MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron
In last week's article, covering John chapters 13-16, some of Jesus' last words in the Upper Room were, "'My peace I give to you'" (John 14:27). Instructions provided in that intimate setting included 1) love one another; 2) abide in Him in order to bear fruit; and 3) be prepared for a coming time of trial and testing. This week, we continue our look at the last few days of Jesus on earth, when He was deeply moved by what He and the disciples would be facing.
Those of us who have lived since that first century continue to draw on an incredible inheritance left when Jesus returned to His Father in heaven. Many are familiar with the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13; today we'll learn more about another prayer Jesus prayed directly to the Father.
Often called the High Priestly Prayer (I prefer Farewell Prayer), the passage in John chapter 17 allows us to listen in to a man who was facing death. Jesus made requests for Himself, but mainly for the friends He was leaving behind. He had predicted, in John 12:23-24, "'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.'"
There are two main parts of the prayer, as Jesus prayed first for Himself (John 17:1-5). Apparently, He saw death on the cross as His greatest honor and accomplishment. His desire was that it would bring honor to the Father He serves. Then He went on to pray for His people, first His immediate followers (John 17:6-19) who had been with Him for the past three years. Rather than pray about their deficiencies, He gave thanks that they'd been given to Him; they had kept the word they'd received and had been willing to follow Him. Most importantly, He gave thanks that they believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
It's important to note that the prayer was prayed for disciples, and not for the world (verse 9). The disciples, and all through the centuries to followers today, were to become the means of sharing Jesus' message of salvation to the world. His first request in John 17:11-15 was that the Father would watch over and guard them as Jesus had done while He was present. There would be fierce opposition from the evil one, and though that was initially directed at Jesus, it would now be endured by all believers. He knew we would need the constant presence of divine love and care.
Jesus did not pray that any of us would be removed from the world - that wasn't His role, and there's a reason we're here on earth. We are, however, assured of divine help in the midst of difficulties. Earlier when Jesus talked about Peter's coming downfall (Luke 22:31-34), Jesus had said, "'I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.'" That's why Peter in 1 Peter 1:5 could speak of being "'protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.'"
Another petition Jesus made was when He asked the Father to "'sanctify them in the truth'" (John 17:17). Yes, He wants followers to be holy, but the context of this prayer is rather for a total consecration to the truth. Verse 19 reads, "'for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.'" Since Jesus was already holy, He surely was speaking of being set apart for a singular purpose: making Him known to the world. Our calling is to be purely devoted to introducing others to a living Savior.
A third request for which He fervently prayed is unity, and here we are specifically included in the prayer. The work of becoming one, and being perfected in unity, requires submission. "'I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one'" (John 17:20-21).
Jesus' final request: "'Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me...'" (John 17:24). His followers had been with Jesus throughout His journey. They'd sat at His feet to learn, experienced His love and friendship. At least some of them accompanied Him during the trials. They were chosen by Jesus, and they chose Him. He desires our presence throughout eternity.
The same author who wrote the Gospel of John captured the sentiment. "'Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is'" (1 John 1:2).
As we reread this prayer by Jesus the Messiah, we see similarities in what Christ has done and what we're to do as followers. He came into the world that we might "be love" to those around. We can testify only to what we've experienced. To the degree we've received love from Jesus, we will share and experience His glory.
Next week, we plan to review Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane.
