A lot has happened in the last few hours. The time of the passover had come and though this seemed like any other Passover time, this was the Passover that was pointed to by all the others. Jesus, the true Lamb of God was about to be killed for the evening sacrifice. His ministry here on the earth was drawing to a close.
The disciples had eaten the Last Supper with Jesus and had partaken of the symbolic broken body of Christ and the symbolic shed blood. They had witnessed the world’s greatest master and teacher become a servant to wash their feet and the dismissal of Judas Iscariot to betray him. Jesus addressed Peter specifically in Luke 22:31-34 telling him that Satan desired to sift him as wheat and that Jesus had prayed for Peter for stability of faith and that he would be able to strengthen or encourage his brethren. With all this happening up to now, we might wonder what was going on in the minds of Jesus’ disciples.
So, what was going on in their minds? The disciples seem to go straight from Judas being dismissed into the night to arguing about who is going to be the greatest in Jesus kingdom. Somehow they missed the point of what really mattered. It seemed as though all they cared about was the elevation of their position and could not see the burden, the intense spiritual struggle that Jesus was under. It seemed as though they were refusing to take the statements Jesus had made about His death seriously.
From Jesus standpoint though, time was running out. He had but a few hours left to get the point of the message across to His disciples; so He washed their feet, He warned them of troubling times to come and gave them a message on where to find comfort, and He prayed for them. All this was under the stress of a severe spiritual battle.
Jesus’ Prayer in the Garden:
John 17 1-26
1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
As Jesus closes off His dissertation with His disciples he opens a new dialog with His Heavenly Father. This dialog with His Father is in the form of a prayer. Take special note of Jesus posture while He is praying. Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven. This posture that Jesus exhibited symbolizes an open relationship with His Father. It is an equivalent of having a face to face conversation with someone.
This prayer has the feeling of urgency which continued to magnify as Jesus continued His journey to the cross.
Jesus said “The Hour has come”. There were various times in Jesus ministry that Jesus said things like this, and now having said this again indicates another time-frame of fulfillment. When Jesus said this in John 17:1, He was indicating that the final phase of His ministry was here. This was the moment for which Jesus had been born, a moment which was the beginning of a new era for mankind, and an era previously unknown to mankind’s history with the exception of their earliest days, an era that re-instituted the communion and fellowship among mankind and God.
The shame that Jesus was about to bear for the sake of the world, though it looked shameful at the time; would ultimately bring him glory which would then be passed onto the Father.
John 13:1
1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
Jesus was not out of His place to ask His Father to glorify Him. Jesus is God and deserved to be glorified. Though Jesus was not really seeking his own glory to revel in the honor of it, He was ready for the glory that was rightfully due Him and would be coming to Him through His death on the cross as our Savior. Jesus was ready to go through suffering to receive the glory that was due Him so He could pass it onto His Father. The basic definition of Glory in John 17 is to cause the dignity and worth to be revealed and acknowledged.
Jesus asked His Father to glorify Him. What does that mean and how does that work out with the hour that has come? Notice that Jesus said, “Glorify thy Son, so thy Son may Glorify Thee”.
The mission for which Jesus came was one like none other in the history of mankind. The main reason for which Jesus came was to be lifted up on a cross to draw the world to himself. Jesus told Nicodemus that if he was lifted up (on the Cross), all would be drawn to Him. Every knee would bow and every tongue would confess at some point that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Are you willing to share in Jesus’ glory?
The time will come when we as humans who live in a fallen world that is cursed by sin will face many struggles as we strive to survive. Will we like Jesus live in a way, even if the face of adversity, that will glorify our Heavenly Father? In order to share in Jesus’ glory, we too must submit ourselves to the suffering that is ordained by God for His glory. In our submission Jesus will be be glorified.
