John 17: An Invitation into Eternal Relationship (tov)
John 17: An Invitation into Eternal Relationship
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.
1. The Mirror of the "One Doomed to Destruction"
The phrase "one doomed to destruction" in Jesus' prayer can easily become ammunition for condemning others. Yet this word first comes to us as a mirror reflecting our own souls. The Apostle Paul confessed himself to be the chief of sinners. By the logic of our age, he would be destined for destruction. True believers do not trust in their own righteousness. Sheep fear they might be goats rather than assuming they are sheep. It is from this place of honest self-examination—recognizing that we ourselves might be that child of destruction—that we begin to fathom God's infinite embrace. When we lay down the measuring rod of judgment, the door of salvation opens wide.
2. Into a Relationship That Began Before Creation
Jesus prays for his disciples to enter into the relationship between Father and Son. This is an invitation into eternal fellowship of love that began before the foundation of the world(tov). This mysterious unity is often given not as a result of our conscious efforts. The sheep in Matthew 25 could not remember when they had served the Lord. Their service was not calculated behavior but fruit that naturally flowed from transformed beings. We are not creatures who achieve unity through accomplishing some goal. We are beings called to live within that relationship of love that has already begun.
3. God's Memory, Our Glory
Jesus prays that we might see His glory—that glory which shone brightest on the cross through self-emptying love. At the same time, this glory is discovered in our lives through His interpretation of our ordinary moments. When the Lord says "you did it for me" about those small acts of service we can't even remember, our mundane daily life finally becomes a glorious event (the sheep's confession and Jesus' interpretation in Matthew 25). Our memory fades and sometimes becomes distorted. Even a lifetime of faith confession can be forgotten due to dementia. But God's memory of us never fails or errs. Even when I forget myself and forget God, God remembers me. Jesus has made the Father's name known and will continue to make it known (verse 26). This resolute declaration by Jesus—"I will not stop"—is the ultimate foundation upon which our present existence can hope.