Well, in John 17, we are offered something amazing. We get to eavesdrop on the prayer of Jesus to his Father on behalf of his disciples and those who follow. It's just amazing, this moment between Jesus and God the Father, before he faces the cross, we're invited into, and that's an incredible opportunity for us. This is John 17:1, 15, 22.
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you."
"...I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth."
"...The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."
It's been the theme that I've repeated the last several Bible studies that we just get a window in these chapters into the tenderhearted love of Jesus for his disciples and for those of us who have followed as a result of their work. There are three requests that just jump off the page in this prayer of Jesus. First, he prays that the Father would glorify him. It seems that Jesus is facing things that are anything but glorious-injustice, torture, betrayal, public shame, and a criminal's public execution. But what looks inglorious is actually the way Jesus is glorified. This is the glory of the sacrificial lamb that has been promised. This is the lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. And through that glory of the cross, God receives glory because this was his promised plan. The cross is not a defeat; the cross is a triumph!
Second thing He prays for is the protection of his followers. The words here are important. Jesus does not ask for a monastic form of protection where his followers are cut off from the world. No! His plan is for his disciples, and the believers who would follow, to be in constant contact with the world, carrying forward His redemptive mission. He says, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but you keep them from the evil one." The protection is not monastic; it's not the secret order of the saints. We are meant to be in contact with the world, being the salt and light that he taught us about in his teaching ministry. Biblical faith and obedience are meant to be lived in view of the unbelieving and watching world. So, his prayer is not that they would be protected from the world, but protected from the evil one. And that as they are protected, they will grow in the knowledge of, and living in light of, His word.
Third thing he prays for is the unity of his followers. Now you have to know that the words here are mind-blowing. He prays that his disciples and the church that follows would have a unity that is as perfect as the unity of the members of the Trinity. Now, like that's going to happen. Think about it. All you need for conflict is to have more than one person in the room. We are skilled at conflict. So, this is the kind of unity that only ever is a miracle of the power of transforming grace. And this unity has an evangelistic and an apologetic purpose-it's meant to be a witness to the person and work of Jesus. Our unity is meant to testify to him. Again, in this prayer, you see the heart of the Savior. May we be encouraged!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. As you read about the stories of Peter and Judas in the late chapters of John, what is it about their actions and motivations that help you to understand the call God makes for you to examine your own heart? Do you find that there are any similar actions or motivations within your own life that potentially mirror Judas and Peter's?
2. In what ways do you minimize your disloyalty, and the presence and power of sin in your life? What are some specific ways that you find yourself loving the world more than you love Jesus? How can the lives of Judas and Peter act as a warning for you today?
3. Would you say that you're aware of the ongoing war for your heart and soul? In what ways are you minimizing the sin in your life? How are you currently dismissing the coldness of your heart today? Would you say that your sin or callousness scares you, or are you simply used to it now? How has your minimization of sin affected your ability to value, seek, and celebrate the grace that rescues and delivers you from it?
4. Can you think of any examples from your life or others around you that have been evidence for the fact that God takes evil and uses it for good? List a few that come to mind. How do those examples bring you encouragement that grace will win?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why do you think Peter and Judas were disloyal to Jesus near the end of his life? How was Peter's sin different from the sin that Judas committed?
• Why might it be possible for you and I to be disloyal to Jesus too? How does it make you feel that we are capable of the same sins we read about in the Bible? How can that feeling act as a good warning to you and me?
• Why won't evil and sin win in the end?
For Older Children:
• Why do you think it's easy for us to look at the choices Peter and Judas make near the end of Jesus' life and dismiss those actions as something we'd never do? Are you capable of the disloyalty Peter or Judas committed? Does that scare you, warn you, or both?
• What specific steps can you take in your life right now to guard your heart and life against self-protecting disloyalty or dark disloyal hatred toward Jesus?
• How have you seen God use the horrible evil of this world and transform it into something good? Can you share some examples with me? Can I share some examples with you?
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