to try and make it a bit less
theological calm, theologically complex, Other translations have
verse 5. He has this glorify thou me in
the iron presence, so some sort of Glory here that has to do
with being in the presence of God, it appears that Jesus is
asking the father to glorify him.
Jesus, once he returns to the father at his Ascension and once
he returns to his presence, so it's a request, father.
Please, when I get back to heaven with, you glorify me.
Jesus wants the father to bestowed upon him, a special,
kind of glory. And he specifies what their
glory is with that Glory that I had with you before the world
ever was. This is an incredibly deep
teaching. Listen to what it says Jesus, he
is says I had Glory with you god before the world ever was.
So the son, who's the second person of the Holy Trinity,
existed in a state of Glory, with the father, even before the
world was created. That's an Credibly, you know,
deep part of Christian teaching, Jesus is not just a man.
He has existed since eternity or at least the second person of
the Trinity has the idea appears to be and this is talked about
in Philippians as well. He lost some of his Divine Glory
voluntarily, when he came to Earth and took on human form.
So we actually lost some of that Glory that he had.
And now he asks, the father to return him to that glorified
State once he returns to heaven. So even though both the father
and the son of God, there's sort of a hierarchy in rolls, all
gifts, come from the father. It's the father who really runs
the show as such and there's a deep mystery there.
So that's why the sun has to pray to the father here.
Some Colts Christian colds, would say this prayer proves
that Jesus is not God because Jesus, he was praying to God,
but I think that's just simplifying it a little bit too
much clearly, they're both God, but there is a distinction in
roles particularly in terms of what's going.
On while Jesus is on Earth. So Jesus is praying to the
father that he would be returned to his state of pre-existing
Glory. Once he gets back to heaven.
Now, notice that at a minimum, regardless of what you think of
the Trinity, and the relationship between the persons
of the Trinity, any Christian who has this Bible, who has this
text at a minimum, the text teachers that Jesus is claiming
to be a Divine being, which existed before the world began,
that's in the text. Jesus himself says, I was with
you and had Glory before the world ever was.
So truly, the teaching here, is that Jesus pre-exists the Earth,
and he's been sent to Earth from heaven.
That's an inescapable All conclusion.
And you know, Christian cult and Christians who don't believe in
the Trinity need to take this claim seriously and think about
what it means in terms of Jesus relationship with the father,
when he uses the phrase, before the world ever was that also is
supposed to contrast with the other reference to the World.
In this passage in the Gospel of John, the world.
Basically means people in Rebellion against God.
So, when Jesus says before the world ever was, it's sort of a
contrast with the work. Has has been doing in the world
during his ministry on Earth in the world, Jesus lost some of
his Divine Glory, but he's glorified the father.
Now the son asks, to be return to that state of Glory, which he
had from eternity before the world even existed.
You see all these different things come together and kind of
complex ways at this point, there's a transition in the
prayer. So Jesus now begins to plead to
the father not for himself, but for the preservation of his
disciples, There's a question here about who the disciples are
that Jesus is thinking of often. You'll hear people say that this
is about all of us. I think in context, although
this is something you need to make up your own mind about as
we go. It appears that he's thinking
primarily of the Apostles, this is a prayer for protection of
the Apostles verse 6. I have made your name known to
the men. You took from the world to give
me Sara during Jesus ministry. The father Drew certain All to
Jesus in order in order that they might come to know him to
know the Father, and Jesus Took responsibility for these people.
He taught them about God and he led them closer to God.
That was the arrangement. Now, some people have looked at
this verse, I have made your name known to the men.
You took from the world. To give me some people have said
well this teachers like a Calvinism kind of predestination
where God picks certain people from the world to come to Jesus
and not others. That could be a legitimate
meaning of this. There could be what Jesus
intense, but I don't think it is.
I think in context Jesus is referring particularly to
certain people in his own time period.
That's how God worked at the time.
Jesus gave the prayer. So think about what's going on
here, the kingdom of God is just beginning when Jesus comes to
Earth for those first few years, it appears that God worked
differently than he did. After Jesus had returned to
heaven. So it's likely that in these
early. Use when the kingdom of God is
just beginning, when Jesus is walking, the Earth, it's
probably true. That God chose certain people to
be drawn to Jesus for the purposes of building, the
kingdom of God at the start and in particular he's probably
talking about the apostles as we'll see in a couple of verses.