John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Though God could have ignored His fallen creation and left them by default to their own destruction, He chose to offer to save them, and through the seed of the woman, a Savior was born. This Savior’s name is Jesus and as God’s only Son by physical birth has authority and power to offer and then give everlasting life.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
What is Eternal Life? Without going into a lot of description, Eternal life is something our first parents were created for. It is something that as sons and daughters of God, we have access to. When Adam and Eve sinned, just as God told them, death was instilled upon them and their descendants. This was not just a physical death, but a spiritually eternal death. The open relationship God once had with mankind was no longer going to be an open relationship, for sin cannot exist in the presence of God. Now as we discussed before, Jesus came to open that relationship from humankind to the Father and along with that comes the gift of Eternal Life. Romans 6:23. Eternal Life is something that we do not deserve, but as a freewill gift from the Father has been bestowed upon all who have become true sons of God. Eternal Life is, as John 17:3 states, knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ!
As we continue through this passage, we begin to see and understand the side of God that shows His passion for his created mankind.
Once again, Jesus declares His longing to be restored in the same glory that He once had with the Father. The relationship Jesus had with the Father was one that was full of glory. Jesus gave the Father recognition for the men which were given to him by the Father for the specific purpose of spreading the Gospel. Jesus indicated His faithfulness in showing the Father’s name to the chosen men and referenced their faithfulness as well. This was the equivalent of Paul’s statement, “I have fought a good fight”.
The statement in this prayer “They have kept Thy Word” indicates an obedience to the Word. While we very carefully say Christianity is not a “works” religion, we recognize that Faith without works is dead. This is a tribute to the faith the Disciples had.
Jesus prayed for His disciples! The world was not the subject of Jesus’ prayer, at least this time around. Jesus said, “I am glorified in them”. The thought of having Jesus pray for us is the equivalent to Jesus saying to us that He loves us and cares what happens to us.
The difference between the prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and this prayer in John 17 is the prayer in Matthew shows the utter dependency that we have on God while this prayer in John 17 shows the divine sufficiency.
As the Messiah, Jesus’ disciples had faith in Him. They listened to His Words and were obedient to His teachings. They understood that Jesus came from God and by their own declaration understood that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. The disciples glorified Jesus through their obedience, faith, and their words!
The Father has given us so much, Are we giving back to Him? Jesus said, “All Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine”. Basically indicating that what the Father had given him, He was returning to the Father.
Jesus recognized His time was quickly coming to a close and that after He left this life, His disciples would be left in this cruel world. He implores His Father to keep His disciples through His Father’s Name.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: (The Lord is my Banner)
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
The one way specifically that Jesus prayed for protection for His disciples was that they would be one. Using the example of the unity that Jesus shared with His Father, Jesus prayed that His disciples would share that same unity.
What was this unity that Jesus shared with His Father that was so necessary for Jesus’ disciples to maintain? It seems fairly obvious that it isn’t just uniformity or that they were all to be carbon copies of each other.
- Body as an example of the church Ephesians 4:1-16, 1 Corinthians 12:1-13:13
- Esteeming others better than themselves Philippians 2:3
- Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-24
- Willingness to Lay down your life for your brother
- We will be known by our love John 13:35
- If you are led by the Spirit of God you are a child of God Romans 8:14
- Being one in Christ and the Father will establish oneness with your brother John 17
- You will exhibit a spirit of humility and love Galatians 5:22-24
One of the thoughts that come through this prayer is that a person can have the appearance of following Christ but can actually be a son of perdition. What is meant by a son of perdition? Strong’s concordance shows it being the same word as damnable, destructive and pernicious. 2 Peter 2:2 In the case of Judas Iscariot, he sought to benefit financially from betraying the Son of God; showing the character he had been hiding. There are various words we could use for this type of person today who is hiding his sinfulness and giving the appearance of following with Christ. Two such words would be pseudo-christian and hypocrite. God through His revealed word has some stiff words for such a person.
Matthew 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Matthew 3:6-9 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Once again Jesus refers to His time on this earth being fulfilled. He said, “Now come I to thee John 17:2 refers to the power that was given to Jesus over all flesh. This word power has the meaning of authority and influence that is designated over the life of all flesh.
If we are going to recognize Jesus’ authority in our lives, we will need to submit to Him. If we are going to recognize His influence in our lives we need to accept it.
