March 11, 2002

LifeWay Family Bible Series for March 24

Jesus' prayer for his disciples is to know God
___ John 17:1-26
___By Barbara Kent
___University Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___If you were in a situation such as the one Jesus was in when he offered this prayer, what would your prayer be? Jesus' prayer just days before his death is the focus of our study. If you have ever doubted that you were loved and valued, this prayer should put to rest those doubts and fears. Read it, study it and tuck it away in your heart. It is an unsurpas sed gift of love.
___The time has come
___Jesus' relationship with the Father is never more evident than in the beginning words of his prayer. Reading the words of John 17:1-5 is like eavesdropping on the most intimate conversation between a son and his father. Jesus knew as he approached his death the Father was with him.
___He knew, too, that he had accomplished what he was sent to do. In everything Jesus said and did shines the assurance that he and the Father were one. In perfect confidence he could ask the Father to glorify the Son in order that the Son might glorify the Father (v. 1). Without any hint of inappropriateness, Jesus states the Father had given him authority over all people in order that he might give them eternal life (v. 2).
___The simple statement in verse 3 that eternal life is to know the only true God, the Father and Jesus Christ whom he had sent is one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture. This knowing goes beyond simply accepting facts about Jesus. It transcends intellectual knowledge and encompasses a personal relationship with the Lord. The staggering, mind-boggling truth that you and I can have such a relationship with the one true God and his Son, Jesus Christ, should cause us to break forth into praise and to fall on our faces in abject humility.
___In his prayer, Jesus said simply: "The time has come. I have completed the work you gave me to do."
___For my disciples, I ask
___On the basis of his unique relationship with the Father, Jesus prayed for his disciples (v. 10). He said the Father had given them to him, and they had been obedient to his word (v. 6). He proclaimed with assurance that his disciples knew the relationship between himself and the Father, that what he had taught them was from the one true God and that he had been sent by the Father (vv. 7-8). It was out of this context that Jesus prayed for the disciples.
___Can you feel the sense of urgency in Jesus' prayer? Before the prayer ended, he would pray for the world, but here he spoke of the great need the disciples would have for the Father's protection and care--the same things Jesus had provided them while here on earth. They must be unified with the Father, the Son and each other if they were to be able to continue the work Jesus had called them to do. Jesus no longer would be in the world, but in perfect confidence, he asked the Father to protect and keep them safe (vv. 11-12).
___Jesus knew what lay ahead for the disciples--that they would be hated, attacked and likely would suffer the same fate as he. He knew he was leaving them in a hostile world.
___Rather than asking the Father to take them out of that environment, he asked the Father to protect them from the evil one (v. 15). He asked the Father to "sanctify" them (v. 17). This implied the Father would dedicate, consecrate and equip them for the work Jesus had called them to do.
___The Father had sent Jesus. Jesus had sent the disciples. He asked for them what the Father had given him.
___For all believers, I ask
___Jesus prayed for you and for me and for all who would believe in him because of the faithfulness of the disciples in proclaiming the truth about Jesus Christ. He asked for many of the same things he asked for the disciples--unity to become one with each other even as Jesus and the Father are one (v. 21) and ultimately to share the glory of heaven with him (v. 24).
___The agonies of love and destiny which Jesus endured as he faced death on the cross are never more evident than in the last two verses of John 17. Jesus petitioned his Father to confirm in those who would believe in him the truth of all he had taught the disciples--that he came from the Father, that the love with which the Father loved the Son might also be in them.
___In light of Jesus' prayer, how can we not share what we know of Jesus the Christ? How can we ever feel bereft or alone when we have the assurance of Jesus' continuing presence with us?
___Questions for discussion
___ If you knew that you would die in a few days, who would you pray for and what would you ask for them?
___ Jesus accomplished his purpose here on Earth. How clear a picture of your purpose do you have, and are you working toward acheiving it?
___ Jesus prayed great and mighty things for us. Does this thought energize your efforts to grow the kingdom of God?

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