The High Priestly Prayer
John 17:9-19,
It's the Upper Room Discourse, and it's really the prayer of our Lord Jesus. He's not speaking to his disciples, even though it's evident he wants them to listen in. But he is speaking to his Father, our Father. And after he opens with asking God to glorify him, and glorify himself through him, that's verse 1 and verse 5, he begins to pray for us. Primarily in that context it's the disciples, and then we see later on it's all of us that will come after them when we believe in their word.
As I was recently meditating on this passage, and I encourage you, it's a wonderful place to meditate when you want to learn how to pray better. This is one of those passages that has much to teach all of us. And after praying for God's glory and praying for his glory, the Lord Jesus turns his attention there in verse 9 to us, his disciples. And I'd like us to look at three things, three distinct things that he prays to the Father for us.
"Keep Them In Your Name"
You see that in verses 11-13, “And I am no longer in the world, but that they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them I kept them in your name.” See that? Jesus is praying, “Keep them in your name,” and now that he's going away he said, “While I was here with them, I kept them in your name. I have guarded them.” You can see that in the middle of verse 12, and it's the same word. ‘To keep’ is to guard, or to maintain one in the state in which he or she is in. Maintain and guard, protect. Very similar to John 16:1, “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” Or in Hebrews 3:12, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the living God.” It is of great importance to the Lord Jesus that we be kept in the name of the Father, that none of us would be lost. That we would be guarded and protected and maintained in the name of the Father.
"Keep Them From Evil"
The second one is in the next set of verses 14-16, “Keep them from evil, (or the evil one). I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” And then notice the negative ‘ask’ here, in verse 15, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world.” He's not asking to remove us from this wicked world. I have often wondered, as a young Christian, why not? Why not, as soon as you get saved you get transported into heaven? It seems that life would be much easier, much more pleasant. There wouldn't be the battle of sin, the battle against the world, or the battle against the devil. But he does say, “But that you keep them from the evil one.” And I think it's important that the Lord Jesus is praying to the Father about a very real threat for us, our enemy the devil. Because we're going to be in this world and he is the prince of this world, he is the ruler of this world. And it's very similar to the way he taught the disciples to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” or it could be translated, “the evil one.” In the same way in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, he will establish you and guard you (same word, keep, guard), against the evil one.” So, the first prayer request is, “Keep them in your name.” The second prayer request for us is, “Keep them from the evil one.”
"Sanctify Them in the Truth"
Verses 17-19. “Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself (consecrate, very similar, set apart, sanctify) that they also may be sanctified or set apart for worship, set apart for holy service in truth.” This third prayer request points us to God's Word, and also, I believe, how the Lord does this, answers this prayer. We have a hint in John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes whom I will send to you from the Father, (who He's praying to) the Spirit of truth, (the helper is the Spirit of truth) who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” And this word is used in conjunction with God's Word in a very familiar passage. We'll all recognize it here from Ephesians 5, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he (this is Christ) might sanctify her (that's the church), having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word.” The word is truth, sanctify them in the truth.
So the three prayer requests are, Keep them in your name; Keep them from the evil one; Sanctify them in the truth. I found it very helpful to realize that these are the priorities for us as we pray for ourselves. But we're often inclined to pray (and it's not here), Lord, make my life easier; Lord, I'm having all these problems, and I really don't want problems, I don't like problems, and they make for an uncomfortable life, they make for a difficult life. There's a constant struggle against my own sin, against the world, against the devil. Our comfort is not the priority of Christ's prayer request for us, our ease, our smooth journey to heaven, to live out our years with minimal struggle. It is the keeping of us in God's name. It's the keeping of us from the influence and power of the evil one. It's the sanctification of us by the Spirit and in the truth of God's Word. Those are the priority prayer requests. And as I was reading through this again, I was realizing how my prayers for myself, or for our brothers and sisters when I pray are not always aligned with the priorities that Christ has shown us of how we should pray for ourselves to the Father, and for our brothers and sisters.
My encouragement to you is meditate on this passage and see the rich value of Christ praying to the Father for us. These are the priorities that he desires for us to continue to maintain in our prayers for our brothers and sisters and for ourselves.
