Primary Texts: John 17:1-26
Memory Verses: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.” John 17:6-8
Introduction:
The great prayer of Jesus Christ, recorded in John 17, contained three major parts: (1) He prayed for Himself on the threshold of His arrest and condemnation to the excruciating death of the crucifixion; (2) He prayed for the disciples that He had called and appointed, men who had shared in His agonies and triumphs, and who had been the initial recipients of the kingdom teaching that would form the foundation for developing His church; and (3) looking down through the scope of time, Christ prayed for the disciples of future generations. It shouldn’t surprise us that in the final time that our Lord had to Himself, he gave Himself to prayer. While His words carried a stately eloquence and are rich with profound meaning, it was an intense prayer that gushed with power packed emotion.
With His heart turned entirely toward bringing glory to the Father, Jesus asks His Father to endow Him with the transcendence of the Father’s own powerful presence. It was Christ’s desire to excel so faithfully in His sufferings and death that everything that transpired would bring nothing but glory to His Father. Consider this selflessness! Is it not this same passion and devotion that we need to impact our world with the message of the gospel?
For His immediate disciples with whom He had walked so many dusty miles to preach the coming kingdom, Jesus prays (1) that they will be preserved in the character of God-like holiness and separation from the world, and (2) that they will live constantly in the spiritual unity of the brotherhood of faith.
For believers throughout the course of time, Jesus prayed we would be one in spirit and purpose. The theme of divine unity is emphasized repeatedly, as the Lord even reveals that the honor and love we extend to one another speaks the greatest message to the world that Christ is true, and that we are His.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- What was the primary aspect of Jesus’ prayer in John 17? John 17:1-5
- What was the precious gift which Jesus reveals in His prayer was given freely to His disciples? John 17:6-8
- Why was the unity of His disciples so important to the Lord? John 17:9-11
- How well had Jesus’ followers done while He was present with them? John 17:12
- Why are the elements of divine joy and the Word of truth so vital to believers? John 17:13-14
- What petition for protection did Jesus request from His Father? John 17:15
- How critical was it to Jesus that His disciples would live “set apart” from the ways of the world? John 17:16-19
- For whom besides the disciples that were with Him did Jesus pray? John 17:20
- Why was it so vital that Jesus’ believers be divinely united? John 17:21-23
- What is Jesus’ desire for His disciples in the eternal Kingdom of God? John 17:24
- In the end of this prayer, how did Jesus balance the aspects of truth and love (mind and heart)? John 17:25-26