Predictions and prayers

(One Perfect Life Chapters 177-180) In this portion of the Gospel the apostles record two predictions and two prayers. Jesus predicts the disciples sorrow at His death, joy at His resurrection but repeated sorrow at His ascension. He later predicts their denial of Him and how they will stumble and be scattered. In His first prayer He prays for the apostles and their unity. The second prayer is for deliverance, if possible, from the death He is facing. But He willingly submits to God’s authority and accepts what He must do.

In John 16:16-33 Jesus tells them they will experience sorrow at His death. They will later experience joy at His resurrection but again will miss Him when He returns to the Father. Jesus reassures them that they will be able to pray directly to the Father and that the Father will answer and uphold them. He says this even while telling them that they will be scattered when He is arrested, and will experience tribulation. Their hope is that they will spend eternity with Him. In this present world they will experience tribulation but tells them, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John16:33).

The prayer in John 17 is for Jesus’ current disciples and for those that will later believe because of their service. Jesus starts by thanking His Father for giving His followers eternal Life, “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John17:3).

Jesus then asks His Father to bless His followers. First He prays for the unity among His disciples. He wants them to enjoy the same unity that He enjoys with the Father. He later repeats this request on behalf of future believers. Unfortunately we have failed to act on this prayer. Just as Jesus died to save us but we must trust Him to receive that salvation, Jesus prayer makes possible the unity of believers but we have failed to follow His commandments that would enable us to enjoy the answer to His prayer.

Jesus prays that while we are in this would that we would be protected from “the evil one.” He also prays for our sanctification. Our sanctification – becoming more like Jesus, is accomplished by studying God’s Word, “Your word is truth” (John17:17). The prayer ends with Jesus asking the Father to allow us to join Him in heaven. He also prays that we will experience while on earth, God’s love even as Jesus experienced it.

When He finishes praying, He again predicts that all of the disciples would deny Him that night. He gives the specifics of Peter’s denial. How much He must have loved them to pray for them, knowing they would deny Him! He also knew of their frailty when He prayed in Gethsemane. As a man He wanted the cup of God’s wrath to be taken from Him. But three times He prays, “not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). What an example He left.