Jesus Prayer
Many times, we think of the Lord's Prayer as the model prayer that we should pray. This is not that prayer. We generally only have brief examples of text during the times Jesus was praying. He obviously prayed a great deal. He fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights at the start of His ministry, for example. He prays for choosing His disciples. The prayers were usually for very specific things that He knew were already in God's will, and His prayer was just to call attention to the fact that God was about to work. Because of that, most are short.
But John 17 is an exception. It is thought that this prayer was given in the upper room after the meal. The next chapter has Jesus leading them to the Garden at Gethsemane so this would have been after eating. I'm sure He could have prayed this prayer silently and it would have been just as effective. But He wanted the disciples who had remained true to Him to hear His special requests of the Father on their behalf.
I've prayed for many people in my lifetime. Much of my prayer happens in the early hours of the morning, lying in bed. As such, they people prayed for don't get to hear my prayers being given. I lead a prayer in our Sunday School class each week as well, so the folks with requests get to hear those prayers. Yet most are just between me and God and my cat, who protests if I disturb his sleep too much.
It is also interesting that in the first parts of the prayer, at least the English translation is written with Jesus talking about His earthly existence in the third person. If the disciples picked up on that, He was putting Himself directly on par with God, which of course is perfectly correct, but would have sent the scribes and Pharisees to the equivalent of a mental institution with rage. Many times, we think of praying in the Spirit as requiring some heavenly language, and most times it does. I suspect that at least part of this prayer was the Holy Spirit praying to God, but in Hebrew so the disciples could understand it. We get the benefit of translations.
So in John 17:1-4 introduces His prayer to God. In it, He acknowledges that the end of His life is at hand. His hour had come. He asks God to glorify Jesus that Jesus might also glorify God. The Holy Spirit make some theological points. Jesus is given power over all flesh, and the ability to give eternal life to all God gave Him. Only God knows the number that eventually will fall in this category. But it encompassed all who were righteous and came before, all who accepted Him during His ministry and stayed true to the end, and all who came after, accepted Him, and stayed true to the end. Hopefully it's a big number. Jesus goes on to say that that life eternal that is spoken of is to know God and Jesus Christ who God sent to be the sacrifice for sin and the example for how to live as a Christian. Christ declares that He has glorified God on earth and finished all the work that God gave Him to do. Now it was time to finish the battle with Satan.
How are we doing today? I don't know where you are in your life. I don't know where I am in mine. My mom lived until almost 95. My dad died before reaching 80. While I hope I outlive my dad, I'm not so sure I want to live into my 90s unless healthcare options are much improved (and affordable). But the thing is, we don't know how long we have. If this never gets posted, then you'll know that this was it for me. If it does, I have a bit longer to go. But for however long you are given, I hope that when you reach the end of your life, you will be able to say (and I will be able to say) that, like Christ, I have finished the work that I was given to do.
There's many relation I have who don't know or don't accept the reality of God. They think of Jesus as just a historical figure. I hope that before I am gone, they will have all chosen to restore their love of God. I hope the Christian religion and all elements of His church will have started living more like Christ which might make that possible. But regardless, at some point I will reach the end of God's time for me on earth and I'll have to move on to eternity. Who knows if any of the words I have written will be remembered or if the websites will go dark. That's the ephemeral nature of the internet.
Is there something God is calling you to do? Seize the moment. Put aside the distractions of the world and plow ahead a little further. It isn't easy. I noted that I'm a reader in a previous chapter's notes and I read a couple more books between the last post and this one. God's work is a challenge for everyone. My goal is to do this chapter tonight. Who knows whether I'll be distracted to finish another book tomorrow instead of Chapter 18.
In John 17:5-8, Jesus continues asking God to restore the glory that He had as a member of the godhead before the world even existed. I don't think we will really understand until we get to heaven and see the glory of God just what Jesus gave up to come and live on earth among mankind having given up all His power to do so. I can't think of any powerful man today who would set aside all of their power to save everyone in the world, much less 25 to 30%, optimistically. And that's especially true if they only got their power back by dying!
Jesus then goes on to refresh in the disciples memory that they have received the truth of Jesus from God in the last chapter. They now know, and just as importantly accept, that God sent Jesus, and that all the Old Testament scriptures about Jesus were true. They might not have associated all of them yet, as Jesus had to refresh some of their minds after their resurrection, but they were on the same page as Him finally.
In John 17:9-12, Jesus recognizes that He is not going to be in the world to keep all of the people who had chosen Him or would choose Him safe and true. So He presses the Father to keep them true to God through the power of God's own name so that when eternity was upon them and us, whether through death or the rapture of the church, all of the Christians would be one with God and Jesus. And reiterating a previous theme. There isn't going to be a Catholic heaven or a Protestant heaven. There's just one heaven and eternity for us to live together. Will God have to house the Catholics and Protestants in separate wings or separate floors? I hope not. But if we realize that we all will need to get along and work together and worship together in heaven, couldn't we try to do it on earth right now for practice? To God be the glory in all things.