We say at times, that this or that person had influence on our lives and so they may have, but consider with me whether influence can really be had without first a certain level of recognition of the authority they bear toward us. Not that they are requiring us to be subservient to them, but that by their bearing/calling and our recognition of that are we influenced. In other words, influence is irrelevant unless we first recognize their authority in our lives.
The Joy of Jesus Christ fulfilled within us!
Philippians 4:11 > Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
John 10:10 > The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Nehemiah 8:10 > Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
James 1:2-3 > My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; > Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
1 Peter 1:8-9 > Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: > Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Romans 15:13 > Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
2 John 12 > Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
Philemon 7 > For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Isaiah 35:10 > And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
John 16:22 > And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
Romans 14:17 > For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Hebrews 12:2 > Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The joy that is offered to us through Jesus Christ is not happiness, nor is it really associated with it. The joy of Christ is not dictated by our circumstances, but is a deep rooted feeling in spite of what we are going through. True joy in today’s world and among many professing Christians is missing. Sometimes we hear of people going through hard times, that really aren’t that hard in comparison to what our brothers and sisters face in the mid-east and beyond, coming out and saying, “I almost gave up”. Really, is that all the deeper your joy is? Is that all the deeper your trust is?
Jesus came that we could have life more abundantly. We are not just alive, but living an abundant life, even in the face of turmoil and through this, Jesus can be glorified.
We have access to the Word of God as delivered to us by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. This Word of God that was given to all the disciples, though it revives a deadened heart is not accepted well by the world. The world rejected the bearer of the word and are continually rejecting the word itself. The word has it origination in Jesus Christ who is the embodiment of truth. Since the carnal life of the world has its roots in lies, and the word of truth exposes the lies; the world feels uncomfortable and tries to quench the truth.
Jesus asked His Father to Sanctify His disciples through His truth so we stop to reflect on our own sanctification.
We cannot be sanctified without truth. We cannot be presented with truth without having a choice before us. Can we choose to be sanctified? Yes and no. Before we get too involved in discussing our sanctification we should take a look at John 17:19. Jesus made the statement that He sanctified Himself for their sakes that they might also be sanctified through truth. The way we usually think of sanctification we would even dream of using it in relation to Jesus being sanctified, but since God’s Word is true and it says that we should take a look at it rather than just think we know. The Greek word has the meaning of dedication or to ceremonially consecrate. With this in mind, we look at this a little different. Jesus set Himself aside or dedicated Himself for a holy work … the work of redemption and sanctifying a people to Himself.
The last part of Jesus prayer to His Father reveals the completeness of what He set out to do. Leaving off Praying for the disciples that were nearby, Jesus took up praying for His future disciples; the ones that would be taught through the word of the initial disciples.
The passion of Christ in this prayer seems to be reaching a climax as He prays for the unity of the church. Understanding the differences that make up His followers, Jesus prayed for their unity in the body of the church. Citing the unity that Jesus has in the Father and the Father in Him, Jesus prays that His followers would be unified in them (God) as a testimony of the relationship they have with Him. This goes to the idea that when we walk in the Spirit of God, the righteousness that we portray is not ours but Christ’s through the sanctification of the heart in truth.
When we as brothers and sisters have accepted the work of God in our lives and are living in the Spirit of God, then the Spirit of God (the same Spirit) will unify us together in love. The world will then know that we are a part of something that is greater than ourselves and will be drawn to Christ. The sooner we accept that “our story” is actually Jesus’ Story we will greatly reduce if not altogether cease the struggle for superiority.
The glory that Jesus received from His Father was passed on to us by Jesus for the purpose of unifying us. So once again, I bring to remembrance the glory of Christ is rooted in sacrifice.
John 3:14,15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
> That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 12:28-33 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Jesus further asked His Father to allow His followers to be where His will be. That they could behold His glory.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.
The faithfulness of Jesus in carrying the message of salvation and hope to a fallen world sets the stage for those who accept his sacrifice to love each other as Jesus is loved by His Father and that His Spirit would live within them.
I John 4:7-21
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