Lectionary Year B
June 1, 2003
John 17:6-19

Step II: Disposition

A. Genre

(JFC) Here Jesus prays to God for the sakes of those whom He has received from God, repeatedly identifying them as those whom God has given Him, for whom He claims to be as concerned as God certainly is. He seems to think He has to explain to God why "the world" hates them and Him, Himself, as well. There is some noticeable pleading in this part of the prayer. Some of the sentences seem almost unrelated to the one preceding it and/or following, and, too, some sentences seem to cover more than one subject, changing subjects as they develop. Some sentences are longer, some shorter.

B. Personal Interaction

(JFC) Does Jesus really think/believe He has to inform God of so much going on in the world? Does He miss the significance of the world's challenges and/or motivations for doing good to improve situations in which worldly people live? Who are these for whom this prayer is raised, in the world yet not of this world, only His disciples? Why does Jesus speak in some past tenses and seem to have left them in the world? Do the readers/hearers of this part of the prayer comprehend the terms referring to "the son of destruction" and "the evil"? Do these two designations refer to one person/being or two?

C. Organization

(JFC) Jesus seems to be informing God of some data unknown above in virtually all the verses in this lection. Jesus' use of the metaphor for wrong, evil, wickedness, lack of godliness in the figure of the world occurs in verses 6, 9, 11, 13-16 and 18. The identity of those for whom He prays could have been included in verses 6-9, 11 and certainly 12 and 14-19. Jesus speaks of His being with them in this world in the past tense in the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th verses. The "son of destruction" and "the evil" are in verses 12 and 15.



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