Text: John 17:11-19, Mother’s Day
Introduction
I’ll could use parenting, but on Mother’s Day I’ll just use mothering. The actual buzzwords go in cycles, but if you pick up any book at any stage of the buzz cycle, you would think that the powers of the Mother are almost god-like. Whether you want to go with the old stock phrase, “the hand that rock the cradle is the hand that rules the world”. Or whether you might pull in a more recent word “formation”, as in the Tiger Mom is key is forming their children’s performance, desires and even fate, if the book is to be believed. Missing that one flute practice could be the beginnings of the life of crime.
I don’t want to make too much of a mockery of those God-like abilities. The 4th commandment, the first one after three dealing with how we are to treat God is how we are to treat our parents. Honor your Father and the Mother. Luther elaborates on what that means by saying “we should fear and love God such that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.” Hear that Ethan, next time mom says do something, you should do it. God says so. It is a truism that Mom is the most important person in all of our lives. But there is a reason that parenting books are all bought in the 9 months prior to the first child.
That is about the last time any honest parent believes wholeheartedly in their god-like abilities to form anything. Instead of dreams of molding that future President, as comedian Chris Rock used to joke, the main job is to keep them off the stripper pole. 90% of being a mom, or dad, from pretty much Day 1, is preventing those kids from doing something stupid. And as the number of stupid things they can do multiplies each day they grow, the job gets a little tougher. And as the job gets tougher, the god-like ability to form that gorgeous lump of clay seems to recede. And as it recedes, if one is the wise parent, the role of prayer becomes ever more important. Both for personal sanity as well as for keeping those guardian angels on task.
Text
Our Gospel text today might on first pass seem a thousand miles away from that mothering realization that the main goal is a negative one, to keep them away from the harmful. The kids come pre-built with their own personalities, if you are an older sort you might say souls. And each of those souls is meant to try the heart of their moms in their own unique way. But this text is part of what is called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. It is his prayer for his spiritual children, his disciples, on the night he was betrayed. His job of formation of those disciples was for the most part over. In just a few hours, Judas would kiss him and Peter betray him and all the rest scatter. The god-like powers of formation for the god-man we largely over. And for me the key verse is not those dealing with the name and keeping it – 2nd commandment stuff, nor is it the verses about truth which could be a reminder of many different commandments. But it is verse 15. “I don’t ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
The world is what it is. A gorgeous and endlessly fascinating creation full of good things. An entire creation given over to the care and keeping of mankind. But also a creation that has been cracked and wracked by sin. Those souls that came into the world did what they were going to do. Like children exploring the world, they immediate found exactly what they shouldn’t have. But it isn’t the worlds fault.
And it isn’t completely that child’s fault. It is, we are responsible for our actions. If we don’t honor our mothers, by picking up things when asked would be a good start, Ethan. The person who is most in our corner throughout life might become quite rightly vexed. Having that soul means bearing responsibility. But there was always someone else there. In that very first story he was a snake. In Jesus’ prayer, simply the evil one. “I don’t ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
The prayer of the great high priest, the prayer when all the formation is done, is the realization of every parent. Keep them away from the evil one. Don’t let them do something stupid, not tonight. Keep my kids away from that.
And of course for Jesus, this prayer is met with a shuddering, “not yet”. Judas’ kiss would betray him and hand him over. Peter’s denials, far from honoring, would despise this spiritual parent.
Christology
And let me put those heavy next lines in this spiritual parenting context. “Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
This is that truth. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each one to his own way. Those souls, reflecting the image of our creator, have also been cracked with sin. Even the best most god-like parent can’t keep us away from everything stupid that the evil one floats before us. Temptations must come into the world Jesus would say elsewhere.
But the greater truth is that Christ consecrated himself for our sake. That is a fancy word which means dedicated to a purpose. Mom’s are often consecrated, but if we are telling the truth, we are just as fallible as our kids. Our consecration to keeping our kids away from the stupid has its limits. The consecration of Jesus does not. He sent himself to the cross to pay for all of our weak and cracked moments. The water and the blood would flow from his side washing us and making us holy.
The greater truth is that Peter after despising his spiritual parent would be restored and told to go be a spiritual parent – “feed my lambs”. The greater truth is that even Judas, who was stricken with remorse over what he had done, could have been sanctified in the blood. If he had faith in the consecration of Jesus, instead of despair over his works. The Work of Jesus is always greater than anything of ours.
Eschatology
The greater truth is not that Jesus’ prayer was denied with a flat “no”, but that it was “not yet”. And it often remains “not yet”. All those who are Jesus’ children will be kept away from the evil one.
Today we are sent into the world. And being sent into the world, like being a parent, means opening ourselves up to a world of hurt. Love is often simply that.
Our god-like abilities of formation will probably fall short. Our eyes in the back of heads will quite often be closed such that we can’t prevent all the stupid our children will do. We might even fall into periods of “let them do the stupid, because I’m tired of it”, when our consecration fails. But Christ’s does not fail. Not one sheep that is given to him will be lost. A world of “not yets’” will give way on that last day to “now” when everyone will be gathered, and Satan banished forever, and all the cracks in our souls shall be restored.
Moral
Until that day, this is the highest calling of those parents. It isn’t formation – as much as we should strive for raising solid children. It isn’t keeping them away from stupid – there is just too much of it in ourselves to keep all of it away. It isn’t even those prayers – as much as we might live by them.
The highest call we have: for both our physical children and our spiritual children is to sanctify them in the truth, and His word is the truth.
And that truth is this. Jesus welcomes sinners. In fact he welcomes no one else. If you think you are the Tiger Mom who is going to form a heavenly creature all by your own blood, the truth isn’t in you. The truth is that God so loved the world that he gave his only son. Whoever has the son has life. And wherever you are, regardless of what kind of stupid we find ourselves in, we can have the Son.
Teach your kids that – the truth. They’ll be fine. The good shepherd will watch them with all his guardian angels, and will keep them from the evil one.
Amen.