A Prayer for You and Me
John 17
The last few chapters of John have shown us deep insight into who Jesus was. He shares a last meal with those He is closest with and shows them how much He loves them. Jesus also has prepared them for His departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The last thing He does is pray for His disciples. Jesus’ prayer is an intimate look at how God thinks of His mission and our role in continuing what He started.
John 17 is the entire prayer Jesus prayed for His disciples. The prayer has three separate parts. Part one, Jesus prays for Himself. (17:1-5) Part two, Jesus prays for His disciples. (17:6-19) Part three, Jesus prays for the Church; this is you and me! (17:20-26)
I am often guilty of viewing Jesus in Scripture as a “lone revolutionary” and it is easy to see that angle - Jesus against everyone. But Jesus makes it clear in His prayer that He did not act alone. He was never alone. Jesus says He received everything from God. (17:6) His authority, His eternal Life, His words, and even His disciples were all gifts from God. (17:2, 6, 8) Every word spoken and action taken by Jesus were dependent upon God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus begins to pray for His disciples and in turn us, what He prays is stunning! He prays the disciples (and you and me) would be one with God and the Holy Spirit in the same way He is (17:22-23) The way in which Jesus prays for His disciples is as if they are indistinguishable from Himself.
I want to make sure you heard that. Jesus is not only praying for those sitting with Him, but He is praying for you! He is placing the same mantle of ministry on us today as He did those with Him that night. He said, just as He is “not of this world”, so are His disciples. (17:16) Just as Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, so will His disciples be filled. Just as God sent Him into the world, now you and I are sent into the world. (17:18)
If we depend on God for everything, we will be one with Him. If we depend on God for our authority and our wisdom about right and wrong, we will be one with the creator of everyone and everything. If we depend on God for our life, the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead unites us with the Author of eternal life. If we depend on God for our words, the Word made flesh becomes one with our flesh, and we join Him in His redemption of the world, healing the sick, and making famous the God who lived, died and rose again.
The way Jesus never acted alone, we are not alone! What drove Jesus now drives us! You and I, as followers of Jesus, are filled with the Holy Spirit and guided by a loving Father. This is the Good News! We are alive in Christ!