Devotion:
Read John 17:20-26.
The first thing that strikes me in this passage is that Jesus is praying here for you and for me -- Christians who believe, not because we were with Jesus during his time on earth, but rather because the disciples who were with Jesus faithfully passed the Good News to the next generation. Then Jesus describes the way he and the Father are in one another, building to the point that Father and Son are indeed one. If we do not pay close attention to passages like this one, we may think of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as an ordered ranking. When God the Son came to earth in human form, God voluntarily limited God’s power and knowledge in order that we might more closely identify with the fully God and fully human Jesus Christ. But God the Father and Son are one and equal in all respects.
Head hurting yet? Mine is! This is heavy lifting! But the most amazing thing about the teaching in this passage is that the Son does not wish to keep his precious, intimate relationship with the Father to himself! He prays that we will be drawn into this fellowship and that both Father and Son will be in us and we in them. Jesus prays to the Father for this for us, and I cannot imagine the Father saying “no!” Only we can keep this prayer for us from being granted.
Personal Worship Option:
Reflect on this invitation from Jesus to share in the intimacy and equality between Father and Son. If all believers have this invitation, we should feel that same love and equality between ourselves and others. Pray with me for that kind of love for others.
No comments:
Post a Comment