In a recent study of Jesus’ prayer in John 17, I was reminded
of what my focus really ought to be in praying for myself and for other believers
as I was pondering several key themes found in Jesus’ prayer for
believers. It is helpful to think
through His desire for us as revealed in these verses.
First, Jesus prayed
for spiritual protection for believers (verses 11-16). He knew what a hostile world they were living
in and what dangers they would face as His followers. His physical presence and protection was
being taken from them, and He knew they would struggle with that. Yet He had already promised He would ask the
Father to send them the Holy Spirit (14:16-18), whose indwelling presence would
be even better than the physical presence of Jesus with them (16:7).
One of the primary ways that the Holy Spirit would help them
in their fight against the forces of evil would be by bringing to their mind
God’s words which Jesus had taught them (14:26; 17:14). Armed with the Word of God and the Spirit of
God, believers are thus equipped for battle.
Because we belong to Christ and not to this world, we can be certain
that God will protect His own (17:14-16), but it is critical that we recognize
the dangers that we face and use the resources that He has provided for us!
Next, Jesus prayed
for sanctification for believers (verses 17-19). Jesus Himself was sanctified (set apart to do
His Father’s will) in order that believers might be sanctified (set apart to
God) through Him Who is the Truth (John 14:6).
It is God’s Word that He uses to draw us to Jesus, and once we have been
set apart to God by our faith in and union with Christ, God continues to
sanctify us (make us like Christ) through His Word (verse 17). The need for the Word of God to be central and
active in our lives thus becomes obvious.
It is interesting to note that immediately following His
prayer for sanctification, Jesus focuses
on the unity of believers (verses 20-23), though He had already mentioned
this previously (verse 11). Our unity
should reflect the unity of the Father and the Son, who are one in character
and nature. Jesus is not referring here to
organizational, ecumenical unity across denominations, but rather the unity of
believers in the character and nature of the Father and the Son. When believers are growing in sanctification
and Christlikeness, they will naturally become unified with one another. On the other hand, believers who are not
growing more like Christ will likewise not be unified with other believers in
character and purpose.
Twice within these same verses, Jesus states that our unity
as believers will lead to the world believing Who Jesus claims to be (21,
23). He had already stated (verse 18)
that He was sending His followers into the world, and this is why we have been
left in this world – to bear witness to Him.
Yet our effectiveness as witnesses for Christ will be directly impacted
by the unity of character and purpose that unbelievers perceive among us as His
followers! Personal sanctification,
therefore, leads to greater unity among believers, which in turn results in a
more powerful witness for Christ in the world.
And what is the overarching purpose of all of this? Back in verse 1, at the very beginning of
Jesus’ prayer, His focus is on glorifying the Father. The glorification of the Father has always
been Jesus’ purpose. He came to reveal
the Father and make His name known. In
verse 24, Jesus wraps up His prayer by bringing it all back to this end once
more. His desire is for those who have
been saved to be with Him to see His glory.
When Jesus is glorified, the Father is glorified! The ultimate purpose, therefore, of our
salvation, protection, sanctification, unity, and witness in the world is that
God’s name and glory might be made known and worshiped for eternity! Wow!
There is much more in this prayer of Jesus in John 17, and most
likely I will write on this passage more in a later post. For now, though, some questions to consider
in closing: Are my prayers first and
foremost centered on God’s glory? Am I
praying for believers to be spiritually protected, sanctified, unified, and
effective in their witness for Christ?
Am I making the Word of God central in my life, so that by it I might
grow in Christlikeness and thereby be more unified with other believers and
bear witness to the truth of Jesus? Do I
desire God’s glory more than anything else and long to make His name known to
others?
“This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and
the One You have sent – Jesus Christ. I
have glorified You on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.” John 17:3-4
