That they may know joy.
As Jesus neared the end of his earthly life there came a moment when, in the company of his closest friends, he prayed for them. That great prayer, recorded in John’s gospel, is an inspiring message to those of us who struggle to live the Way of Jesus in an often hostile and predominantly apathetic environment. The prayer begins with Jesus glorifying God for all God gives, and offering to God the whole of the life he had spent in service according to God’s will. He affirms that he has spread the Word to all who were ready to listen, and his followers have received it and been obedient. Now, however, the end is near. Jesus needs to ensure that the work will not die with him; so he commends his friends to God, asking for protection for them from the evils of the world.
I sometimes try to imagine what it must have been like, to hear Jesus praying for me; to know that deep love. No wonder Jesus spoke those words aloud in front of them “That they may know my joy in full measure” He was about to die in a horrible way; he was about to leave them as adrift as a rudderless vessel. He was not going to be there to guide their ways or to make the decisions. Suddenly they were going to have to grow up and go out alone, facing the world with courage and conviction. They had to continue the work – the healing, the preaching, the issues of justice, freedom, equality and love that he had taught them.
These are still the same issues today. We are surrounded by stories of blind hatred, of war and greed, of stubborn refusal to walk in the shoes of others. Admittedly it is hard for us to realise how awful life is for some people. It is not the path we have chosen to walk – but many people are struggling with mountains that they would rather not have climb – of debt; of broken relationships, of loss or of need. Jesus placed his friends in the hands of God for God alone knows everything about this creation and what will happen, when and how. God alone has the power to mend what we have broken, but there is also need for us to change our habits.
If we had read on into the next verse of Jesus’ prayer we would have found some of the most significant of words. He expands the prayer from his friends and goes on to include all those from the future who will believe in God through the stories they have heard of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Jesus was praying for us to also know the joy in full measure. Just think about that – Jesus included us in that Great Prayer! How humble that makes us feel; how overwhelmed we should be at the grace of that gift.
When the apostles chose their “12th man” they did so knowing that they were about to unleash something amazing upon a sceptical and unready world. A world where the Roman Empire had power over many places; a world where war and insurrection, torture and poverty were the reality for many people. They were going out equipped with wonderful stories, and the power to speak. They knew that God was going to work through them, through their words, so that the world might be changed.
Even knowing that this prayer was also for us, are we so sure? Can we speak to a world that is sceptical and unready for the love of God to begin to heal and bring “shalom” – that wonderful Hebrew word that means peace and joy and a whole lot more. What would the ordinary Palestinians and Israelis give for that? What would a war weary Ukraine think of that? What would the people who use our food banks think if suddenly every single church in this country rose up and hung a banner outside their buildings that said “End Poverty Now” (That’s what we are being asked to do this month – to join together to stop poverty in this nation and every nation.)
Jesus prayed that we would be united in the cause of justice and hope and love. We still need to be doing that – not just for the poorer nations, but for those living on the breadline here too. No-one in this country should NEED to use a foodbank. No-one with employment should be unable to afford a home or food or a reasonable way of living. There is need for constant prayer, that we make our decisions in the way that Jesus and his friends did. Through constant prayer, through selfless giving, through compassion and kindness we, like the disciples, will be given the power, through the prayers of Jesus, to change the world bit by bit.
Revd Barbara Bennett