1 After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed:
Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. 2 And you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. 3 Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. 4 I have brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, give me back the glory that I had with you before the world was created.
6 You have given me some followers from this world, and I have shown them what you are like. They were yours, but you gave them to me, and they have obeyed you. 7 They know that you gave me everything I have. 8 I told my followers what you told me, and they accepted it. They know that I came from you, and they believe that you are the one who sent me. 9 I am praying for them, but not for those who belong to this world. My followers belong to you, and I am praying for them. 10 All that I have is yours, and all that you have is mine, and they will bring glory to me.
11 Holy Father, I am no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name that you have given me. Then they will be one with each other, just as you and I are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.
13 I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my followers will have the same complete joy that I do. 14 I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t.
15 Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They don’t belong to this world, and neither do I. 17 Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours. 18 I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me. 19 I have given myself completely for their sake, so that they may belong completely to the truth.
20 I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. 21 I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.
22 I have honored my followers in the same way that you honored me, in order that they may be one with each other, just as we are one. 23 I am one with them, and you are one with me, so that they may become completely one. Then this world’s people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me.
24 Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory that you have given me, because you loved me before the world was created. 25 Good Father, the people of this world don’t know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me. 26 I told them what you are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love that you have for me will become part of them, and I will be one with them.
Read John 17:1-26 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
On the night that Jesus was arrested, as the disciples were talking and walking to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pauses to pray an amazing prayer to the Father. While this isn’t like Jesus’ model prayer, we can see this prayer as an example of the type of prayers Jesus prayed.
John opens by telling us, “After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed” (v. 1a)
Jesus had finished sharing with the disciples what He wanted them to know, and now He would turn His attention and focus towards the Father. Jesus opens His prayer by saying, “Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. And you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. I have brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you gave me to do. Now, Father, give me back the glory that I had with you before the world was created.” (v. 1b-5)
Here in the garden, Jesus’ prayer begins by centering on the idea of glory. But while we might think of glory being something that gets placed on a pedestal and is protected and cherished, the context of Jesus’ words imply a different sort of lifting up. Jesus was about to receive glory from the Father, and this glory would be displayed through His being lifted up on the cross.
Jesus was lifted up, and the cross He was crucified on has become a symbol for Christians everywhere that demonstrates God’s love for us by reminding us of Jesus’ sacrifice.
But also tucked away in this opening to Jesus’ prayer is a working definition of eternal life. Jesus says here in His prayer that, “Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent.” (v. 3)
Those of us who choose eternal life by choosing Jesus are choosing a life where we will forever spend time moving closer towards God and Jesus. If we have any reservations about God, or if we are fearful of Him, then heaven would not be a good place for us and eternal life would be torturous.
This is why I believe our life on earth, in addition to helping share the good news about what Jesus did for us, should be about growing a relationship with God as best we can here on earth. If we choose to focus on strengthening our relationship with God in this life, the focus of our next life will only be more of what is natural to us today.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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