I had always considered this chapter the high point, the apex of the book, but on this reading I find that there is only one idea that I find meaningful:
17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us"
We are one in the spirit. This idea spreads out to include all mankind, then all creatures, all the earth, the cosmos.
This oneness is what Jesus sought, and it was his last prayer with the disciples before he went to die.
See also Ephesians 4:25.
The oneness was what existed in the beginning before it was broken by our first ancestors. It is what we are going to, the kingdom of God (Heaven).
4 comments:
Larry,
I love that you picked up on the "Oneness" theme. I really get that Jesus was describing 'unity' here - a concept so difficult for us living in duality to grasp. I know I do not grasp it fully - I cannot even explain it except in dualistic forms. But the notion fully intrigues me, and I am drawn into it as though it is central to the mystery of more fully knowing God.
I would argue that this this was not "oneness that Jesus sought" but rather that he knew, that he lived and breathed and tried to impart to others.
I fully agree, dear friend, but it has additional meanings for some people. It means for example that war stops, that the kingdom comes.
Love is becoming one. That of course is exemplified in the marriage ritual where we are to become 'one flesh'.
I've always felt that marriage was the primary sacrament: God gives us mates that we may learn to love-- with a love that will grow until it includes everybody and everything.
Larry said ...
We are one in the spirit. This idea spreads out to include all mankind, then all creatures, all the earth, the cosmos.
... I agree, Larry. At Fr. Dear's website he has links to environmental and animal groups, as well as the usual human social justice groups.
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