How Jesus Prays for You
Once again we stand almost midweek in Holy Week, bracketed by Palm Sunday and Easter.
Each day of that week was packed with memorable events, and like a river picking up speed toward a set of falls, the pace quickened with each passing day. As we read it now, the outcome, like a person caught in that river, moved toward an unavoidable conclusion.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday often finds Jesus in the Temple area, teaching with power, confidence, defiance, and conviction. There is no missing the point of his parables, that being the condemnation of the religious authorities, their hypocrisy and many injustices that went on around them and most all people of faith. After three years of ministry, Jesus had a clear view of what ailed his people, and it began at the very top.
By Spy Wednesday, when Judas betrayed Jesus for a small bag of money, the crowds were still behind Jesus. But the leaders, who had repeatedly been taken to the woodshed, stood by, furious and looking for an opening to arrest this trouble-making itinerant rabbi. Plans and plots were hatched and set in motion. Traditions, positions of power, order and stability must be maintained, and if one needed to die, so be it.
At Thursday’s Passover Seder in the Upper Room, John records the most intimate time of “final instructions and encouragements” his close followers had with Jesus. He condenses much of his teaching (the new commandment), demonstrates servant-leadership (washing feet), teaches of the nature of belief and intimacy with God (vine and branches), hinting of hard times to come, the presence and work of the Spirit going forward, and assures them their sadness will turn to joy in due time.
After this, in John 17, Jesus prays. Take a bit of time and read his words, slowly, and imagine Jesus’ voice in that borrowed room.
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. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you.
“Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.
“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.They do not belong to this world any more than I do.
“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
The several times we read in the gospels of Jesus walking off by himself to spend time with the Father, we don’t hear his words, but here we do. On the threshold of the passion, he prays for himself, for his followers, and for all who will believe down to today.
I think we can lump ourselves into his prayers for the apprentices in that room that night. Here’s how it breaks down how Jesus prays for those young men and for all who believe.
Jesus prays for protection.
“protect them by the power of your name”
The very name of God carries power and Jesus asks for that name to be the hedge of protection between his people and the evil one seeking to destroy all that is good. Think about that as the cold fog of worry creeps close to your door. The God of the universe is protecting you, not from all harm, but from that which will crush all hope a person. What has been given can never be taken away.
Jesus prays that God’s work in each one will continue and mature to the end.
“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”
To be made holy is the process of faith-in-life sharpening as we become more like Jesus in thought and action. Holy things are set apart, distinct, worthy. Over and over, believers are called to live out their faith more maturely with each life chapter. This is his prayer for you that you refine your life, and he asks the Father to insure its outcome.
Jesus prays for joyful unity
“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you.”
Earlier he asks that joy be a present reality for believers as they pursue unity. Notice he doesn’t say uniformity. The rest of the Bible has the theme of believer unity coming to the front, because we so easily compare and compete and criticize and condemn. Jesus prays for us to joyfully stand as one, just like God stands as one, in three persons.
So…
Let the idea that Jesus, God himself, the creator and sustainer of all we see, sees you and has prayed for you.
That you would be protected from the evil one, even as we live in a world that is bent by evil. No one can snatch you out of his hand. You are ultimately protected.
That you would and will be made holy, living a life that reflects Jesus right where you live. The process of refining the Spirit does in each one is distinct and beautiful. You follow and let others follow in their own way.
That you would live in joyful unity, especially in times like ours when dis-unity is so common and appears attractive. Majoring on the majors is key while letting lesser things go. That calls for turning a deaf ear to the radio screamers, any social media mockers, and online preachers who love to tear down others who might do faith a bit differently.
On the front end of what would be the most incredibly hard weekend, Jesus continues to minister to his own…and to you. So, never forget:
The King of kings is your strong tower, refuge, defender. You can rest.
He is committed to complete your growth in faith. You do your part.
Our goal with community is to walk together, graciously. We can get over ourselves.
Happy Easter. He is risen, indeed!
Easter music is always good
Jokes R Guud
Fellow shows up at the local dry cleaners, looking somewhat sheepish.
"I'm really sorry to bother you with this," he says, "but I was cleaning out my closet, and I found this old ticket for a suit I brought in to be cleaned five years ago! It must have fallen out of my pocket, and it has been sitting in the back of my closet gathering dust since then! Would you by any chance still have the suit?"
The dry cleaner looks at the ticket and says he will go to the back of the shop to look. Fellow hears the dry cleaner rummaging around in the back for about twenty minutes. Finally, the dry cleaner emerges, covered in dust, but with a triumphant smile on his face.
"You won't believe it," says the dry cleaner, "but I have good news for you!"
"Oh my goodness!" says the fellow. "You mean you actually found it?"
"Yep!" said the dry cleaner proudly: "It'll be ready next Tuesday."
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ACTUAL QUESTIONS ASKED AT LIBRARIES
~ "Do you have books here?"
~ "Do you have a list of all the books written in the English language?"
~ "Do you have a list of all the books I've ever read?"
~ "Where is the reference desk?" (This was asked of a person sitting at a desk who had, hanging above her head, a sign saying "REFERENCE DESK")
~ "I was here about three weeks ago looking at a cookbook that cost $39.95. Do you know which one it is?"
~ "Which outlets in the library are appropriate for my hair dryer?"
~ "Can you tell me why so many famous Civil War battles were fought on National Park sites?"
~ "Do you have any books with photographs of dinosaurs?"
~ "I need a color photograph of Socrates."
~ "I need to find out Ibid's first name for my bibliography."
~ "Why don't you have any books by Ibid? He's written a lot of important stuff."
~ "I am looking for a list of laws that I can break that would send me back to jail for only a couple of months."