I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
Reading the four canonical gospels, we get used to hearing Jesus scolding, berating, and chastising his disciples for their obtuseness, misunderstanding, and lack of faith. We learn from these frequent disciplines that we too would earn the same rough treatment were we in the presence of the historical Jesus before his death and resurrection, and probably for the same reasons. Our fears, lack of faith, despondency, and habitual jockeying for better position only prove how much we're like the twelve and the seventy two.
So it's nice to hear in today's gospel Jesus prayer for us and his remark, "...they have kept your word." Well, we are still here. I guess that's something.
Jesus describes us as a kind of oblation. The Father gave us to him, and he gives us back to the Father. We are their gift to one another, precious in the sight of the Father and the Son, and cherished by their Spirit of Love -- despite everything.
We need to hear that fondness Jesus has for us. We may not be the best we can be, but we are his and he is pleased with us. As the Father is pleased with him and with us.
His statement, "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me..." is odd because we know that Jesus never in his life pronounced the sacred Name of God, which we call the Tetragrammaton. (tetra- meaning four; and -grammaton meaning letters.) The word never appears in the New Testament, although it is often cited in the Old. The Jewish authors of the New Testament certainly knew of the word and maintained the same reverent reluctance to speak or write it; but it is largely unknown today to most Christians. (Unfortunately, that ignorance breeds contempt on the part of many who should gratefully share that profound reverence with our Jewish brethren.)
In the context of Saint John's Gospel, "your name" is the person of Jesus; for, as he said, "whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)
In this gospel Jesus leads us deeper into the mystery of himself, and especially into that infinitely deep maelstrom which is his love of God. As we take up our crosses and follow him to Calvary we are drawn into that ever deepening whirlpool of love. It is beautiful, fascinating, and terrifying as we can neither resist its power nor endure its intensity. No sooner have we sworn absolute fidelity to our beloved Savior than we back away upon realizing its cost. Only gradually, if at all, does our daily prayer and habitual practice prepare us to pay the full price.
But we are grateful to be here, and to hear the Lord's prayer for us. Like Lazarus, we would know, love, and obey his voice even from a moldering grave.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.