Do Whatever He Tells You: Week 12 John 17

ohn spends a disproportionate amount of his letter on the Upper Room meal because it is so crucially important and central to the life and purpose of Jesus’ time on earth. John 17 begins with, “the hour has come”, which helps show that these words are truly His last teaching to His disciples. The book of John can be broken into 3 parts: John 17:1-5 – Jesus finished His work John 17:6-19 – Jesus prays for His disciples John 17:20-26 – Jesus prays for His church The writers of the Bible often used a technique called a chiasm to steer the eyes of a reader to what the point of the writing was about. The Upper Room Discourse (Ch. 13-17) is a perfect chaism: A) 13:1-35 – His hour has come…Love one another… B) 13:36-38 – Disciples Denial C) 14:1-14 – Jesus’ Departure D) 14:15-26 Holy Spirit E) 14:27-31 – Warning F) 15:1-17 – Vine and Branches E) 15:18-16:4a – Warning D) 16:4b-15 – Holy Spirit C) 16:16-28 – Jesus’ Departure B) 16:29-33 – Disciples Scattered A) 17:1-26 – The hour has come…May they be one The main point is that we are to abide in Jesus. The union of Christ is the capstone of His ministry. We can see the thread throughout the Bible:

1. The Shema (Deut 6:4-) The Lord is One
2. The Nicene Creed – We believe in One God, One Son, One Spirit, One Church
3. Communion – Common Union of Christ in us

Our union with Christ is what gives us access to everything that is His. God lavishes on us:

1. Jesus’ inheritance – Ephesians 1:11
2. Jesus’ righteousness – Romans 5:9
3. Redemption and forgiveness – Ephesians 1:7-10
4. Life everlasting – Philippians 1:21

The purpose clause of all of this is found in John 17:23 which is saying that when the world sees the body of Christ as one, they will see:

1. That Jesus came
2. God loves them

Our love and oneness is how the mission of Jesus moves forward in the world. This type of love is known as “perichoresis”, which can be defined as the eternal divine dance of love from before the foundations of the world. This defines the unity and oneness of the Trinity. We get to have that exact same type of love with the Holy Trinity because that is how united we are with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Question: How do you think about the love of God the Father over your life? Do you see it the same as the love He has for Jesus? Ask the Holy Spirit to encourage you to understand the love that the Father has for you this week.