"Protected by the Truth"
Sermon Presented May 28, 2006
John 17:6-21
What is truth? In this era of an almost cultic response to The Da Vinci Code, the faith of many has been shaken by a novel. Today as never before, people are searching for truth, and making frequent detours as they explore new ideas. Some people leave the church and others come to church for the first time hoping to find answers to their questions. And as people search for truth, churches and denominations which should be available to help them in their search, are splitting over how to interpret scripture and how to define truth. With the recent discoveries of previously unread ancient documents that bring some of our most cherished beliefs into question, we ask "what is truth"; and "can our faith survive the scrutiny of exploration?" Our faith fluctuates as we grapple with our questions.
Our text this morning is part of a prayer Jesus prays immediately before his betrayal and death. He knows his disciples need help to protect themselves from the lies that the world offers and so he asks God to protect them and to sanctify them in truth. I'm adding two verses to the lectionary text - verses that include us - future disciples - in the prayer. Hear Jesus' prayer as written in John 17:6-21. (Read text.)
At the time of the American Civil War, ministers in the North and South spoke with authority, even defiance, about the overriding purposes of God. The impact was sobering. At a time when there was no rival to Protestant influence in our nation, America collapsed into a war over slavery.
The most astute theologian of the crisis was a layman named Abraham Lincoln, who framed the issue in simple terms: "Both sides read the same Bible and pray to the same God." And since they prayed for different outcomes, "the prayers of both could not be answered." Religious leaders on both sides assumed that the Civil War was God's will, and they expected results commensurate with their understanding.
During this period of history, some people read the Bible and affirmed the institution of slavery because of Paul's command for slaves to obey their masters and for a Christian slave to return to his owner. Others took a common sense approach to the Bible and couldn't affirm the simplicity of an individual verse. They believed they could honor biblical authority and yet separate out the larger overriding principles - like love of neighbor, and use these principles to understand specific problem texts. They accepted the Bible as a living document and not one that was locked into the understanding of first century culture. Some believed this approach was a slippery slope and rejected it. Our contemporary debate over rights for homosexual people replays this Civil War discourse.
Mark Noll, in his book The Civil War as a Theological Crisis, states: "There were no resources within democratic or voluntary procedures to resolve the public division of opinion that was created by voluntary and democratic interpretations of the Bible. The Book that made the nation was destroying the nation; the nation that had taken to the Book was rescued not by the Book but by the force of arms."
Lincoln noted as early as 1858 that simply acknowledging God's providence was the easy part: "There is no contending against the Will of God. ...Still there is some difficulty in ascertaining, and applying it to particular cases." It isn't always easy to discern the truth!
In our text, Jesus seeks God's help - not for himself in his approaching death, but for his disciples - both present and future. And he ascertains perfectly what is needed. He asks God to protect them, give them joy, and sanctify them in truth. If Jesus' followers are to practice the truth that he taught them; if they are to remain faithful followers after his physical departure; if they are to have joy; they need to be united in love.
The problems of the Early Church are our problems. The needs of the Early Church are our needs. We need to be united, but we aren't! When we can't agree on theological issues, Christians often withdraw from fellowship with those who believe differently than they. Churches split, denominations split, and ecumenical bodies split. The Southern Baptist Convention recently left The Baptist World Alliance because the BWA accepted the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship into its group. Denominations have withdrawn from the World Council of Churches because of who's included in that body. And each time one Christian group splits from another Christian group, the world sees Jesus' prayer for unity disregarded.
When I was in Marysville, KS, some ministers wouldn't meet with the other pastors because they weren't in theological agreement with them. "Light can't associate with darkness," they contended. However, they invited all of the churches in town to sponsor teams in a church softball league. It was all right to compete against one another but not okay to come together for ministerial fellowship or community worship. Our human actions often show a disregard for Jesus' desire for us.
Unity doesn't mean that people should think alike or believe the same thing. It doesn't mean that people in a congregation or denomination should accept the same tenets of the faith or belong to the same political party. This kind of unity can't be accomplished in families that are related by blood or adoption, so how do we expect to find it in the Church? We are different because of our life experiences and our theological journeys, and these differences shape our beliefs.
In order to experience unity, we must offer others the freedom to express opinions and to be listened to with respect. We aren't expected to accept the ideas or understandings of others, but when we are willing to consider their opinions, we learn more about them and gain respect for our differences. And sometimes we do change our opinions, so it behooves us to be open to the ideas of others.
Why does Jesus pray that we will be "one"? It's so that the world will believe that God sent Jesus. If Christians fight all of the time - if the news that is splashed all over the newspapers and news magazines is one of division and fighting, who will want to be associated with our church, our denomination or Christianity?
Jesus asks that we be protected from the evil one. It is the spirit of evil that destroys relationships and the unity that Christians are expected to uphold. This spirit of evil causes people to espouse: "I won't be united with those people! They are too liberal or too conservative or too social or too poor or too wealthy or too Republican or too Democratic." When we are only open to worship and fellowship with those who believe as we do, we will fail to be disciples of Jesus.
I have a beautiful Baccarat vase that I bought at the Baccarat factory in Paris. When I put fresh flowers in it, it makes an exquisite presentation. It looks good without anything in it. However, if I drop the vase and break it, it is worthless! All I could do would be to sweep it up and dispose of it. The Church is like that vase. When it's together, it accomplishes God's purposes. However, when the body of Christ is fractured, we are of no earthly value to God's kingdom. When we are united, we present a positive witness to the world, and when we are fractured, the witness is negative.
The early church had to deal with conflict. When Jewish
Christians expected male Gentile Christians to be circumcised, Paul
and Barnabas emphatically stated that circumcision wasn't necessary.
On the other hand, Peter believed circumcision was necessary. There
were also disputes over what Christians could and could not eat. Paul
and Barnabas split when Barnabas wanted to bring Mark along as a partner
on a missionary journey and Paul said "no!" But over time,
by applying the teachings Jesus lived in their presence, they worked
things out.
Jesus knew there would be conflict among believers. We are human. But
Jesus prayed that believers would be one in spirit and purpose as he
and the Father were one. Why should we be united? Jesus said that it
is so the world will believe that God sent him.
Jesus calls us to be united in a spirit of love so that others see our willingness to consider their ideas and to love them even when we disagree. We can stand up for what we believe and still be open to new understandings. When we base our actions on love for God and for one another, we will exhibit a positive witness to the world as a united body of Christ. What better way to search for truth.
