The Word This Week
John 17:1…
Having concluded His final instructions to His disciples, Jesus turns to His Father in prayer.
This prayer of Jesus is the true Lord’s Prayer, because it is the Lord praying. (What we commonly refer to as ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ (Matthew 6:10-13,) is actually His disciples’ prayer – which Jesus taught them when they noticed Jesus praying and asked Him to teach them to pray.)
In Jesus’ prayer to His Father, (which John, by the Holy Spirit, has recorded for us,) Jesus prayed for Himself – knowing all He was about to experience, and He prayed for His disciples – knowing all they were about to experience, and then He prayed for us – (those who would become His disciples.)
Sometimes people think it selfish to pray for themselves, but Jesus dispels that notion here. He prays for Himself first, understanding His desire to glorify His Father through all He was about to go through in human flesh. He would subject Himself to all the pain and agony and suffering the world would dish out upon Himself in the morning hours that lay before Him. Worst of all, Jesus knew, as the sin of the whole world was placed upon Himself, there would be a necessary separation from His Father in heaven as He was made sin.
Jesus’ sacrifice would be the culmination of the all the sacrificial offerings of bulls and goats typified in the Old Testament Law. Jesus would allow Himself to be offered a willing sacrifice for the sin of all mankind, past, present, and future. It would be a terrible day. But above all, it would be a day in which His Father would be glorified, as His loving plan for all mankind would finally be revealed. (Even if the sinners looking on did not immediately recognize what was happening – they would see His glory soon enough.)
And Jesus knew all His disciples were about to experience would be as terrifying to them emotionally as everything Jesus was about to experience physically. He knew He had successfully given them The Father’s Word, and that His doctrine could and would sustain them to the end. Of those The Father had given Him He had lost none except Judas, and this we read here was according to scripture.
The final ones Jesus prays for are those of us gathered here today. If you’ve ever wondered what Jesus prays at the right hand of The Father, constantly making intercession for each one of us, we have it here.
How wonderful to realize the Father will always answer the prayers of The Son, because His prayers are Divine.
Pastor Bill
Having concluded His final instructions to His disciples, Jesus turns to His Father in prayer.
This prayer of Jesus is the true Lord’s Prayer, because it is the Lord praying. (What we commonly refer to as ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ (Matthew 6:10-13,) is actually His disciples’ prayer – which Jesus taught them when they noticed Jesus praying and asked Him to teach them to pray.)
In Jesus’ prayer to His Father, (which John, by the Holy Spirit, has recorded for us,) Jesus prayed for Himself – knowing all He was about to experience, and He prayed for His disciples – knowing all they were about to experience, and then He prayed for us – (those who would become His disciples.)
Sometimes people think it selfish to pray for themselves, but Jesus dispels that notion here. He prays for Himself first, understanding His desire to glorify His Father through all He was about to go through in human flesh. He would subject Himself to all the pain and agony and suffering the world would dish out upon Himself in the morning hours that lay before Him. Worst of all, Jesus knew, as the sin of the whole world was placed upon Himself, there would be a necessary separation from His Father in heaven as He was made sin.
Jesus’ sacrifice would be the culmination of the all the sacrificial offerings of bulls and goats typified in the Old Testament Law. Jesus would allow Himself to be offered a willing sacrifice for the sin of all mankind, past, present, and future. It would be a terrible day. But above all, it would be a day in which His Father would be glorified, as His loving plan for all mankind would finally be revealed. (Even if the sinners looking on did not immediately recognize what was happening – they would see His glory soon enough.)
And Jesus knew all His disciples were about to experience would be as terrifying to them emotionally as everything Jesus was about to experience physically. He knew He had successfully given them The Father’s Word, and that His doctrine could and would sustain them to the end. Of those The Father had given Him He had lost none except Judas, and this we read here was according to scripture.
The final ones Jesus prays for are those of us gathered here today. If you’ve ever wondered what Jesus prays at the right hand of The Father, constantly making intercession for each one of us, we have it here.
How wonderful to realize the Father will always answer the prayers of The Son, because His prayers are Divine.
Pastor Bill