Read John 17
1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
6"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." (NIV)
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This is the longest recorded prayer in Scripture by Jesus. There is so much here that we will cover just a bit of it. The prayer begins with Jesus stating the time has finally come, his hour is at hand and he prays that for God to glorify his life so that the father may be glorified by the Son. The cross is central to our faith. It is the climax of Jesus’ life. It is the act that gives us life and purpose. It is by his blood we are saved. Jesus begins his prayer reminding the disciples of what is about to happen. And we need to remember this act too. It is in communion that we remember Jesus’ mighty acts and his love for his. He told us to remember him this way.
Jesus prayer then speaks to the work he accomplished. He poured everything into these 12 disciples. All the hopes of what he wanted to accomplish, he left with his disciples. It is a reminder that it is the church that shares the Gospel message to the world. It is reminder that we too are part of the process of building the kingdom of heaven on earth. He even says in verse 10 that all the glory he has, has come through these disciples. What a powerful image of our value. We must remember that Christ’ overall plan involves us and he is praying for us to succeed.
As he is praying for disciples, he then makes one of the most powerful prayers in verse 20. It is powerful because he asks that this prayer be for you and me also. To think that Jesus prayed for me the day he gave himself up to die. He prayed for each of us in that prayer. So this prayer for the disciples is also Jesus’ prayer for each of us.
Then in verse 24, Jesus prays that he wants those who have put their faith in him to be with him where he is going. Jesus’ desire is to be with us in heaven. To me, that is the most wonderful thought – to want to spend time together. This should give us pause for how much we are loved by Christ.
And Jesus concludes the prayer by saying his going to continue to make know to all his followers who the Father is. This is being done through the Holy Spirit. It is another reminder that Jesus will not leave us abandoned or alone. He wants us to know his love always.
As your read this prayer, what does it mean to your life and your walk with Christ?
Questions? Comments?
Blessings and Peace
Pastor Harry