In John 17, Jesus is giving God the Father His final report from "the world." He uses the word world eighteen times in the chapter, not meaning just "the planet earth," but indicating all its decoration, including its inhabitants, and having its root in a word meaning "to provide for or take care of" ( Strong, James. The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984). It reminds me, in an odd way, of our SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) reviews for the school's accreditation. The entire chapter of John 17 is written in red, the words of the Chairman of the AD 33 World Committee, Jesus Christ. The existing conditions are reported, improvements from the last evaluation are recapped, and recommendations for further improvement are outlined.

The preexisting condition is mentioned at the beginning of the Book of John: "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" (1:5). Jesus came, and by His instruction, the following improvements that took place:

     A. "I have revealed You to those whom You gave me" (vs. 6, 26).

     B.  "I gave them the words You gave me and they accepted them" (vs. 8, 14).

     C.  "I protected them and kept them safe by the Name that You gave me" (vs. 12).

     D.  "I gave them the glory [dignity, honor] that You gave me" (vs. 22).

The recommendations for further improvement include:

     A.  "Protect them [from the evil one] by the power of Your Name" (vs. 11, 15).

     B.  "Sanctify them by Your truth" (vs. 17).

     C.  "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message" (vs. 20).

     D.  "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You have sent me and have loved 

            them even as You have loved me" (vs. 11, 20, 21, 23).

     E.  "I want those You have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory" (vs. 24, 26).

Jesus gave His plan to execute these improvements in His instructions to Peter, the first Chairman of the Improvement Team, when He told him to "feed my sheep," and in His commission to the rest of the committee, in Matthew 28:18-20: "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus' greatest desire for our accomplishment before our next evaluation, His return, appears to be unity in faith and love. We need to get those "ducks in a row" as much as possible, because after the next evaluation, we'll be changing locations; going to the perfect location, as per His recommendation in E above. In the meantime, we know how to reach Him when we have questions or need help, and it's not even a long-distance call!

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your willingness to evaluate and instruct us. Help us to keep Your plan foremost in our minds as we reach toward the next evaluation at Your coming. May You find us all busy at Your work. Amen