That We May Be One: May 24, 2020
Seventh Sunday of Easter
John 17:1-11
Known as Jesus’ “high priestly prayer,” chapter 17 of John’s gospel brings the whole of the farewell discourse to a conclusion. Having commanded them to love one another and promising to be with them through the Spirit, Jesus at last prays for his followers.
Three (or four) main themes are woven together in the gospel reading for this Sunday. First, Jesus prays for glory, that is, that God will give honor and positive reputation to Jesus, so that Jesus may in turn give glory to God. What is striking is that Jesus is praying with regard to . . . the events of shameful death and confounding resurrection. Jesus . . . prays that through the events to come God will cause Jesus to be seen as a man of honor and will restore to him the glory that belonged to him in the beginning (vv 1–2).
Jesus refers to his authority to give eternal life to those whom God has entrusted to him. . . . Eternal life is to know God, which is not a cognitive activity but a matter of being in relationship with God, manifesting itself in obedience to Christ’s command to love. Jesus also refers to his work of making God known. In his words and work, Jesus has revealed God. Those chosen by God have received Jesus’ word and know that Jesus speaks truth with God’s own authority.
Finally, Jesus prays for his followers, that they may be protected . . . [by] being held securely in relationship with God. Jesus prays that the mysterious and mutually indwelling relationship that characterizes his relationship with the Father will also be present in the lives of his followers. –– Aaron J. Couch
Acts 1:6-14
This brief periscope . . . is making a serious theological statement with these few words, namely that in these apostles (now a sacred number) God is constituting Israel anew and providing the body for the enacting of the new covenant (see the Day of Pentecost for that!). As important a theological point as this is, care must be taken to avoid the concept of supercession: that Christianity replaced Judaism and that God no longer has a covenant with the Jewish people. This is clearly not the author’s point and, since this reading occurs at the same time as Yom HaShoah, the commemoration of the Holocaust, there is ample reason for homiletic attention and caution. –– Amandus J. Derr
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
The first letter of Peter returns to the theme of suffering, suggesting that the experience of suffering was a significant factor in the life of the community to which he wrote. One may infer something of Christianity’s tenuous legal standing by the author’s insistence that believers must not suffer as criminals who are guilty of murder, theft or even petty crime. They must be guilty only of bearing witness to Christ. . .
Believers must be prepared for adversity and must recognize that behind such suffering is the power of the devil. The enemy of God’s people is always on the prowl. The reader is warned, then, to resist. One may find encouragement in the . . . life-giving promise of God, who holds a future of blessing and glory for all who belong to him. –– Aaron J. Couch
Aaron Couch is a co-pastor of First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
Amandus J. Derr is senior pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church (ELCA) in New York City.
Homily Service 41, no. 2 (2008): 172-182.