“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
It's the Upper Room Discourse, and it's really the prayer of our Lord Jesus. He's not speaking to his disciples, even though it's evident he wants them to listen in. But he is speaking to his Father, our Father. And after he opens with asking God to glorify him, and glorify himself through him, that's verse 1 and verse 5, he begins to pray for us. Primarily in that context it's the disciples, and then we see later on it's all of us that will come after them when we believe in their word.
As I was recently meditating on this passage, and I encourage you, it's a wonderful place to meditate when you want to learn how to pray better. This is one of those passages that has much to teach all of us. And after praying for God's glory and praying for his glory, the Lord Jesus turns his attention there in verse 9 to us, his disciples. And I'd like us to look at three things, three distinct things that he prays to the Father for us.
"Keep Them In Your Name"
You see that in verses 11-13, “And I am no longer in the world, but that they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them I kept them in your name.” See that? Jesus is praying, “Keep them in your name,” and now that he's going away he said, “While I was here with them, I kept them in your name. I have guarded them.” You can see that in the middle of verse 12, and it's the same word. ‘To keep’ is to guard, or to maintain one in the state in which he or she is in. Maintain and guard, protect. Very similar to John 16:1, “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” Or in Hebrews 3:12, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the living God.” It is of great importance to the Lord Jesus that we be kept in the name of the Father, that none of us would be lost. That we would be guarded and protected and maintained in the name of the Father.
"Keep Them From Evil"
The second one is in the next set of verses 14-16, “Keep them from evil, (or the evil one). I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” And then notice the negative ‘ask’ here, in verse 15, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world.” He's not asking to remove us from this wicked world. I have often wondered, as a young Christian, why not? Why not, as soon as you get saved you get transported into heaven? It seems that life would be much easier, much more pleasant. There wouldn't be the battle of sin, the battle against the world, or the battle against the devil. But he does say, “But that you keep them from the evil one.” And I think it's important that the Lord Jesus is praying to the Father about a very real threat for us, our enemy the devil. Because we're going to be in this world and he is the prince of this world, he is the ruler of this world. And it's very similar to the way he taught the disciples to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” or it could be translated, “the evil one.” In the same way in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, he will establish you and guard you (same word, keep, guard), against the evil one.” So, the first prayer request is, “Keep them in your name.” The second prayer request for us is, “Keep them from the evil one.”
"Sanctify Them in the Truth"
Verses 17-19. “Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself (consecrate, very similar, set apart, sanctify) that they also may be sanctified or set apart for worship, set apart for holy service in truth.” This third prayer request points us to God's Word, and also, I believe, how the Lord does this, answers this prayer. We have a hint in John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes whom I will send to you from the Father, (who He's praying to) the Spirit of truth, (the helper is the Spirit of truth) who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” And this word is used in conjunction with God's Word in a very familiar passage. We'll all recognize it here from Ephesians 5, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he (this is Christ) might sanctify her (that's the church), having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word.” The word is truth, sanctify them in the truth.
So the three prayer requests are, Keep them in your name; Keep them from the evil one; Sanctify them in the truth. I found it very helpful to realize that these are the priorities for us as we pray for ourselves. But we're often inclined to pray (and it's not here), Lord, make my life easier; Lord, I'm having all these problems, and I really don't want problems, I don't like problems, and they make for an uncomfortable life, they make for a difficult life. There's a constant struggle against my own sin, against the world, against the devil. Our comfort is not the priority of Christ's prayer request for us, our ease, our smooth journey to heaven, to live out our years with minimal struggle. It is the keeping of us in God's name. It's the keeping of us from the influence and power of the evil one. It's the sanctification of us by the Spirit and in the truth of God's Word. Those are the priority prayer requests. And as I was reading through this again, I was realizing how my prayers for myself, or for our brothers and sisters when I pray are not always aligned with the priorities that Christ has shown us of how we should pray for ourselves to the Father, and for our brothers and sisters.
My encouragement to you is meditate on this passage and see the rich value of Christ praying to the Father for us. These are the priorities that he desires for us to continue to maintain in our prayers for our brothers and sisters and for ourselves.
Posted in Pastor Devotional