Why pt4

This prayer that Jesus prays is an intensely personal look into His own heart and mind as He prepares to go to the cross. It’s a huge blessing that we have these words of Jesus to reflect on, because He not only prays for Himself and the disciples, but for us as well.

One of the most important notes here is how many times Jesus uses the word “Father” in addressing God

John 12–21 7. The Magisterial Prayer as the Final Preparation for Passover (17:1–26)

Jesus came into a Jewish world that had developed a remote view of God, one that needed angels to carry messages. The people had ceased to use the name of God for fear of taking his name in vain, just like the Prodigal Son, who could speak of “heaven” but not use the name of God (cf. Luke 15:18, 21). Into this context of speaking of God by means of surrogate titles Jesus came and called God his Father. But what was even more astounding was that he taught his disciples to pray “Our Father” (cf. Matt 6:9). For the Jews of that day such a personal view of God was very degrading of God and akin to blasphemy (cf. John 5:18). Yet in spite of his personal sense of the Father’s presence, Jesus modeled for his disciples how to honor and glorify God through consistent obedience to the will of the Father. It is this wonderful sense of Jesus’ personal relationship to God that John captured in this magisterial prayer of John 17. Few passages of Scripture come so close to revealing the heart of God’s special agent as these magnificent twenty-six verses.

We spoke about this last week, and Jesus hammers it further home this week. We need to know that God is not some remote “being” but He is our loving Father, who wants the best for us and has no problem hearing from us!

Another thing to note here, Jesus prayed. So often, we neglect prayer or we fail to give it the time and attention it deserves because it seems ineffective or inconvenient or less important that DOING something, but here we have Jesus, moments from the most difficult hours of His existence, pausing to pour out His heart to the Father. Why should we do any less?

(Read John 17)

To start off, Jesus restates and reaffirms His mission. He came to save us. Look at verses 1-3.

John 12–21 (1) Finishing His Mission in a Hostile World (17:1–8)

Suffice it to state briefly that while God’s intention is that everyone or all people should be given eternal life, receiving this bestowal is inseparably linked to knowing God and his special Son. Moreover, the God about whom the prayer speaks is not some generally defined “god” within the world of many gods. God here is defined by two specific adjectival limitations. God is, first, the one and only God; and, second, God is absolutely genuine or authentic

Jesus is here to glorify God in His death and this glory is received by His death opening the door for all of us to receive eternal life- when we know Jesus.

(Gospel presentation here)

As His prayer continues, He pivots to the disciples. The majority of His prayer is for them, not for Himself. (v6-19)

These people are who God has given Jesus to carry on the mission. They have come to believe in Jesus and will be who will carry on the work of the Kingdom after Jesus leaves. Who they WERE does not matter, it is who Jesus has MADE them that counts. That is true for us as well. We are not defined by our pasts, in Christ, we are defined by our present and our future.

John 12–21 (1) Finishing His Mission in a Hostile World (17:1–8)

The issue is not the previous status of the disciples but their role in God’s mission strategy through the coming of the incarnate Jesus.

The importance of v. 6 is that the disciples have become a strategic link in God’s work. The text states that they have kept/obeyed “your word.” The verb is in the perfect tense, indicating the continuing implications of their obedience. The singular of “word” (logon) is to be understood as a collective for God’s message, the good news or the gospel, and not as a reference to individual commands of God or to the teachings of Jesus

John 12–21 (1) Finishing His Mission in a Hostile World (17:1–8)

The disciples of Jesus had not been and would not be perfect models of consistently following Jesus, but Jesus knew their hearts. Peter is a good example of inconsistency in the sword episode (18:10–11), the denial (18:15–27), and the recommissioning (21:20–22). Yet in his heart he had committed himself to Jesus (6:67–69), was willing to lay down his life for Jesus (13:37), jumped overboard to be with Jesus (21:7), and three times affirmed that he loved Jesus (21:15–17). The disciples were merely human beings, but just think of what God was about to do with them!

And think about that. Jesus is facing a cruel death and a moment of separation from God that He has never known, and yet His greatest intercession is for His friends. And look what He prays for them:

That they will stay committed to Jesus once He is gone (v11-12)

That they will stay unified as a group without Jesus there to physically be there point of connection (v11)

That they maintain their joy (v13)

That they will be protected from temptation as they serve Jesus in the world (v14-15)

That they will remain committed to and guided by the truth of the Word as they take the Gospel to the world (v17-18)

Then the prayer takes a very amazing turn. Jesus prays for us as well (v20-26)

And His prayer is that what He prayed for the disciples would be done for us as well (v20-21) and that we would be united with the work that the disciples were called to do!

John 12–21 (3) Looking to the Future (17:20–26)

The divided and hostile world desperately needs the unifying power of the good news of love (cf. 3:16; 13:34; 17:26). Oneness in the community of believers is modeled on the interrelationship of the Father and the Son (“you are in me and I am in you”

John 12–21 (3) Looking to the Future (17:20–26)

The petition thus suggests that the oneness of the community is predicated on a direct relationship of the believers with the Godhead

John 12–21 (3) Looking to the Future (17:20–26)

When the world sees the church in harmony with God and with each other, the point of Jesus’ petition may be realized, namely, “that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Does this petition of Jesus not judge our church disputes as detrimental to the task of mission?

And why does He pray this? Look at verse 23

So that the world may know!

Jesus is praying for us, and the disciples, that we would be committed to Him so that out of that commitment would come obedience to tell the world about Jesus!

His last extended time of prayer is focused on people who do not know Him. And who are lost without Him.

Church, what are we going to do with this? How can we see the prayer that Jesus prayed before the cross and not be moved to ACTION by His words. As He faced the cross for us, He wanted us to be prepared and poised to tell of His great sacrifice so that others could know and follow Him.

Where are we struggling in being an answer to Jesus’ prayer?

are we not committed to Him, rather using Him where it is convenient and ignoring Him when it is not

are we breaking the unity of the Body by holding grudges, complaining, seeking our own interests

are we refusing to chose joy- substituting it with reactions based on circumstances rather than relying on Jesus to sustain us

are we giving in to temptation rather than fighting it

are we substituting falsehood for truth

are we not taking the Gospel to others

Where do we need to return to being an answer to prayer this morning?