And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” vs. 11
John 17:11-13
In this story John pictures Jesus at the end of his ministry, meeting with his disciples for one final moment of communion and instruction. Earlier in the gospel it had been made clear that God loved the world, but here we see it further described as a dangerous environment for the disciples. Another way of saying this is to affirm the world as being good and broken at the same time. Indeed, most of us have experienced the world as exactly that. We marvel at the goodness and beauty of it, but also know that in its brokenness it can be a dangerous and threatening place. All of us know people who have gotten caught up in the ways of the world and who have been sorely injured as a consequence. Here, Jesus prays fervently that his disciples might be protected, and most particularly he prays that they might be one, even as he and the Father are one. The implication is plain. Of all the protection plans our minds can devise, the most secure will be found in the context of community. It is as we are bound together in love that we find the unity and safety God desires for us.
Thought for the Day: How are we protected by community?
0 Comments