The Gospel of John 17:6-19 Jesus prayed for his disciples, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
Let us Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful prayer of the Lord Jesus which helps me to understand the glorious truth of Your written Word and the amazing grace of the Word made flesh. Thank You for Jesus, Who dwelt amongst us to show us Your glory and to give us a free gift of sins forgiven and life everlasting. Thank You that the Lord our God is one God, and that our Savior Jesus Christ is one with the Father. To You be all praise and glory, in Jesus’ holy name I pray, AMEN.
Today, we are reminded that Jesus actually prays for us. What better gift is there? And not only that, but we get to actually listen in on this prayer. John heard this prayer and faithfully recorded it, so we actually know what Jesus was praying for. It is a long and beautiful prayer, but it can be somewhat confusing. Jesus’ prayer is rambling and circuitous, confusing, repetitious, and hard to understand. I suspect that’s less about the prayer and more about what’s going on with Jesus. A prayer is that we never simply offer our words. Instead, our words are an offering of ourselves and the circumstances of our lives. There’s always more going on than the words we say. They are just the tip of the iceberg, an outward and audible sign of some inner stuff. And I think that’s true for Jesus in today’s gospel.
We can imagine how the disciples felt as Jesus was preparing them for his last moments. We can all identify with the feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, deep sadness, and loss that this sort of change brings about. The hole that is left behind. We have all felt that big changes bring to our lives. This remarkable prayer is made with a heart and mind looking up towards heaven. Jesus made no mention of His problems or the decisions He must make. His heart and mind were fixed on the highest things, pledging Himself to the absolute fulfillment of God the Father’s will no matter what the cost, so that eternal life could come to others. In His Prayer He prays for His Disciples protection. While Jesus was with his disciples, he could protect them. But now, things are changing. And so, he prays: “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one.” And the reason he is praying for their protection is important: it is “so that they may be one.”
Jesus knows his time has come to die and he has many things to speak about to prepare them for his departure. Towards the end of the evening, he begins to pray, not speaking to his disciples anymore, but directly to God. Jesus wants his disciples to overhear what he is saying. He wants them to hear the intimacy of his relationship with his Father. Jesus wants them to know that he is not leaving them alone but in the hands of God. He wants them to understand that because of his close relationship with his Father he can lay all his worries and requests before God in confidence, and he will be heard. Jesus models what he wants for his followers: closeness and complete trust in God for their well- being. And Jesus is not just praying for the disciples here but for us too and so he brings past, present, and future together. As we finish Eastertide, we can sense what resurrection looks like for our loved ones who have died, and friends we see no longer. Maybe their resurrection is revealed in the ways we continue to hold and express something of their lives. Maybe that’s what Jesus is talking about when he says, “I appointed you to go and bear fruit.”
My Jesus prayed for me, had me on his mind, took the time to pray for me. I’m so glad he prayed, I’m so glad he prayed, I’m so glad he prayed for me. (1)
(1)Last Verse from song “Someone Prayed for Me”, A African America Spiritual
This Sunday is also Mother’s Day. Let us provide a prayer for Mother’s around the world.
A Mother’s Day Prayer to Honor and Bless Moms Heavenly Father, We speak this prayer to you now in gratitude and praise for the gift of mothers. Our mother, those of my friends, relatives, those I’ll never know, all mothers. Thank you for the role they play in the family unit. Thank you for their teachings, wisdom, patience, and understanding. Thank you for the physical, emotional, and spiritual gifts they possess. We pray that you help mothers all across the world to be a blessing to their children. Whether delivering affirmation or discipline, I pray that you help every word and action to be done in love. And I pray that children worldwide will take time to honor their mothers and that you will show them how to do so uniquely. This we pray in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 