Jesus often prayed. It would have been a blessing to hear His prayers. Thankfully, the Bible records one of Jesus’ lengthier prayers, giving us an example to follow. At the conclusion of His Upper Room Discourse, Jesus prayed a prayer that is recorded in John 17, a prayer that preceded Jesus’ plea to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. This prayer anticipates Jesus’ post-crucifixion glory and includes Jesus’ intercession for His followers. It has been rightly called His “High Priestly Prayer” since in it Jesus intercedes for His people. Jesus begins by praying for Himself (verses 1-5), then for His disciples (verses 6-19), and finally for those who would believe in Him based on His disciples’ message (verses 20-26). Jesus was praying for you and for me! In fact, Jesus intercedes for us constantly, a comforting reality during times of testing (Hebrews 7:25). Four key terms come to the surface in Jesus’ prayer—glory, given, world, and one. From these terms we can follow a progression in Jesus’ prayer that focuses on the glory of God, the identity of believers as given by God, the purity of believers as distinct from the world, and the unity of believers as one with Jesus and each other. John 17:1-5 focuses on the glory of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. From these verses we discover that glorifying God is the ultimate purpose of life. |
