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Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer (II)

(Shepherd’s prayer for his disciples)

John 17:6-18;

Key Verse 17:9a

 JESUS' HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER (II)

The Shepherd's Prayer for His Disciples

John 17:6-19

Key Verse 17:9a

“I pray for them.  I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” 

Many people wonder and ask, "After I finish my life here on earth, what should I leave behind?" My father once suggested, "A tiger leaves behind his skin, but a man must leave behind a good name." What about you? When your life's journey is done, what will you leave behind? In Jesus’ case, he left behind more than a good name: he left his disciples. In the passage, Jesus was aware that his last moment was fast approaching. So he used the last few moments of his life here on earth to offer prayer to God. In his prayer, as we studied last week, he first prayed for himself. Then in today’s passage, Jesus prayed for his disciples. Let us think about Jesus' prayer for them in two parts. Part I, Jesus’ work for his disciples thus far (6a-8) and, Part II, Jesus’ prayer for them (9-19).

I. What did Jesus do for his disciples? (6a-8)

First, Jesus revealed God the Father to them. (6a) 

Look at v. 6a. "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world." This passage teaches us the purpose Jesus had in working on his disciples. What was the purpose? It was to reveal God the Father to them. To the carnal mind, this revelation sounds of no value. I know of one son who felt sorry that his father lived so poorly that he had to support himself through college. Upon graduation from college, he further complained because he graduated with a huge debt. On many occasions, he reminded his father of the many classmates he had whose parents left them with a lot of money. I also know of a wife who, every once in a while, would remind her husband of how her parents were generous to their children in giving them money, material possessions, etc. Each time I heard her talking like this, I felt burdened, for my parents were not as generous as hers were. I know of another son whose father passed away a month ago. And what did his father leave behind? He left behind a house, a restaurant business, and some life insurance. But sadly his father had divorced his mother long before his death. Since his children had left home, he lived alone in his house with his dog. Then at a local bar, he met a woman. Soon she moved into his house. Eventually he died of cancer. His children attended his funeral service. After the funeral service, they were wondering what their father might have left for them in his will. What did he leave them? Nothing, because the woman who had lived with him swallowed up all that he owned. The children got upset and hired an attorney. Now a civil litigation against the woman is in process. 

In the case of Jesus, he never married. But still he left many children, that is, spiritual ones – the eleven disciples – behind. If Jesus wanted, he could have left around $11 million dollars, one million for each disciple, so that each of them could buy a house and a small business. But Jesus did not leave behind anything like this. 

What then did Jesus leave behind for them? What assets did Jesus leave? What did the disciples inherit from Jesus? Look at v. 6a again. "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world." “I have revealed YOU to them [emphasis mine]!” Here YOU refers to God the Father. The word "revealed" tells us that the spiritual heritage Jesus left for the disciples was stored "inside" of the disciples. The eleven disciples secured the spiritual assets (called "the revelation of God") inside of them. 

This coming October 9th will be Dr. Samuel Lee’s first birthday since his departure to be with the Lord. In order to commemorate his spiritual heritage, on Friday, October 10th, 2003, Mother Barry plans to hold a special worship service at Chicago UBF where they would like to have a "Dr. Samuel Lee's Spiritual Heritage Symposium." Let us notice that this symposium is called a "'spiritual heritage symposium." It is not a physical one. They would like to talk about some spiritual lessons Dr. Lee has left for us. 

In v. 6a, Jesus describes the "spiritual" heritage he left behind by saying, "I have revealed you to them." This "revelation" is the greatest possible asset anyone could possibly expect to receive from God. Value-wise, the "revelation" Jesus left behind for them is far greater than all that is valuable in this universe: the sun, the moon, the stars, and, here on earth, things like kingdoms, nations, real estate properties like Beverly Hills mansions, or businesses like Bill Gates Microsoft Inc., and certainly all the cash in all the banks of the whole world. And this revelation is more valuable than all of these valuable things combined. We can easily understand this concept when we think about who God really is, that is, he is the Creator who caused all things to come into being! 

"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world." Figuratively speaking, Jesus giving this revelation to his disciples is like a man giving his son a checkbook linked up to a bank account where there is an unlimited amount of money. Thus, since Jesus' departure, he left his disciples as the richest people of all generations. 

Why then did Jesus reveal God to them? The answer is obvious: he did this so that they would have eternal life, and likewise share it with the rest of the people. Indeed history proves that, as they preached the gospel, spreading it to all nations, the knowledge of God, the gospel light, jumped from one continent to another. And each time the gospel light went into a nation and continent, millions of people who received the gospel light came to enjoy a wealthier life, both physically and spiritually. Now, summer is almost over and autumn already here. And most college campuses are open. Thus, in this new semester, let us pray to invite students, and serve them God's word, like Genesis or John's Bible studies, so that they would know God in person, become truly rich, and live as joyful, powerful disciples of Jesus. 

