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!
During the night Jesus would be arrested, He prays a prayer with the disciples and for the disciples as they traveled to the Garden of Gethsemane. In this prayer, which is one of the few that are shared in detail, we see a picture of how Jesus talked with God, and we can see a better picture of His heart and love for His followers.
John shares that in His prayer, Jesus prayed, “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. 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.” (v. 11-12)
This portion of Jesus’ prayer is a powerful request for protection. Jesus knows He will be leaving soon, and He asks the Father to keep His followers safe. Jesus acknowledges that He was able to keep them safe while He was on earth, but now that His ministry and location would be changing, He asks God to keep protecting this group of followers and friends.
Jesus also prays for His followers’ unity. Not only does Jesus know that opposition would come from the outside, but equally devastating would be division or separation coming from within. If the disciples lost focus and began to argue with one another, they would lose their mission and the young church would die.
Not every one of Jesus’ core group of twelve disciples accepted this protection and unity. But that didn’t stop Jesus from offering it. While Judas Iscariot ultimately chose to betray Jesus, Jesus still had invited him to be a part of this close group.
Unity and protection are two of the biggest things we can ask God for in our own lives today. Helping His followers be united and protected from Satan and his plots is something that God offered to His followers back then, and it is something that He offers to us as followers today. If Jesus prayed for these two vital things for us as followers, it would be wise for us to accept His offer of help!
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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