This scripture contains words that are deeply moving to me in ways that I do not fully understand. At one level, Jesus is asking for some sort of metaphysical union of Jesus, God the Father, the disciples, and all believers now and evermore. Jesus is addressing his Father shortly before his arrest. At this moment of imminent arrest and violence, Jesus does not pray for protection for himself or relief from pain. In this excerpt, Jesus prays for unity for all who are to come, unity created in the knowledge of Jesus’ divinity and that the Father sent him. He is praying that the disciples and, ultimately, we understand the meaning of his presence, his ministry, and his Father’s love for the world. It is far from certain that the disciples or we will understand Jesus’ example and Jesus’ prayer is a prayer asking for this unity as his desire.
I think one reason I find this passage comforting is that it fits my world view that I hope has been shaped by Jesus’ ministry. The world does not make sense to me as a lot of separate individuals. While time for rest and being apart are wonderful, disunity and disconnectedness feel bad. We are all connected through God’s love with each other—period. Of course, my brain usually can only understand the world in groups family, friends, strangers, parishes, schools, teams, nations, etc. May we all join in this prayer for unity through love.
— Christopher Breunig
No comments:
Post a Comment