When Jesus says, I have made your name known to the men, you
took from the world to give me. If we say he's talking about the
apostles and that God specifically chose these men to
be Jesus, a possible. Well then there's no Illogical
problem. Here, it's not a general
sweeping statement about the way God works all the time.
It's a, it's talking about the apostles, being picked to begin
the Christ movement. So we don't have to say that God
works in exactly the same way as he does here, as when Jesus
returns to Heaven. Jesus continues, they were
yours. And you gave them to me and they
have kept your word. So these faithful Christian
disciples are the Sheep who are mentioned in the parable of the
Good Shepherd. The For the ones who are open to
God's promptings and they respond to Jesus Commandments,
they are those who have been with Jesus and have continued to
follow his teachings. And these are the ones who are
going to form Jesus church verse 7.
Now at last, they know that all you have given me comes indeed
from you. Think about this phrase.
Let's this just keep this in mind as we go now at last.
They know that all you have given me comes indeed from you.
So because of what Jesus has been saying, in the farewell
discourse, the apostles realize that Jesus is who he is, he is
who he claims to be, and that he comes from God.
During the ministry of Jesus, the apostles did have their
doubts about Jesus identity. But if you read the end of
chapter 16, which we just finished in the previous day,
Days. The Apostle's have this moment
of Revelation where I realized that Jesus is who he says he is.
So that appears to be who Jesus is talking about his talking
about the apostles, Notice the phrase here now at last.
They know, you'll know if you know a bit of grammar, the VA
must be referring back to the people.
Jesus was just talking about in the previous verse, who is
Jesus. Talking about in the previous
verse, the menu took from the world to give to me.
So he's continuing to talk about the same group.
And then in this verse in verse 7, Jesus says, this group is the
ones who know that, all you have given the sun is indeed from the
Father. So it's a group of people who
believe that Jesus is from the father and have just realized
that. So, all the evidence here is
suggesting that they, Jesus has in mind is the apostles.
So, when Jesus says, you have picked two people from the world
to give to me. If we take all these verses
together, it seems like Jesus is talking about the apostles.
That's who the focus at the prayer.
Is not all, Christian Believers, however, later in the prayer,
not today, but in later lectures area, Readings.
In the coming days, you'll notice there is a transition
later on when Jesus starts to talk about Christian Believers
in later centuries, but at the moment, he's just talking about
the apostles. That would be my reading of this
text. Although I should, I should
mention here as part of this podcast.
There's very few texts that the Catholic church has defined.
As here is the deafening interpretation, there's a few of
them but not many. And so, with a lot of these
things, you're free to look at the text yourself and go with
what in interpretation seems best to you based on your
research. So we're up to verse 8 for I
have given them, the teaching you gave to me and they have
truly accepted this that I came from you and have believed that
it was you who sent me. So Jesus has been teaching his
followers, particularly the apostles, all that he has heard
from the father and they have accepted it as being from the
father. They believe.
Jesus is truly the Son of God verse 9.
I pray for them or more. Literally, here, I am praying
for them. So, Jesus is saying that in this
current prayer, He is praying for his disciples and he's about
to give a series of requests to the father about his followers.
But now he says, I am not praying for the world, some have
considered this to be quite a controversial phrase.
What do you mean? Jesus isn't praying for the
world. We shouldn't take this to mean
that Jesus never praised for the world in general, but in this
case, in this prayer, he is praying about his followers and
that's okay. It's okay for Jesus to pray
about certain people and not others.
Times. But for those, you have given me
because they belong to you, there's that language of
belonging again. So Jesus is praying to the
father for his followers. Jesus has been trusted by the
father with protecting these ones that the father has chosen.
So now Jesus asks the father to protect them after he has gone.
Jesus is kind of transferring his protection from himself to
the father. That's kind of what's going on
here. Verse 10.
All I have is yours and all you have is mine.
So, there's this deep intimacy between the father and the son
in context. This refers primarily to, Jesus
followers, all you have refers to the followers in them, I am
glorified. So, the works of Jesus followers
point back to Jesus himself, all the works, the apostles do and
that they will do in the coming years.
Point back to Jesus. Verse 11.
