John 17:1-11

Year A - 7^th Sunday of Easter or Assured ⁷

June 1, 2014

John 17:1-11

After three-and-one-half chapters of speaking in the presence of the disciples (how much they felt engaged is tricky to know), Jesus finally places his hand next to his face as though using a communication device and begins the Newhart portion of his farewell.

“Father?” [pause to hear, “Yes, my son”]

“the hour has come to glorify your son” [pause to hear, “Jesus! what’s this about glory?”]

“so that the son may glorify you” [pause to hear, “Oh, this is about me?”]

“since you have given him authority over all people” [pause to hear, “Authority, who said anything about authority, I just said your were my beloved.”]

“to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” [pause to hear, “Jesus! Did that go to your head? Who or what isn’t in relationship to you and everything else?]

“And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God” [pause to hear, “Well, yes, if you put it that way.”]

“and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” [pause to hear, “Hey, no son of mine is going to speak in the third person. Have you been turning wine into something stronger?]

“I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.” [pause to hear, Jesus! No, there was no work to do, there was only being. I carry my own glory and that’s sufficient. Why did you call?]

“So now” [pause to hear silence]

“Father?” [pause to hear, “Oh, yes, I was just reading a note from my Satan.”]

“glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” [pause to hear, “I’m obviously going to have to have a talk with Sophy if this is all you’ve learned. Take a lesson from those folks who don’t rebaptize; you don’t get rebeloved, which, by the way, is far more satisfying than glorification that can be manufactured and specs tweaked so fewer and fewer miracles are needed.”]

[Voice changes from demanding to whining]

“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; [voice back to demanding again] and they have kept your word.” [pause to hear, “Sigh.”]

“I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.” [pause to hear, “That’s like showing me talents you buried just to keep things the same. Where’s your initiative to move beyond what you’ve been given? Well?]

[Another whine] “All mine are yours, and yours are mine; [and another demand] and I have been glorified in them.” [pause to hear, “Alright, Jesus, just slow down and breathe. You are making a big deal out of this glorification thing. Do you think you are still in the wilderness being tempted and now you want to bring that temptation to me? Think again about the response you made then about serving, simply serving for serving’s sake. Isn’t there something other than your glory to be considered here?]

[Pause} [and another] And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, [pause to hear, “Yes, my son?”] protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. [pause to hear, “Close enough.”]