John 17
Jesus prays for himself, his disciples and all believers
Discussion Question
- Jesus prays for you and me (v 20). What exactly is Jesus saying (v 24)?
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Going Deeper from 'Words of Life'
The climax to Jesus’ life pointed to the Cross. Jesus knew the time was soon to come when God would glorify his Son – in order that Jesus could glorify his Father.
It is a fact that so often people receive ‘glory’ posthumously. Abraham Lincoln had many enemies during his lifetime. But it was only after the assassin’s shot killed him that Stanton – Lincoln’s war minister, who always regarded him to be very crude – said: ‘There lies the greatest ruler of men the world has ever seen.’
When Joan of Arc was burned as a witch and heretic by the English, a gentleman yelled out: ‘Would that my soul were where the soul of that woman is!’ Which was soon followed by a statement by one of the secretaries of the King of England: ‘We are all lost because we have burned a saint.’
Far more than great people who have lived and died, the Cross was the glory of Jesus because it was the completion of his work – the completion of his obedience to the Father. But it wasn’t the end. The Resurrection was to follow. The triumph, the glory was to come!
Yet before all this took place, Jesus prayed for his disciples. He was preparing them to go into the world, warning them about what they would face. But he was also offering them his joy – saying all he had was theirs, and all they had was his. Unity.
Then Jesus prayed for all of us. To think, as Christ was anticipating the suffering on the Cross he was thinking far into the future – thinking of you and me. How humbling. How beautiful! He prayed we would be one – as he and the Father are one. An intimate, personal relationship with him. Heart to heart.
Christian unity transcends all differences, joining us together as the Body of Christ, the family of God. One in the Spirit, one in the Lord. And people will know we are Christians – by our love.
Beverly Ivany