A so in today's lecture rereading we're just looking at
the first half of verse 11 and we'll do the second half of
verse 11. In the coming days verse 11, a I
am not in the world any longer, but they are in the world and I
am coming to you So Jesus is about to leave the world and
return to the father, but the apostles will still need help
and protection. And Jesus knows that Jesus has
said earlier, in this discourse of the world hates the disciples
that's in 15:19. So all of these last few
phrases, the basic idea appears to be that after the
crucifixion, which is going to happen very soon.
It is not Jesus who will protect and provide for his followers
since he won't always be with them.
Anymore. So rather Jesus asks the father
to watch over them in his absence that's kind of the point
of this prayer. Jesus knows that the apostles
will be without a Shepherd for a while.
So he is asking the father to protect them.
So, a long and complex prayer there.
There's a few places where this great High Priestly prayer gets
mentioned in the catechism because it's quite an important
section of the gospels in teaching us about Jesus and his
prayers. So I just want to read out a few
of the most important ones. In paragraph 2, 7 4 6. 2 to 7
and 51. That is a commentary on this
prayer. So there's actually a section of
the catechism dedicated to this prayer and I want to read out
the first few paragraphs of this commentary because this is, you
know, you could almost say the official Catholic t or one of
the official Catholic teachings about how to interpret the
prayer of the of Jesus at this point.
So here's what it says paragraph, 2746 onwards.
When his The hour came, Jesus prayed to the father, his
prayer, the longest transmitted by the gospel Embraces, the
whole economy of creation and salvation as well as his death
and Resurrection, the prayer of the hour of Jesus, always
remains his own just as his Passover once, for all remains
ever present in the Liturgy of his church, Christian tradition,
rightly calls, this prayer. The Priestly prayer of Jesus.
It is the prayer of our high priest Inseparable from his Vice
from his passing over to the father to whom he is.
Holy consecrated in this, Pascal and sacrificial prayer.
Everything is recapitulated in Christ.
God in the world, the word and the flesh, eternal life and
time. The love that hands itself over.
And thus, in the portrays, it the disciples present and those
who will believe in him by their word, humiliation and Glory.
It is the prayer of unity. Jesus fulfilled, the work of the
father, completely his prayer like his sacrifice extends Until
the End of Time, the prayer of this our fulfills the end times
and carries them towards their consummation.
Jesus, the son to whom the father has given.
All things has given himself wholly back to the father, yet,
expresses himself with a sovereign Freedom by virtue of
the power, the father has given him over All Flesh, the son who
made himself If servant is Lord the pantocrator, a high priest
who prays for us is also the one who prays in us and the God who
he is our prayer. So that's a really amazing
summary of what's going on here. Everything.
You've just heard their suppliers certainly in the
coming days as well. As we continue to look at the
rest of the high Priestly prayer.
Paragraph 17 to 1, this is about Christian.
Beatitude it says God puts us in the world to know to love and to
serve him. And so to come to Paradise,
beatitude makes us partakers of the divine nature and of eternal
life with beatitude man, enters into the glory of Christ.
And into the joy of the trinitarian life.
Paragraph 1069 is about the word liturgy through the Liturgy
Christ, Our Redeemer and high priest continues, the work of
our redemption in with and through his church.
And obviously that comes out pretty clearly in his high
Priestly prayer. Lastly, we'll look at paragraph
28 12 and this is a commentary on the part of the Our Father,
which says, Hallowed be thy name finally, in Jesus, the name of
the holy God is revealed and given to us in the flesh.
As Savior revealed by what he is, by his word.
And by his sacrifice, this is the heart of his Priestly
prayer. Holy Father, for their sake.
I consecrate myself that they also So, maybe consecrated in
truth. Because he sanctifies his own
name. Jesus reveals to us the name of
the father at the end of Christ's Passover.
The father gives him the name that is above all names.
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father And
there's a couple of other paragraphs that all include in
the, in the show notes as well. So a longer podcast today
because of how deep and complex the high Priestly prayer.
He's thank you for listening. I hope you have benefited
benefited from digging into the text of the high Priestly
prayer. If you think there's others in
your life, who would benefit from hearing this, then please
share it with them as well. Thank you.
And we'll continue in the high Priestly prayer in the coming
days.