Thursday: The Prayer of Jesus
Daily Lesson for Thursday 12th of December 2024
John 17:1-26 is sometimes called the high priestly prayer of Jesus. It concludes the farewell discourse. Jesus came to this earth so that humanity might be restored, ultimately, to its original personal relationship with God. He faithfully performed the signs that God gave Him to do. In words and acts, He communicated God to the people.
Jesus would soon be leaving this earth. He desired to share once again His love for His disciples. He wanted them to understand the close relationship between Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. And He wanted to bring them into the same personal relationship with God the Father and the Spirit that He Himself had.
Read John 17:1-26. What words or phrases in this chapter express the desire of Jesus for a close relationship of love between Himself, the Father, and His disciples?
Image © Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com
Many read John 17:1-26 to mean that the only thing that matters is unity and love. No question, God’s purpose is to restore us to a personal relationship with Him and with all people. But a more careful reading suggests a much more vital connection between love and truth.
“ ‘This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God’ ” (John 17:3, NKJV), not God, whoever we think He is. “ ‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me, . . . and they have kept your word . . . and know in truth that I came from you’ ” (John 17:6,8, NRSV). “ ‘Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth’ ” (John 17:17, NKJV).
Christ came to reveal the Father. This revelation was important because of the many misconceptions about God. The Gospel of John shows how seriously Jesus took this mission. He rightly represented God’s Word and actions. If truth did not matter, why go to such lengths?
Jesus lived a life of great difficulty ultimately to be rejected by the religious authorities. He suffered indifference from the people and even, at times, from His own disciples. One of His disciples betrayed Him, and another denied Him three times. He went through an unremitting trial and died on a cross at the hands of the very ones He came to save.
|
How can you better reflect the love of God, such as exists between Jesus and the Father, in your own life? |
(13)
If there is one overriding theme in Jesus' prayer it is for unity. He relates his unity with the Father to our unity with him and extends it to one another.
The issue for us is that we all have different ideas and interpretations. Can we be united when we disagree on so many things? Our discussion this week on the nature of the Godhead is just an extension of the arguments that we had in our church in my childhood. And, that argument has been going on on the Seventh-day Adventist Church for nearly two centuries. And, if you have a look at the early Christian church we find that similar arguments had been going on in the first century after Christ.
I think sometimes we place too much value on getting doctrine correct, rather than how we treat one another with love, even when we disagree. All too often we readily accuse one another of being "Babylon", "Jesuits", or "liberals". None of those epithets have anything to do with unity.
I wrote this comment in response to another comment earlier this week:
I remember speaking to one of my theological friends not long before he died. We were talking about where the church was going and he made the comment, "I just wished we had learned to forgive!"
The true test of Christianity is not pure doctrine. We still have much to learn. It is about loving one another, even when we disagree. When that happens, we will be united.
There is a need for exercise and conscious practice of spiritual things. I can continue with my daily activities but keep a constant connection with at least one, knowing I have three options always ready to relate with me.
I love the final question for today. How can I/we better reflect Gods love? That is our only job here on earth. All the rest is Their job. If I stand in front of a mirror, the reflection I see is me. If I want to reflect Gods character, I have to keep Him ever before me. Right in the midst of Jesus prayer, he prayed for me, you, anyone who believes in Him from the words written down by his disciples. How amazing is that!? The Lord of the universe prayed for us, all those centuries ago. I really have no excuse not to know Him and to reflect Him to others.
How is our relationship with God restored? How did Jesus ‘communicate God to the people’? – through words and acts expressing the Love of the Father to His children. The Jewish people were not only His children through their lineage traced back to Abraham, they were called to partake in His promise as His spiritual children through Abraham’s faith in God – Gal.3:26-29.
This is why they were given the opportunity to receive the Word of God – Jesus – first. All others are ‘grafted into the Olive Tree’ – representing the family of God – Rom.11:17-31. God’s plan of mankind’s Salvation is fair and just – the Jew’s first, then the Gentiles. All receive their pardon through God’s Love; He IS Love and Justice through Mercy and Grace expressed in Jesus Christ His Son leading us to everlasting life.
Yes, ‘Christ came to reveal the Father’ through/by the Spirit of the Father – His Spirit of Love and Truth; they are One in the Spirit. Acknowledging that His Father’s Name is ‘LOVE and Truth’, do we then not receive Him into our heart and mind to give evidence by living in His Spirit?
As we live in Jesus, believing and expressing His Words of Love - Truth, Mercy and Grace -, we testify to Who the Father IS and in Whom we believe; it is by His Spirit of Love and Truth that He reaches out to us to save us.
When I read this amazing prayer just now, one thing that struck me was how positive it is. Jesus says in vs. 8 "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." (NIV) And He said this just after the disciples had shown a lack of awareness that they would desert Jesus and showed a certain amount of ignorance of His mission (ie. Philip's question). He said this also just before they would fail Him in the garden, flee when he was arrested, deny Him (Peter) and show a certain lack of faith when He was resurrected. And yet Jesus saw their heart and their potential through Him. That's encouraging to me.