Second, Jesus helped them to obey God’s word. (6b-8)

Look at vs. 6b-8. "They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me." 

This passage shows us the way Jesus saw his disciples (6b), the way Jesus served them (8), and the results of Jesus' service (6c-8). How did Jesus see them? He saw them as God's possessions (children). In many ways they were earthbound and unruly. They were full of character flaws and sin problems. Yet, Jesus treated them as God's. The important thing for us to remember is that Jesus did not treat them as his own. Of course they were his sheep. But before their being his own, Jesus recognized that they were God's sheep. "They were yours!" Knowing that they belonged to God, Jesus served them with reverent fear, with a deep sense of respect for them, and he served them with a sense of responsibility. 

How did Jesus serve them? He served them by teaching them God's words, not his own ideas or opinions. To what degree did he teach them? Two words stand out: accept and obey. Jesus helped them until they "accepted" God's words and then "obeyed" God's words. To understand God's words is one thing, to accept them is another, and to obey them is still another. "I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them." "They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word." Helping a Bible student to obey God's word is not as easy as it seems. It was not easy for Jesus either. Although Jesus is the Son of God, he had to exert himself fully just as a baby-sitter watching a baby 24/7. Practically speaking, in order to help them accept God's word and obey it, Jesus called them to himself. He put them in a “life-together.” In this “life-together,” or “common life,” they ate together with Jesus, talked together with Jesus, had Bible studies together with Jesus, and prayed together with Jesus. Then they went out to the mission field together, set good examples of inviting students to Bible studies together, taught the word of God in private and in public, and much, much more. In this way Jesus helped them to accept and obey God's word. 

Our missionaries in Africa have set a good example in helping African students accept and obey God's word. It has been said, "The spirituality of African Christians is a mile long but an inch deep." There are many Christian evangelists who come to Africa, teach the Bible in a huge convention, give some money and gifts, leave a flyer with a phone number, and then return home. I could see this being the case on the first day I arrived at the conference site in a village town two hours outside of Lagos, Nigeria. There, I met four village children. Together with Missionary Jimmy Rhee of India and Shepherd Charles, I struck up a conversation with them, and asked them their names. Guess what their names were?! John, James, Peter, and Isaac! Indeed, Africa’s Christianity is a mile long. Why then are the streets filled with beggars, thieves, and/or robbers? 

But our missionaries are different. Unlike many, they went there to bury their bones. In visiting Yaba Tech University in Lagos, Nigeria, one thing struck me. The college campus is crowded with 40,000 plus students. After a prayer meeting, Missionary Rebekah Yoon told me that everyone on the college campus knows her. I asked her why. She said, "Because I am the only foreigner." This also cleared up my own misunderstanding about the sign hanging on the campus: "Keep the campus free of cults." At first I thought by cults, it meant that organizations like the Christian Science Monitor or Jehovah's Witness were trying to recruit students. But that was not the case. By "cult" they meant something different, that is, shamanistic groups who practiced witchcraft and/or cannibalism. Because the living conditions are so unfavorable, even such cult organizations like the Jehovah's Witnesses stay away from the area. But our missionaries are different. Again, they are there to bury their bones. They are there to establish permanent residence. They rent or buy Bible centers. They invite students to their homes or to Bible centers. They have common life together with their disciples. They then teach native students to teach the Bible to other students. They even pray to send out student leaders like Professor Oyo Moses of Sudan UBF as a missionary to a Muslim country. 

The United States is a so-called Christian nation. But according to influential Christians like Billy Graham, the Christianity of this nation is as shallow as that of these African countries. Because of this, secularism spreads very rapidly across this nation. We as a nation are losing our spiritual roots very quickly. It is high time for us to follow Jesus' example by teaching God's word to college students until each person accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and obeys his commands, through continued 1:1 Bible studies, disciple-making, and missionary sending ministries.

II. What did Jesus pray for his disciples? (9-19)

Jesus had three prayer topics for his disciples. 

First, Jesus prayed that the disciples would be protected from the evil one. (9-12; 14-16)

Let us read two passages, vs. 9-12 and then 14-16. Vs. 9-12: "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled."

Verses 14-16 read, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”

Upon leaving them behind, Jesus prayed to the Father that the Father would protect them from the evil one by the power of the name of the Father. 