Of all the ones that had chosen Christ at that time, Jesus declares that He has kept them except Judas Iscariot who had to choose another course in order for the scripture to be fulfilled.
In John 17:13-16, Jesus prays that the joy He feels will flow into His disciples. I don't think we give this verse enough credit. And that's primarily because I don't think we have a clue about the joy of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in those who freely choose to follow God. If you have experienced troubles in your life, if you are depressed, if live has you down, then take this verse in full faith and pray that the joy of God will fill you just as it filled Jesus. If you're worried about today, or worried about tomorrow, or worried about the future, then take this verse in full faith and pray that the joy of God will fill you. Remember, Jesus knew that He would be crucified post haste, and He was still filled with the joy of God the Father. I know what it's like to be down and sad. I've had my share of troubles in my life. So this suggestion is as much for me as it is for you. Pray for God to answer Jesus' prayer in John 17:13 and fill me/you with the joy of God. Jesus prayed this for the world. If you don't believe that, read the verse again.
Jesus gave them the word of God, knowing that the world would hate them for hearing and receiving the word of God, just as it did Him. But it's important to note that Jesus also prayed that God wouldn't take them out of the world, filled with hatred toward them. But He did pray that they wouldn't succumb to evil when evil tries to take them down. Christians must strive to be as free of the world as Christ was. Christ was tempted in all manner like we were. He didn't have the internet. He didn't have the printed word like we do. He didn't have all the illegal drugs that we have. But the basic temptations that each of these boil down to, the Bible says that He faced and overcame. Be an over-comer!
John 17:17-19 declare that God's word is truth. I would that every reader on this site would be filled with the Holy Spirit and listen to His prompting about truth for every word written here. I also pray that they would hear that same voice as they read every word written by every other commentator on the Bible. If you try out a new Bible translation that hasn't seen the test of time, I'd pray you rely on the Holy Spirit to let you know the truth of its translation as well. Some really popular translations have at least a few verses that have a substantially different meaning from the King James version, for example.
Always rely on the Holy Spirit's guidance and a translation that is as close to the original as you can get. If in doubt, look at Young's Literal translation or if you're really adept, study the Greek or Hebrew itself. I'm not that good. I have to rely on a translation. Also rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you to or away from internet sources of information. There's a lot of good information on the internet, but there's also a lot of garbage. And with AI making up a lot of the answers to questions, you won't know if that AI generated answer was truth or an AI hallucination unless you examine the word and the sources yourself.
Rely on the Holy Spirit in any church setting, any small group, or in any other setting. Just because someone is ordained, doesn't mean they know everything. Different denominations teach different things, particularly about the Holy Spirit. Trust what you read in a good Bible translation and the Holy Spirit's prompting to pick the church you attend. As verse 17 says, God's word is truth.
Like the disciples, we are sent into our world. God's goal in saving a person is, of course, to have that person join with the rest of the church, both on earth and in heaven to come. But it's also to lead others to Christ and salvation through that person's influence and connections. We are all called to our respective worlds. Jesus wanted us to go in truth, as He was in truth. Walking in truth, sanctified by the blood of Christ, and in partnership with the Holy Spirit, each Christian can make a difference in some way for His church. Maybe you're like me and more comfortable authoring articles that one on one evangelism. Maybe you are called to pray. Maybe you are called to financially support those who go. Maybe you are called to go. It takes a great many abilities for the entire church to be successful. Find your place and go.
In John 17:20-26, Jesus finishes out His prayer by verbally extending His prayer not just to the immediate group of disciples, but to all who would become His children in the future until He returns to set up His kingdom on earth after the tribulation period. If you had doubts that all the things I mentioned applied to you, read John 17:20 a few times. Every Christian who was to follow is included in this prayer of Jesus. If you never have the feeling that Jesus prayed for you, know that He did in John 17. The Bible declares that He is still praying for us (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25). Jesus still wants to hear our prayers and fulfill prayers to change this world in ways that point to the power of God and the reality of Christianity. And the neat thing is that He is doing so every day. With all of our wondrous telecommunication abilities, you think we'd hear of more, but most news organizations aren't tuned to God and most Christians don't shout out the glory of God when He acts. Both need to do better.
The closing verse is also special. Many today don't feel loved. Maybe they have lost a loved one. Maybe they are divorced. Maybe they're like me and introverted. But no matter how you feel in yourself today, know that Jesus prayed that the love that God had for Jesus would be in us also. He prayed that the Holy Spirit and His presence would be in each Christian's life so that no Christian would ever feel unloved again. God Loves You! Jesus prayed for it Himself, and you know that God always hears Jesus prayers. If you aren't feeling His love today and you aren't a Christian or you've backslidden into sin, now's the time to get right with Him. If you're a Christian and don't feel the connection with God you think you should have, seek a deeper relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. He created man for fellowship. Draw close to Him and He'll draw close to you (James 4:8)