1. Jesus prays for the Disciples

Today I give is the last part of the series which commenced Easter, reflections on the Resurrection. And today is also the day of the Ascension of Jesus, according to the church calendar. The Ascension holds that Jesus ascended to heaven in the presence of his Eleven Apostles following his resurrection, and that in heaven he sits at the right hand of God the Father.*

After the Ascension, Jesus came again to his disciples to pray for their future. Though today’s lecturing part is verse 11-19 we read from the first verse of the chapter in order to grasp global meaning of the passage. At first Jesus prays for himself ;- After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.(John 17:1)

Jesus death on the Cross is considered to be the time of Glory. Historically saying Jesus was crucified by Jewish and Roman authorities as a rebel. But from the point of view of faith the crucifixion is the act intentionally chosen by Jesus to save humans by offering his own life. In other words he was not killed but willingly made him executed by earthy power.

The prayer continues ;- For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (Jon 17:2-3)

Those verses above tell that the eternal life is given through Jesus to all of his people, or the entire church.

The salvation and the eternal life will be given through the recognition of God and his only son, Jesus christ. But before that we must admit our sinful nature as faulty humans and repent. Because, as Paul wrote, ;- As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;(Romans 3:10)

Without recognition of our sinful nature and God’s forgiveness there must be no salvation. Many of our problems and difficulties were and are generated by such a nature of all human beings who are definitively imperfect. We exploit, harm, hurt, or even kill others because of our ego-centrical nature. Wars continue to occur throughout human history. And we can not obtain forgiveness by relying our own efforts. The Forgiveness and Salvation can be possible only by God’s will and power, which were shown on Jesus. Peter witnessed to the fact ;- He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.(1 Peter 2:24)

Forgiveness indicates the reconciliation with God through Jesus, who had come on the earth to save us.

2. Being inside but not belonging to the world

From the verse 6, John wrote down Jesus’ prayer for his disciples ;- “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.(John 17:6)

Jesus was destined to leave them so that he prays God for their protection against the world after his departure :- I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.(John 17:11)

The world hated Jesus, consequently it will hate his disciples, too. As long as Jesus was with them they could remain inside Jesus’ divine but after the Ascension they would be very vulnerable to earthy aggressors. Therefore Jesus insists on ;- 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. “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.(John 17:12-13)

Jesus justifies his supplication this way;- I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.(John 17:14-16)

The world rejects Jesus, the son of God because secular persons pretend they can live by relying on their own capacities and faculties. But in reality it is God who allow them to live. Thus they hate Jesus who tell them the truth and his believers. Therefore Jesus seeks God’s protection for them against such a world.

Regardless of risks of oppression God send the disciples into the world because God’s children too there. Jesus lived on the earth and so do God’s people. When Jesus was alive he accepted those who were considered to be sinners to his table, for example tax collectors and prostitutes. Besides facing strong criticisms of Pharisees and law teachers Jesus declared ;- “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.(Matthew 21:31-32)

Hearing Jesus’ words tax collectors repented because they had recognized their sinful life. In contrast to them Pharisees and law teachers, who were pretending to be sinless, refused to admit the truth. They gat angry against Jesus’ counterblow which pointed out their arrogant stance. So much so they decided to put Jesus on the Cross.
Even in modern societies those who seek to live as Jesus’ followers might hated by the world. Because we don’t belong to this world in which where we live.
Hendrik Kraemer**, a Dutch theologian, portrayed a lifestyle in accordance with such a life in this work “A Theology of the Laity” ;

– the church serves Jesus Christ. Christians are in the world, involved in secular organizations, businesses or professions into which they spread the Good News. Secularization of preaching reveals inefficiency of methods by the church itself. In consequence, believers surrounded by the others, commenced to feel isolated, void and disoriented by loosing direction to go. Thus they are scattered out of the church. The church ignored for a long time preaching effects by the laity, remaining enclosed and disinterested in ordinary daily lives. But the church must spread Jesus’ messages into the tangible and real world. –

Even in remaining inside “not to belong to the world” means no to be affected by the earthy evaluations. But, as a matter of fact, it is very difficult for us to practice such a lifestyle. Thus Jesus prays ;- Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.(John 17:17)

“The truth ” is God’s words, spoken by Jesus and inherited through the Bible. Jesus prayed that his disciples were sanctified by God’s words in order that they arrive to accomplish such a way of living.

3. To live in Jesus’ love

Today’s invocation verse is John 17: 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.”

Jesus prayed in order that the disciples would live inside the world. There must be dangers because they won’t belong to it. Therefore they needed to be sanctified by God’s words. The verse above refers to Jesus’ precedent prayer. The sacralization gave birth to the authentic love of disciples for Jesus, which would fill our inside too. Now I give you an example of what happens when we are filled with Jesus’ love. It is the history about Father Colbe and Gajowniczek.

Maximilian Kolbe was born in January 1894, and he was ordained a priest of the Catholic Church. Between 1930 and 1936 he took a series of missions to Japan. After the missions, he went back to his homeland, where he was arrested by the German Gestapo in 1941, due to his anti-Nazi activities. He was imprisoned in the Pawiak prison, then transferred to Auschwitz I .

Though Auschwitz is readily known as a concentration camp for Jewish people, originally it was established to detain Polish people who refused to collaborate with the Nazi regime. Naturally, detainees tried to escape from prison at any given opportunity. A case occurred in July 1941. A man from Kolbe’s barracks vanished, an incident which prompted the deputy camp commander to pick 10 men from the same barracks to be starved to death, in order to deter further escape attempts. One of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, lamenting his family, and Kolbe volunteered to take his place. After 17 days of dehydration and starvation Kolbe died.*

Saved by Kolbe, Gajowniczek survived his imprisonment and was freed from the camps three years later. Gajowniczek revealed his story, and publicly testified what Kolbe had done to save his life. That very act of Kolbe was a real example of practicing Jesus’ teaching: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Gajowniczek lived to tell his story, after witnessing Kolbe’s holy sacrifice. When we recognize Jesus died for our sake we are pushed to kneel to confess our faith in him, our Lord and Savior. At that very moment our old existence dies and receive a new life. We get reborn them. Afterwards we must live in corresponding to such Jesus’ love. He loved us so much that he offered his own life for us.

Of course, literary we can not die for others’ sake as Kolbe did. However we can follow in Gajowniczek’s footsteps. We can witness to Jesus Christ throughout our remaining days. For us to do so Jesus said ;- For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.(John 17:19)

We should not conduct ourselves as christians only on Sunday but we must continue witnessing to Jesus during the week as the salt of the earth and light of the world. We are all compelled to choose such a lifestyle.

# Today’s lecturer is assistant Pastor Mizuguchi.
* Ascension of Jesus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascension_of_Jesus
** Hendrik Kraemer http://hendrik-kraemer-haus.de/kraemer-e.htm