John 17:1-8

John 17:1-8

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. ‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. (NRSV)

I can't imagine the stress that Jesus is under. This is a prayer offered by Jesus near the time prior to his arrest and crucifixion. This is the first part of the longest prayer that Jesus offers. To me, I hear his humanity coming through, and it is heart wrenching. We can't ignore that the word "glory" in different forms is used over and over again. Jesus longs for God to show the world who God is through him. In the prayer, Jesus recounts the ways that he has made God known to his disciples, showing them the "Father" through the "Son." For Jesus, this has been an undoubtably difficult task.

It makes me wonder. How often have I been into something and then I wish it was already finished. Through his prayer, I think Jesus conveys similar feelings. To me it seems like a prayer of desperation, mixed with frustration and conciliation. This is a tired Jesus that is getting close to the end of his time on earth. He is very conscious of his weariness and is ready do be done.

I feel a call to patience today. Patience with purpose, patience with understanding. I'm not good at being patient. When we think we are done, we are done. It takes real effort to keep going and finally (faithfully)  finish. Being patient takes dedication. Today I pray for patience and strength to be able to do the things that God has given me to do.