He did not mention protection from the evil one first. Rather, he mentioned God's power first. Then he prayed that by the power of the Father's name, they would be protected from the evil one. By the evil one Jesus meant Satan. Among other things, the Bible associates Satan with two things: the world and disobedience. Satan uses this world as a link to fulfill his desires. Using the world as a link, he tempts men to disobey God. Speaking of the same truth, in other place Jesus calls him the prince of the world (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). In 2Co 4:4, Paul then calls him "the god of this age." In 1Jn 5:19, the Apostle John says more bluntly that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. Then in Ephesians 2:2 Paul describes Satan as "the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." 

The whole Bible shows this as true. There are 1189 chapters in the Bible (929 chapters of the Old Testament Scriptures and 260 in the New Testament). In every chapter we see the work of Satan causing people to disobey God and rebel, except in two places: the first two chapters and the last two chapters. In the first two chapters, Satan is not seen, and in the last two he is banished. 

In John 17, Jesus uses three expressions in regard to the disciples' relationship with the world: "out of the world" (6,15); "[not or no longer] of the world" (14,16); and "in the world" (11,13). Jesus called them out of the world, so that they would no longer be of the world. Then Jesus sent them into the world, so that they would still be in the world, until they are taken out of the world. Once upon a time Jesus was outside of this world. He then entered into this world. He served God's mission while he was in this world. Now he was about to go “out of this world.” But the disciples were to still be in this world. 

The world is still ruled by Satan. But although the disciples are still in this world, and although they were no match to Satan in fighting the battles against him, Jesus was confident of God's victory, for he believed that God the Father would protect them by the power of his name. 

What then does Jesus mean by the power of his name - the name the Father had given him? We find the answer to this question in the adjective Jesus uses to call the Father, "Holy Father." The word "holy" then reminds us of the Lord's prayer that begins, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Mt 6:9). This then reminds us of two Bible verses: 2 Timothy 3:5 which reads, "Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." And 2 Peter 1:3 which reads, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." In 2 Timothy 3:5, Paul talks about the "power" of godliness. In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter talks about "his divine power" that gives us godliness. In the former, Paul describes godliness as the source of power. In the latter, Peter describes the divine power as the source of godliness. So power comes out of godliness, and godliness comes out of power (specifically, the power of God). This then indicates that real power, whether spiritual or physical, all comes out of what is godly, for holiness is equal to godliness. 

From Jesus' prayer for the protection of the disciples from the evil one, we learn that, following Jesus' example, we must ask God to help each of our Bible students to live a godly life. Then they will have sufficient power to defeat the power of the temptations in this world, and then they can bear lots of good fruit. 

Second, Jesus prayed for them to become one. (11b,13)

Closely associated with the first prayer topic is Jesus' prayer for the disciples to become one in love. Look at vs. 11b and 13. V. 11b reads, "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one." Verse 13 then reads, "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them."

These two verses supplement each other in that the former talks about the devil constantly trying to divide and destroy the fellowship among the disciples, and thus Jesus' prayer for them to be one, not in some superficial amalgamation of fellowships, but in a spiritual union just as the Father and Jesus are one in Spirit, while the latter talks about the purpose of forming the spiritual unity, that is, that they may have the full measure of the joy Jesus had and has. 

This prayer for their spiritual unity reminds us of what Psalms 16:11 says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." God is the God of joy. And the purpose of salvation is eternal pleasure. We can understand this purpose more clearly when we think about the nature of God. By nature God is the God of harmony. See how seamless the entire universe and everything in it works! Even many Bible scholars believe that God's number is seven which is perfect. Indeed God is a perfect God. And James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." So Jesus' prayer for his disciples to form a perfect unity of love is not just for any organizational purpose, but first for the sake of the disciples, that is, perfect happiness in which they can live their lives to the full!

Third, Jesus prayed that they would be sanctified by the truth. (17-19)

How then can they form a unity of love? Look at vs. 17-19. "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." Here the word sanctify has different meanings like "anoint, bless, consecrate, cleanse or purify." Its antonym is "desecrate" or "defile." This little observation of its meanings also reminds us of John 15:3 which reads, "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." Or such powerful Bible verses as Psalms 119:9 which reads, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." Or 1 Timothy 5:22, "Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure." Or James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." 

From Jesus' prayer we learn the importance of studying God's words and teaching God's words. In so doing, each of us must first struggle to repent of our sins daily. One thing which strikes me the most is that even Jesus chose to sanctify himself with God's truth. Jesus is the Son of God. As such, is it necessary for Jesus to make efforts to keep himself pure? Nevertheless Jesus says, "For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." Why did he struggle to sanctify himself? It is because he too wore flesh like all of us. Flesh is from below. And the devil is still running around looking for someone to devour. This then tells us that each of us must always wake up, and struggle to repent and keep ourselves pure. 

One word: "I pray for them."