Sacred Space

A Macedonia UMC weblog

Comments on the Book of John

Posted by Cathy

           The Prayer of UNITY, John 17, is by far the most powerful prayer I have ever heard.  Jesus Christ praying for us, WOW!   The first line of John says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Later in John 17:17 it also says “Sanctify them through your truth; your word is truth.”  17:19 says “for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they may also be sanctified through the truth.”  This reaffirms a statement that I heard some time ago that the truth is more than a concept it is also a person, namely Jesus.  Because he says; “I am the way, the truth and the light.”

               In John 20:22 we see that there is an act to receiving the Holy Ghost.  That it is given to us by the breath of God.  This is powerful for as we meditate we can visualize that as we breathe in we are inhaling the breath of God, the Holy Spirit which in then feeds us, nourishes our blood with oxygen, clears and detoxifies the body, making us new in the spirit with every breath.                    

               Quoting John 1:17, it says that “the law was given by Moses, but that truth and grace came by Jesus.”  I believe we need to take a serious look at implications of the two different words used –given versus came. The law was given to Moses and he in turn gave it to the people, but Grace and Truth came with Jesus.   This implies that both Grace and Truth have more of a spiritual component, an essence of being, and an unseen dimension of reality more powerful and eternal than the basic language component as they are often used.

We are also taught that the Light has come into the world, but we do not recognize it and we reject it because we love darkness.  This is stated powerfully in John 3:19.  It cites an additional reason that we love evil.  John introduces clearly the concept of good and evil.  It further states that we don’t see good from evil and in most cases choose to live in darkness.  But we find grace in Jesus who prays for us to be in Divine Union with God, himself and the Holy Spirit as stated in the Prayer of Unity (John 17).

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