It has often
been said that to pray the will of God in any situation is to guarantee an
answer to the prayer. If such logic is applied to Jesus’ so-called priestly
prayer of John 17:1-26, then it
stands to reason that it would be the Father’s will to answer such a prayer in
the affirmative.
Our focus
for this discussion will be on Jesus’ petitions regarding His disciples and
those who were to follow, i.e. the Church, His Body (17:20).
Vss. 1-5 – Jesus prays for Himself.
Vss. 6-19 – He prays for His disciples
but, in effect, for us as well.
Vss. 20-26 – He prays for the future
believers and our presence with Him.
Central to
this discussion is Jesus’ remarks in verses
2&3:
Eternal life has come to us through Jesus Christ.
Jesus defines eternal life as – That we may know the Father and
the Son.
Key to
appreciating Jesus’ point here is to understand the word ‘know’.
Koine Greek - ‘ginōskō’
= To know by experience as opposed to by intuition.
The
‘knowing’ to which Jesus refers is one that is both based and reliant upon
relationship. Relationship is dependent upon face-to-face experience of one
another. So, the experience which Jesus has afforded us is not theoretical,
ethereal or dependent upon ceremony.
Vs. 6 – Jesus announcement of the disciples
‘achievement’ sets a standard for all who were to follow: “They have kept your
word.”
In verse 8 Jesus gives expression to the
Divine logic behind our adoption: He relayed the Word of God from the Father
which the disciples (and us) received.
Received – K.Gr. ‘lambanō’
= The disciples received that which was taught by Christ. That message
convinced them that Jesus was sent by the Father. Therefore, to be a disciple
one must be convinced of the incarnation (Philippians
2:5-11). So, the divine relationship with Christ is rooted in the
supernatural.
In verse 9 Jesus makes it clear that what
He is about to ask of His Father is for the disciples (i.e. the Church). What
is it that Jesus’ is asking the Father on our behalf? The answer is two-fold
and found in verse 11: As we are in
this world, Jesus asks the Father to keep us.
Keep – K.Gr. ‘tērěō’ =
To guard from loss or injury. To keep any eye upon. To maintain as opposed to
leaving (Romans 8:26-39).
In keeping
us, Jesus calls upon the Father that we might be in unity (be one) even as the
Father and Son are one.
One – K.Gr. ‘hěis’ = One
numerically as opposed to being one in essence (‘hen’) (John 10:30).
In other words,
we cannot be the same as God is essence, but Jesus prays that we might be in
such a unity with one another that we would appear as one person (i.e. on Body)
(vs. 26). In understanding this we
can come to appreciate Paul’s alarm with the divisions in the Corinthian
congregations (I Corinthians 3: 1-9).
Jesus
continues His petition for His disciples, in verse 13, by seeking that His joy be made full in those who have
received Him.
Joy – K.Gr. ‘chara’ =
Cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight. Gladness of heart.
Jesus’ joy
was directly connected to His oneness with His Father (hěis). So, His joy in us is made complete by our oneness with Him
and with each other.
Vs. 14 – The position of the disciples of Christ in
this age is one of being hated. This hatred springs from the fact that the
church has elected not to be a part of this present age in its pursuits and
beliefs.
Hated – K.Gr. ‘misěō’ =
To detest, especially to persecute. Malicious and unjustifiable feelings toward
others.
World – K.Gr. ‘kŏsmŏs’ =
Orderly arrangement, by implication the world upon which we dwell and its
inhabitants.
Here Jesus
is not speaking of the world system under satan, but the planet upon which we
live as not being our home or our source (cf.
vs. 16). As such, we are merely pilgrims
passing through this solely natural broken world on our way to that for which
we were created – the new heavens and the new earth (II Peter 3:10-13). It is for this reason that Jesus implores His
followers not to build up natural wealth while neglecting that which will be of
worth in that which is still to come (Matthew
6:19-21).
Jesus plea
to His Father was that we would not be removed from this world (vs. 15), wherein we are salt and light
(Matthew 5:13-16), but He would keep
us out of the power of the evil one (cf.
Matthew 6:13).
Jesus, being
the Truth, called up the Father to sanctify the disciples in truth (vs. 17). Herein Jesus is petitioning for the
separation of His disciples unto the Kingdom of God; the means of that
separation is the Word of God.
In verse 18 Jesus likens the so-called
Great Commission (Matthew 28:19&20)
to His being sent into the world (Luke
4:18&19; Philippians 2:5-11).
Vss. 20&21 – Jesus
makes it clear that His petition is also on behalf of those who would succeed
the disciples through the centuries still to come, i.e. that includes us.
Jesus’ heart
was, and remains, for unity. It is His desire for His Body, the Church, to be
one in the same manner that He and His Father are one. Not only one in terms of
unity but that we would be in them, the Father and the Son even as they are in
one another. Apparently, it is this alone which will convince those who are
open to such, that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God.
In verse 21 the word “believe’ is in the
continuous present tense, thus it should be understood as, “continually
believe”. Therefore, the ongoing testimony of the Church is to be one of unity
(vss. 22&23).
Verse 24 is very exciting in that Jesus, like
us, yearns for our presence with Him in the heavens and new earth. In this
‘dispensation’ we seek His presence. At the same time He looks forward to ours
with Him.
