part 9 of “The Last Night With Jesus”
In January, we did a series on prayer called “Talking To Jesus” [1]. In that series, we talked about the who, what, where, when, why, and how. We talked about the basic starting points of prayer. We looked at some of the prayers found in the Bible as well as the Lord’s Prayer. We also talked about how prayer is just talking to a friend and that there is no right or wrong way to pray [2]. In fact, I said in that series, that sometimes we can miss the true benefits of prayer if we get ourselves caught in what people say is the right and wrong way of prayer. When we pray, we are having a conversation with Jesus - no one else. So, therefore no one else - but Jesus - should tell us that we are praying right or wrong.
I say all of this because in this post we are looking at the prayer of Jesus found in John 17. I wanted to include this prayer in the “Talking To Jesus” series, but I knew that we would be looking at it here so I left it out.
Jesus often prayed. He prayed in the morning. He prayed in the evening. He prayed in the afternoon. He prayed in the late hours of the night. It is the late-night prayer that we are going to be looking at in this post. As I have said throughout this series, Jesus is in His final hours here. These final teachings are arguably the best Jesus did. Not that all the others were bad, but these are His final ones and Jesus knows it. He has taught about prayer and He has been seen praying. But there are good things we can see from this late-night prayer of Jesus. With this prayer of Jesus, we get to see the heart of Jesus [3].
This post is going to be a little different than normal. We are going to be looking at the prayer in John 17 in three sections. But instead of looking at each section as we have been in past installments of this series, in a paraphrase style format [4], we will read the entire section and then talk about it. This way we will read the entire prayer of Jesus. We will also be looking at this prayer in The Message translation of the Bible. Let’s look at the prayer together:
“Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said: Father, it’s time. Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human so he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, the very splendor I had in your presence before there was a world.” - John 17:1-5 MSG
JESUS PRAYS FOR HIMSELF
There are a few things in this opening paragraph of the prayer. First, we see Jesus assume a posture for His prayer [5]. In the series, “Talking To Jesus”, we discussed posture for prayer just a little bit. We said that Jesus just wants us to talk to Him. As you grow in prayer and talking to Jesus, your posture will change. So if you pray one time with your eyes open as you walk down the sidewalk that is just fine because you are talking to Jesus. If the next time you pray, you pray with your hands folded and eyes closed that is just fine too because you are talking to Jesus. All Jesus wants is for us to talk to Him and it doesn’t matter how, where, when, what, or why Jesus just wants to hear from us.
So, Jesus here was choosing a posture for His prayer to God the Father [5]. Jesus looked to Heaven during His prayer. This was a sign that Jesus was praying in a hopeful manner. Jesus praying in this way also shows that the prayer is one of faith, confidence, and victory. Jesus knew what was going to happen in the end. Jesus knew that victory was right around the corner [5].
Second, we see Jesus mention “it’s time.” Jesus is indicating here that the time has come for His purpose to be fulfilled. Jesus had come to live a life we couldn’t live. In living that life, Jesus was able to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the people [6]. Jesus knew that the time was coming close. Jesus knew all that was going to happen to Him (John 13:1).
Jesus, however, is not praying for Himself in the sense that we might think of it. Jesus was praying for His glory so that He could glorify the Father [7]. This is seen in the remaining verses of the first paragraph of this prayer. Jesus says “that they may know you the one and only true God.” This is the eternal life that God sent Jesus to give all of the people of Earth (John 3:16). All Jesus did on Earth was for the glory of God. Now the time had come for Jesus to do the final act for the glory of God [8]. The final act was to come - His death on the cross.
The prayer continues:
“I spelled out your character in detail to the men and women you gave me. They were yours in the first place; then you gave them to me, and they have now done what you said. They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that everything you gave me is firsthand from you, for the message you gave me, I gave them; and they took it, and were convinced that I came from you. They believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I’m not praying for the God-rejecting world but for those you gave me, for they are yours by right. Everything mine is yours, and yours mine, and my life is on display in them. For I’m no longer going to be visible in the world; they’ll continue in the world while I return to you. Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life that you conferred as a gift through me, so they can be one heart and mind as we are one heart and mind. As long as I was with them, I guarded them in the pursuit of the life you gave through me; I even posted a night watch. And not one of them got away, except for the rebel bent on destruction (the exception that proved the rule of Scripture). Now I’m returning to you. I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing so my people can experience My joy completed in them. I gave them your word; the godless world hated them because of it, because they didn’t join the world’s ways, just as I didn’t join the world’s ways. I’m not asking that you take them out of the world but that you guard them from the Evil One. They are no more defined by the world than I am defined by the world. Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world. I’m consecrating myself for their sakes so they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.” - John 17:6-19 MSG
JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES
Jesus has spent the last several hours teaching and encouraging His disciples did another great thing for them by committing them to God in prayer [9]. Jesus knew what the disciples were going to face after He left and He tried to prepare them for that time. Jesus asked God to protect and keep them from the Evil One. Jesus is praying that God protect His disciples just as He had done while on Earth. Jesus also references Judas as the one who got away but that Judas got away with under his own doing and to fulfill Scripture. Jesus is asking God to protect them because He knows that He has to leave them and He knows what they are going to face when He leaves. Jesus was also praying for strength for them as He knew what they were going to witness in the coming hours and it was going to cause them great sorrow (John 16:20) [10].
