The High Priestly Prayer Pt 1

John 17:1-12

If you were hours from death, what would you pray for? Would you pray knowing you were about to be with God anyway? At first thought, my prayers would probably be that God would take me quickly and without pain. Perhaps also for comfort and peace for myself and those who care about me.

Today, we read the first section of Jesus’ prayer before his arrest and crucifixion. It is dense and beautifully reveals Jesus’ heart for God’s glory and for His disciples. Notice what he prays for as His death approaches.

First is glorification. Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), and “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him” (Colossians 1:19). Jesus asks to be glorified because He is God and deserving of all glory. This is why He also prays that He would glorify His Father. When Jesus receives glory, so does the Father, and vice versa because they are one.

In Exalting Jesus in John, it says this about God’s glory:

“When we talk about God’s being glorified (the verb), we mean the appropriate response to his goodness displayed. So the glory of God (noun) is his goodness displayed, and glorifying God (verb) is his goodness celebrated.” (Carter, Matt; Wredberg, Josh. p. 449.)

Jesus’ impending death for the forgiveness of sins is the most glorious act in human history because it is the ultimate display of God’s goodness. Jesus prays that God would be worshiped and celebrated for this act of unmerited goodness.

Second, Jesus prays for the disciples. He prays for their protection, so “that they would be one,” just as He and the Father are one. Some of Jesus' dying words were that His disciples be one body and that their oneness is protected. This should deeply convict us to live into the oneness with the body prayed for.

Jesus has revealed to us the longings of His heart through this prayer. How can we respond? By praying to align our hearts with Jesus and pursuing what he prayed for.

What does it look like to glorify God today? Where do you see His goodness displayed? How can you worship and celebrate His goodness? How can you point others to see and celebrate His goodness?

Where do you need to pursue oneness with other disciples? Is your heart aligned with Jesus regarding oneness with His body? Is there a brother or sister who needs prayer for protection?