I have revealed You to this world

 If I remember it correctly, in the movie Titanic, the captain of that extravagant ship has been warned on the possibility of their ship heading towards clusters of icebergs. Well, it does not matter if I remember it correctly or not. The point being made here is the fact that, in any disaster, almost certainly comes with warning signs. In the context of the church, the major disaster that could hit (and possibly) kill the church is the split. Throughout the history, the church has recorded many major splits begin with Western and Eastern churches, Roman Catholic and Protestant, and many more splits ever since, up to this day.

High priestly prayer of Jesus in John chapter 17 could serve as the great reminder to us of what Jesus expects of us; His disciples. For all that matter, we are being reminded through the passage that as His disciples, we are to preserve truth and to let God be God by reflecting His glory through our service. But, how do I arrive to that conclusion then? Let us dive deeper into the passage.

This prayer uttered on the night He was betrayed. A lengthy and possibly agonizing prayer (cf; Luke 22:44) to be said for the sake of His disciples and the believers (John 17). Much like a brief report, Jesus claimed that God’s name has been manifested [verse 6; the words and the works thus far has been the Father’s (verses 7-8)]; the prayer for the disciples left on this broken world to remain exhibiting Christ’s glory (verses 10-11); Jesus pray for their safe-keeping in His name (verses 11-12); and the final appeal to keep them in sanctity through the the Good News of eternal salvation that they have received as they continue with the mission to share it to the world (verses 13-16). What intrigued me the most about this passage is how the sanctification co-relate with the great commission (verse 17-19).

This will drive us back to the main question posed through the scenario above; what caused the splits within the church? Many ways could caused it but chief among them would be power manipulation, the failure of the church becoming the ‘city of refuge’ (Joshua 20:9) to the unknowing sinners, and of course the greatest of them all is, the differences in opinion and ideology (worship, traditions, management, etc.,). I am not inviting us to cross-check our church and sees where we stand among the causes mentioned. What I would want us to see is the warning signs ahead, and hopefully each of us could take part in steering the church off the collision course. The key tools to see the warning signs as well as to steer us on the right path lies on what Jesus has said through His high priestly prayer (John 17:6-19).

Jesus said that He “have manifested (ESV)/ revealed (NIV)” the Father to the disciples and the believers. In this verse, it is clear that the Father was not made known only through the hearing of the Scripture, but, as the verb used shows, the Father has been shown to them through the action of the Son. Through many signs and wonders that Jesus has done throughout His ministry, His disciples consequently have seen the Father. Through that actions, they have come to believe (verse 8). Likewise, we too have beheld God in our lives. His grace upon us through the Holy Spirit, working in us and compels us to confess that Christ is our Lord (if you have not, then praise the LORD for reading this! Consider this an invitation to experience God’s grace) - Philippians 2:11. That confession does not comes naturally but rather it comes from knowing Who God is and what He has done for us through His Son (1 Corinthians 15:3). Guess what? This knowledge matters!

By believing in this knowledge of truth, we could escape the mortality of our soul (John 3:16-18). But, understand this, just as the disciples did in their lifetime as the follower of Christ, we too could suffer from this knowledge (verse 14). Hence, I consider it to be very important for the shepherd to pray for his sheep just as Jesus did (verse 9). It may sounds alarming to read that Jesus was not praying for the world whereas He came to this world because of God’s love for the world (John 3:16). Make no mistake, that the world in this verse does not mean the earth or the people dwells in it. The world here means the principalities, ideologies, the forces that drives the evil of this world (Ephesians 6:12). These forces could cloud our knowledge of the TRUTH to the extend of denying the truth (yes, it could happen!). That is why Jesus was praying to the Father to “keep/protect” them -- the disciples, believers, us -- against the ideologies that could make us denying the truth that has set us free from the bondage of sins (John 8:32).

Friends, there is a wisdom here. The knowledge of salvation is vital in our response of obedience; by obeying, it means that we love God AND His creation. Not an easy task considering the force of division and animosity propagated vastly through the mass medias and even seeping through the four walls of the church. The truth should not only liberate us but also others (obviously!) but often time we use the truth as the whip to force people into submission. Hence, it is important for us to take this word to our heart, that God is keeping/protecting us from the constant infection of the principalities of this world, however, we need to surrender our control to Him and allows Him to lead us to the unity with one another just as He is united within the Trinity (verse 11).

Here is our unifying factor: Jesus’ offer of eternal life. This is the truth that we are holding on to -- together. But, the forces of this world (Ephesians 6:12) continues to level us down and splitting us left and right by distorting this truth (Satan is an expert in distorting the word of the Bible, cf; Temptation account). Hold on to this truth; our salvation is the joy of our Lord (verse 13). As much as the world would hate us for this fact, hold on to that salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Of course, Christ could have ask the Father to take the disciples to heaven along with Him, but, if we understand God’s character, as much as it seems to serve His justice to do so, it does not portray His love. What do I mean by that? For God created humankind in His own image, I firmly believe that God does not delight in the death of His beloved creation hence, it only makes sense that Jesus would want the Father to protect the disciples for they have a great commission ahead -- to share the truth that could set people free from the slavery of sin (verse 15-18).It is unfair for people to die without knowing that there is a way to be alive (otherwise Jesus would not ask the Father to forgive the people for their ignorance on the cross, right?).

The word of God to prophet Ezekiel in chapter 33 of his book reflects the same desire in this passage whereas God has a mission to Ezekiel as a watchman. Now the question is this, we know the truth and we believe in it, what should we do then, about it? Social media did well in this; it provides the “share” button. I wish that sharing the word of God is as simple as clicking the “share” button. Perhaps it does. The easiest way to share the gospel is by our action. That is why our action should reflect the same liberation force in the gospel to others. How can we do that? Through the sanctification. Setting ourselves apart. It does not mean that we live in seclusion from the rest of the society. On the contrary,
we should even more be in the broken society, but remains unshaken in our character that reflects Christ glory (verse 19). And by we, I truly mean we as the church society. We have a vital role in spreading the good news. It shows through our actions if we are truly His disciples (John 13:35) -- by our love with one another. There is no KPI to measure our progress. Hence, be patient with one another in love and understanding. That is the most effective way of communicating the gospel to the world. Preach Christ, preach love.