Jesus also prays that the disciples would be unified. Jesus prays that just as He is “one heart and mind” with the Father that His disciples would be “one heart and mind” as well. Jesus wanted them to stay connected to the source (John 15) so that they could do the greater works that Jesus has planned for them (John 14).
Jesus lastly prays for them as they start their mission that He has given them. Jesus knows that it won’t be easy for them and He wants them to succeed and have the strength to carry on the mission of the Kingdom.
The prayer continues:
“I’m praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they’ll be as unified and together as we are— I in them and you in me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you’ve sent me and loved them in the same way you’ve loved me. Father, I want those you gave me to be with me, right where I am, so they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me, having loved me long before there ever was a world. Righteous Father, the world has never known you, but I have known you, and these disciples know that you sent me on this mission. I have made your very being known to them— who you are and what you do— and continue to make it known, so that your love for me might be in them exactly as I am in them.” - John 17:20-26 MSG
JESUS PRAYS FOR US (ALL BELIEVERS)
This is the third part of Jesus’ prayer. Jesus opens this section of the prayer by saying that He also prays for those who will believe in Him because of the work of the disciples. Jesus prays the same for all of us that He did for His disciples. He prays for unity. He prays that we would be one as He is one with God because Jesus is in us and He is in the Father. Jesus prays that our actions will show the world, Jesus, because of how we love and care for each other (John 13:34-35). Jesus prays to God for us so that we might be where He is (John 14:1-4) so we can see Him in all His glory and splendor. Jesus closes the prayer by praying that the love Jesus has for us is the same that God has for Jesus. Jesus prays for us to continually show love as He has shown us, love.
As this post and series come to a close, I wanted to look at one more thing. This night that we have been looking at over the last several weeks is also recorded in the other Gospels. One reason I say this is because it is believed that John expounded on the night’s events in his Gospel. The other is the prayer section of the night ends in a different way which sets up the events of the next few hours.
When we read about the time of prayer in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we see that Jesus has asked the disciples to keep watch while He goes and prays. But the disciples could not stay awake. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus asks His disciples why they are asleep and then to go and pray so that they don’t fall into temptation (Luke 22:46). But it is Matthew and Mark’s gospel that set up what is to come. In Matthew and Mark, we see Jesus wake up the disciples three different times. The final time Jesus tells His disciples:
“When he returned to them the third time, he said, ‘Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!’” - Matthew 26:45-46 and Mark 14:41-42 NLT
I referenced both Matthew and Mark in the passage above because they are almost exact. But the phrase I want to look at is “look my betrayer is here.” Judas knew exactly where Jesus was going to be as he had gone there many times with Jesus (John 18:2). So, we see in this little phrase that Jesus could see Judas coming and He knew that His time with the disciples had come to an end. Jesus knew exactly what was coming.
The next few moments here in the Garden of Gethsemane and the hours to come were going to be shocking to the disciples and the rest of the people that followed Jesus.
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[1] You can check that series out here - in either the blog form or the podcast form. https://www.thepointoffocus.com
[2] “Talking to Jesus” - Elevation Worship
[3] “Genuine prayer often reveals a person’s innermost being. John 17 is an unique opportunity to see the nature and heart of Jesus.” - Enduring Word - https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-17/amp/
[4] Where some of the verses are posted and other verses are summarized.
[5] “This indicates the physical posture of Jesus as He prayed. This is a posture that we don’t usually associate with deep prayer. In the prayer customs of the western world, we often bow our head and close our eyes. Jesus prayed with the customs of prayer common in His own day (John 11:41, Mark 7:34, Psalm 123:1). The words lifted up His eyes to heaven also indicate that Jesus looked up in a hopeful sense and was not gloomy or downcast in this prayer. This is actually a prayer of faith and confidence, even victory – all the while acknowledging the reality of the conflict. ‘We so often understand this prayer as though it were rather gloomy. It is not. It is uttered by One who has just affirmed that He has overcome the world (John 16:33), and it starts from this conviction.’ (Morris)” - Enduring Word - https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-17/amp/
[6] Matthew 1:21, Philippians 2:6-8, Hebrews 4:15
[7] “After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.” - John 17:1 NLT
[8] Jesus prayed first for Himself, but His petition was not selfish. His concern for Himself was actually a concern for the glory of the Father. The Son can only glorify the Father if the Father first answers the prayer of the Son, “Glorify Your Son.”
[9] Having taught and encouraged the disciples as much as He could on the eve of their despair, Jesus now did the great thing: He committed them to the Father in prayer. - Enduring Word - https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-17/amp/
[10] Jesus prayed this entire prayer with His soon departure in mind. He realized that He would no longer remain in the world, but His disciples would. They therefore needed special prayer.
· They needed prayer because the unique three years of discipleship during His earthly ministry would be over.
· They needed prayer because of the circumstances surrounding the departure of Jesus; His betrayal, arrest, trial, beatings, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
· They needed prayer because Jesus would not be there in His bodily presence to help them.
· They needed prayer because of the necessary role of the Holy Spirit; both for the sending of the Spirit and their constant reliance upon Him.
Enduring Word - https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-17/amp/
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