When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said:
"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:1a, 20-21 ESV).
The prayer of the ages, that the serpent-crushing Seed would come, was answered when Jesus was born. And now, ages later, His prayers from the garden on the night of His arrest are being answered still.
To read the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 is to enter into the holiest of holy places.
Jesus prayed with such intensity, “his sweat became like great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44). What weighed so heavily on His heart as He faced an agonizing death? The Father’s glory. And His followers.
John 17 names gifts of the Father to Son. They number five (as named in the commentary by John F. Walvoord): a work to do, believers, glory, words, and a name. Jesus, in turn, gave the Father glory and obedience. Jesus gave the world God’s words (John 17:8, 14). And gifts us with His prayers.
The Messiah of God is a ceaseless Intercessor. How calloused His knees from a life of unending prayer. Bloodied, even!
On the night of His arrest, Jesus prayed His apostles would be protected. He prayed they would know God . . . and His glory. He prayed for those who believe by their word. And He prayed for unity among His followers. What a gift that would be for all the world!
The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the New Testament makes this comment on John 17:20: “The unity Christ desires for His church is the same kind of unity the Son has with the Father. This spiritual unity is to be patterned in the church. The disciples’ union with Jesus as His body will result in people in the world believing in the Father.”
God is still answering the prayers of His Son. And of the Holy Spirit, who aids us in our prayers. His continual intercession blesses the world in incommunicable ways.
To pray is to “lift one’s eyes to heaven” (John 17:1). That is both posture and praxis. Prayer is faith’s great secret defense. And inconsistent prayer is faith’s greatest threat. Calling on the name of the Lord in prayer initializes the power of that name . . . and brings a thin slice of heaven into your reality. Which is precisely what Jesus needed in His most desperate hour of prayer.
Righteous Father, we have seen Your glory through Your Son. Sanctify Your name throughout the world. And now may Your Son be glorified through His people. Thank You for continuing to answer His prayers. Please teach me to pray like Him.
