Commemoration of the First Six Ecumenical Councils. Octoechos Tone 6; The Holy Priest-Martyr Athenogenes and His Ten Disciples (284-305)
Hebrews 13:7-16; John 17:1-13.
Read John 17:1-13
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Wouldn’t it be great if we had the power to do what we want? But what we do when we have power reveals to us and others what we really want. As Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” So, how do you try to make the things you want happen? Would you do anything differently if you only had more power?
In today’s gospel reading. We observe Jesus exercising power in the lives of others. He has been given “power over all flesh”, to give eternal life to all whom God the Father gives Him – the most powerful man ever. What does He do with it?
He prays, for the further glorification of His Heavenly Father through being glorified Himself, having already glorified Him by accomplishing the work He was given to do – showing God to people and giving them God’s words.
And then He prays again, for His apostles, that they might be blessed with the same unified identification with the Father that the Son has.
Dependance, obedience, seeking only for oneself what will glorify God – hardly the stuff of power as it is commonly imagined.
Later in this chapter, Jesus prays to extend His shared glory and unity with the Father to us who believe in Him through the apostles. But what is this glorification of Himself Jesus prayed for? When He finished praying this prayer, He “went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden,” was betrayed, arrested, crucified, and rose on the third day. This is how He was glorified. This is what He prayed for.
Our participation in the grace of Jesus’ prayer for us is by participating in His definition of power and glory.