![]() ![]() 1 In this prayer Jesus unburdens Himself before God in a manner unprecedented in the other gospels. In John, the event in chapter 17 is Jesus’ final prayer before the cross. John does not record Jesus’ Gethsemane supplication mentioned in the Synoptics. Instead, I came to see that the subject of unity, while very present, does not dominate the passage, but that the prayer covers a variety of themes. This as-if-for-the-first-time reading of the text quickly disabused me of a long standing preconception I had of the chapter–namely, that the subject of unity was its dominant theme. Reading the chapter in the original language (an exercise which forces a slower pace) also contributed to this listening process. So setting aside, as best I could, my own presuppositions about the chapter, and without relying on the views of theological or biblical experts, or the positions of dictionaries and commentaries, I tried over several days to listen–just listen–to what the text itself is saying–to read the chapter as if for the first time, asking how the ordinary person would understand Jesus’ words, if they happened upon them in some deserted place, away from commentaries, sermons, or notes of any kind. ![]() I interpreted my assignment (of John 17) as an invitation to break through the static and the noise, and get at the heart of Jesus’ burden in this strategic prayer. ![]()
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