Skip to main content

282. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:6-19
Key Verse: "I 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."
John 17:11

What an amazing prayer for His disciples. This prayer is their ordination for ministry though they don't yet comprehend that fact completely. Jesus prays specifically for them, for these special men that He selected out of the world. When Jesus called, these men set aside their livelihoods, from fishing nets to accountants' pencils (so to speak!).  When Jesus said come, they obeyed. They had no clue what the next few years of their lives would bring. They saw more, learned more, accomplished more than they could have ever imagined on their own. Now, Jesus prays for them, knowing that for now, He is leaving His bride behind in a hostile home.

First, Jesus acknowledges in His prayer that what makes these men special is that, when Jesus revealed Himself to them, they believed Him. As they believed, Jesus could teach them the words from The Father. They believed that Jesus is one with the Father. Jesus wasn't just a man. He is fully God and fully man and the disciples believed, even if they did not completely understand, which is faith.

Just as Jesus desires to bring glory to the Father, He now tells the Father that the disciples have brought glory to Him. They did not turn their backs in the hard times, but stayed with Him through it all.

"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name." (John 17:11-B) How tender this is. It makes me think of a parent leaving the beloved child for the first time. While Jesus was with them, He could protect them, but He must complete His mission. His mission requires Him to leave them so He prays for His Father to continue to protect them while He is away.

He prays for them to be One. Perhaps He is thinking about Peter and Matthew, who had to work hard at getting along. Perhaps He was thinking of James and John, His, "Sons of Thunder," that made everybody angry when they asked for special privileges. Perhaps he was remembering all the little squabbles that they had about who would be first, or the greatest. Jesus knew that these men would need each other more than ever while He was away. They would need each other for strength and encouragement. They could no longer afford to go back to the world's way of seeing things. They had been with Him. They were no longer a part of the world and as “other-worldly” men, they would need to be one as Jesus is One with the Father.

Finally, Jesus prays for their sanctification, that they would become more like Him. "Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." (John 17:17-19)
How was it for the disciples to know that Jesus was praying for them in such a way? He was truly handing over the baton, whether they were ready or not. He was praying for them though. What confidence to know that Jesus prayed for them.

Hymn: "Jesus, Lord, We Look To Thee"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...
Post a Comment
Read more

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...
Post a Comment
Read more