Photo by Amaury Gutierrez on Unsplash “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:20-26 ESV) John 17, Jesus’ high priestly prayer, is one of my favorite chapters in scripture and, in my estimation, is the greatest prayer ever prayed. And vv.20-26, in particular, is my favorite section within the chapter. It is always amazing to me and extremely comforting that my Lord and Savior prayed, specifically for me, 2,000 years ago on the eve of his betrayal and crucifixion. With all that he was about to experience, he takes the time to pray for me and all future believers. In v.20 he prays, "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…" Thus, he is not only praying for the eleven disciples who are there with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but he is also praying for all those who will come to believe in him through their ministry. And he prays for four specific items. First, that all believers will be unified. This is so important to Christ that he mentions it three times in vv.21-23. And the reason he desires the church to be unified, he mentions twice. He says in v.21, “so that the world may believe that you [the Father] have sent me." He states this again in v.23, saying “that the world may know that you sent me.” This is because the unity of the saints, the unity of the Church, authenticates the transforming power of the gospel to bring people together of different genders, ethnicities, social, economic, and political backgrounds. When the Church is disunified and fractured, when Christians are at odds with one another, it says to the world that what happens outside the church is what happens inside the church. With that kind of message, why would anyone put their faith in Christ?
A second item he prays for regarding all believers who will place faith in him throughout history is that the world may know that God the Father loves all believers to the extent that he loves his only begotten Son (v.23b). This is truly amazing when we take a moment to ponder that truth. Those who place faith in Christ are loved by God the Father just as much and to the same degree that he loves Christ, his Son. Despite our sinfulness, God the Father does not love us any less, nor can he ever love us more, not because of anything he sees in us but because of that which Christ accomplished for his Church in his life, death, and resurrection. Thirdly, Jesus prays that all believers would be in union with God the Father and God the Son (v.21b). How comforting to know that Christ prays for our eternal security, for our union with himself and with the Father. And, of course, we know that Christ’s prayers never go unanswered. We can be secured in our salvation knowing that Christ has prayed for our eternal security. A fourth item Jesus prays for is that all believers would be where Christ is, in union with Christ, in fellowship with Christ, and that we would see his glory (v.24), that we would see Christ’s glory in his Word, in our lives, in the Church, in our relationships, and in the world. What a glorious prayer we should all aspire to! As we struggle in our Christian walks, as we struggle with living in a fallen world with all the trials and tribulations this world has to offer, be encouraged to know that Christ has prayed for you, and continue to pray for you! Finally, Jesus prays for all believers that the love of the Father which he pours out upon Christ would be in us and fill our lives to overflowing and pour out onto the lives of those around us (v.26). Of course, this love that should overflow is not only the love of the Father but the love of Christ in us which is why he concludes by praying that he [Christ] would be in us, in believers. Ultimately, Christ’s prayer is that when the world looks at the Church, when the world looks at believers, they would see the love of Christ in us, flowing out of us, and flowing out onto the world. In this way, we and they see the glory of Christ and know that God the Father has sent Christ into the world.
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September 2024
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