John
17:20-26
20 [Jesus prayed] "I ask not only on behalf
of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their
word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you,
may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22
The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as
we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so
that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you
have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may
be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you
loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, the
world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me.
26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love
with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."
I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who
will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.
· On Sundays and often
on other days, we’re asked to pray for other people, to commend them to God for
reasons of health, need, relationship, or distance. I add the last because we
all have relatives and friends who live a far from here, which could be London,
Montreal, Shreveport, Louisiana, or places in Europe… or even in Australia!
· When we pray, we
might mention the person’s name, remind ourselves (and God) of their situation,
and possibly ask for certain things. Some of us might hold a picture of the
person in our mind’s eye and commend them to God without words that way.
· We could also look at
a different way. We have to believe that God already know what we will pray
about, even before we begin. The Almighty really doesn’t need a reminder of
these things. So maybe when we pray for others, we are acknowledging that these
people or these situations are part of our lives in God and God’s grace. It’s a
different way of looking at things and it provides us with an invitation to
include more of our lives in our relationship with God.
· Now this is all about
our own prayer. The New Testament, in particular the letters of Paul, ask us to
keep the church, both near and far, in our prayers, and as Paul says pray
without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:15) The Gospel today tells us that Jesus
prayed for his disciples on the night before he was crucified. The passage we
read today is part of what is referred to as Jesus’ “high priestly prayer” at
the Last Supper in John. We’d expect Jesus to pray for his disciple, especially
in the face of how they might react to his execution on the Cross.
· Then comes the
surprise: I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who
will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.
Jesus is not simply praying for the people around him at the table; he is
praying for all who will follow his Way because of the preaching and teaching
of the disciples… and their disciples… and THEIR disciples.
· You know who that
includes, don’t you? In these phrases, Jesus is praying for us! We have
come to faith by the grace of God reaching out to us through the apostles’
teaching handed down over the years by so many, many faithful people.
· In the final
analysis, our relationship with Jesus is because of his grace coming to us
through pastors, teachers, friends, family, or parents over the years. The
number of years or the distance in kilometres does not matter. The living grace
of Christ overcomes all those things we’d consider to be barriers.
· Last Thursday was the
festival of the Ascension. We’ve used some prayers celebrating that event this
day. Next week is Pentecost. We celebrate Jesus’ return to the Father and then
we’ll celebrate the coming of the Spirit upon the Church – not just the
pastors, the deacons and deaconesses, and the bishops, but the entire church.
· Jesus remains with us
through the Spirit, each of us and all of us as his church, his people. He
continually prays for us, interceding for us and our needs, even joining with
our prayers for others. Our lives are part of his and always will be.
· Do we want Good News
today? How about this: Isn’t it great to know that we are always on God’s mind?
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