Sermon Tone Analysis

The Prayer of Jesus

(Takes place prior His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane)

I. Jesus Prays for Himself (1-5)

II.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples (6-19)

III.

Jesus Prays for All Believers (20-24)

I. Jesus Prays for Himself (1-5)

Many Bible students consider this to be the “Lord’s Prayer” or Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer,” and I would agree with them.

Whereas the “Our Father,” (in Luke 11:2-4) would be more of a model prayer.

Up to this point Jesus had been teaching and talking to His disciples...but now He looks up and talks to the Father, notice:

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come.

Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

4 I have glorified You on the earth.

I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

A couple of things right off the bat, you may have noticed Jesus prayed in a different way than we might normally pray.

1. Jesus prayed with His eyes open.

2. Jesus began by praying for Himself.

(Elaborate/Explain)

(A matter of concentration)

(As Jesus prayed for Himself, it was only because He was interested in the glory of God – 1b)

The “Hour” (time) had come – it was the hour of redemption for the glory of God.

“In John’s day, glory applied not only to something’s appearance but also to the accomplishment of its purpose.

In this passage, Christ’s glorification refers to His accomplishment of the task of bringing God’s plan of salvation to the world through His impending death on the cross.”

– Bickel and Jantz

Glory (Grant Me Victory) (Grant Me Authority) (v.2)

According to our Lord’s own words, eternal life is not simply a quantity or quality of life, but is a personal relationship with God.

(v. 3)

The word “know” (v. 3) (1097 ginsoko) refers to a knowledge by experience; a subjective knowledge; the knowing comes from an active relation between the person or thing known.

This Greek word is used 49 times in the gospel of John (1:10; 8:55; 10:14; 14:7).

(We might know of or about someone such as Abraham Lincoln the 16th President of the United States of America, Michael Jackson born in 1958 passed in 2009, dubbed the “King of Pop,” he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century, selling and estimated 400 million records worldwide.

(Any of you heard of Him, know about Him? Do any of you know Him? There’s a difference.

In 2022 they say the most famous people in the world are Dwayne Johnson, and Elon Musk, maybe you know of them, but you don’t know them.

Jesus brings this up because He knows there are many who know about God and Spiritual things intellectually, but they don’t know God personally, and such people do NOT have eternal life.

Here we see this knowledge is of the Father and the Son.

In John 14:17 this knowledge is also of the Holy Spirit.

These are words of blessing (to know God personally) as well as words of warning.

You might remember His words in the Gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 7:22–23 (NKJV) “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Up to the point Jesus had done all that His Father asked of Him on earth, but Jesus uses the word “finish” (v.

4).

Interesting, does that mean the cross was more of a work done in heaven?

(Hebrews 6:20; 9:12, 24)

(v. 5) Restoring the glory they had before the world began (John 1:1)

II.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples (6-19)

6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.

They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

Jesus didn’t just preach God’s name and nature, He manifested the Father to His Apostles.

The same Greek word is used in:

1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh...”

Jesus manifested God to the guys, the guys God had given Him.

John 6:44 (NKJV) “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

They had kept (received and believed) Christ’s Word, which was really the Father’s Word.

They knew (were sure, completely convinced) that Jesus had been sent from God the Father.

Jesus was talking to the Father, but was also aware that His words were being recorded by the Holy Spirit for us to hear.

Jesus goes on to specifically pray for them.

It should be very comforting to know that Jesus prays for His disciples.

He prayed all night for them (Luke 6:12-16)

He prayed for Peter (Luke 22:32)

He continues to pray (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25)

9 “I pray for them.

I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus did not pray for the world, but He prayed for His disciples, and seemingly emphasized that fact (9).

Why? Doesn’t He love the world?

Doesn’t He want the world to be saved?

Isn’t that why He came?

Yes (John 3:16) but the way He would read the world is through a strong church.

When the Church is healthy and Holy, the world will be reached effectively.

10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.

Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.

Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them by Your truth.

Your word is truth.

18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

A. Jesus prayed for the Apostles to be Protected

B. Jesus prayed for the Apostles to be United

C. Jesus prayed for the Apostles to be Sanctified

A. Jesus prayed for the Apostles to be Protected (v.

11-12, 15)

The Greek word translated “keep” (5083 tereo) means to keep, to reserve, to watch, to preserve, to hold; to attend to carefully, guard.

The NIV translates “protect.”

Let me ask you a question, were they protected?

Some might say “no.”

Weren’t they martyrs, persecuted, prosecuted, and executed?

Yes, 10 of the 12 died a martyr’s death, John the Beloved being the exception, he was baptized in boiling oil and then banished to the Island of Patmos.

So, were they protected?

Yes, they were protected in the sense that they were kept alive until their hour had come, when it was time for them to die (I call it the invincible principal).

Believe you me, if God hadn’t protected them, they would have died instantly after Jesus ascended if not sooner.

So...that’s one thing to consider regarding this request – but Jesus’ prayer of protection from the world is much more than mere physical protection, it was spiritual protection.

(vs.

15-16)

Jesus prayed for the Disciples to be kept from the world “system”, as well as Satan, the evil one.

1 John 5:19 (NKJV) “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

The disciples were to be in the world, but not of the world (15a, 16a).