John 17

This devotional is written by Libby Granite.

John 17

Jesus prays to be glorified
After Jesus said this, he looked towards heaven and prayed:

'Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Jesus prays for his disciples
6 'I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 'I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus prays for all believers
20 'My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - 23 I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 'Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 'Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.'

Reflection

This passage comes just before Jesus’ betrayal and subsequent arrest, and marks the beginning of the events which lead to Jesus crucifixion. Jesus says, “Father, the hour has come.” He knows that his work on earth is finished, as well as what is ahead of him.

And so, he prays.

When I read this passage, two things stood out to me. The first was that in what must have been an incredibly heart-breaking, terrifying and overwhelming situation, Jesus prays. It sounds so obvious, but I have lost count of the number of times when I have been going through a challenging situation, and my first instinct is to try and find a solution myself. Prayer comes when I have exhausted all other options. Does that sound familiar? I am getting better at turning to God for help first, but it is something I am continuing to work on. Prayer is not the back-up plan – it should be THE Plan.

The second is who Jesus prays for. He prays for himself, his disciples, and for all believers. He spends a lot more time praying for others than himself. There is a lesson to be learnt here.
What I find incredible is that Jesus prays for us. He knows that the work he started on earth will be continued by his disciples, and has faith that they will be successful and that there will be future believers. Jesus prayed for you and for me while he was here on earth. In the midst of his torment, Jesus’ thoughts were of us and our relationship with God. This, after all, was the purpose of his time on earth: to be brought to unity with God; to know his love and grace.

When you pray today, do so knowing that you are following Jesus’ example.

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