Jesus’ Intercessory Prayer

JOHN 17:1-11, 20-23

GOLDEN TEXT: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16

BECAUSE of Jesus’ own intimate knowledge of the Heavenly Father and his keen appreciation of every feature of the divine plan, he realized that no permanent blessings of any kind could be enjoyed by God’s creatures apart from a true knowledge of him and faithful obedience in the doing of his will. Hence his prayer, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” And knowing the Heavenly Father as he did, the consuming passion of Jesus’ being was to glorify him.

It was in the spirit of self-effacement that the Master prayed, “O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Actually the Heavenly Father had promised Jesus much more than this, for through the prophet he was given the assurance of a portion with the “Great”—that is, a share in God’s own glory, seated at his own right hand on the throne of the universe, and possessing the divine nature. (Isaiah 53:12) But Jesus’ interest was not so much in this superlative glory of the divine nature as it was to magnify the Father’s glory in the eyes of men.

The glory possessed by Jesus before he was made flesh was that of the “Logos.” He was the active agent of the Father in all the work of creation—“Without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3) This was indeed a position of honor and glory, but he gave it up when he came to earth. He humbled himself and was made lower than the angels. In this he partook of the much lesser glory of the terrestrial. The purpose of this was that he might give his flesh for the life of the world, and now that this assignment was about to be completed he was not seeking any special reward for it, asking merely that he have the privilege of returning to his original place in the Father’s family.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus had emphasized that his message and teachings were of the Father, that he was not their author. Even his disciples Jesus looked upon as having been given to him by his Father. This is the main reason, no doubt, that he loved them so much and prayed so earnestly for them.

Jesus said that he was glorified in his disciples. This was possible only because God had given them to him and because God’s Word was operative in their lives. They were very imperfect. The world did not look up to them. Most of them lacked education and culture. They didn’t wear elegant clothes and display refined manners. But Jesus was glorified in them because they were his Father’s choice. He knew that his Father’s purpose would be best served through men of this sort.

Jesus had spent more than three years with this little band of disciples. He loved them all, but knew the imperfections of each. He knew the great hope that inspired them—the hope of the kingdom—and that as yet they did not realize the suffering through which they would need to pass before they could share in the glory of that kingdom with him. “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” he had said to them just previous to his prayer, and now he knew that they were to remain in the world, but without his personal presence.—John 16:33

Seemingly this was one of the most difficult aspects of his going away. He was leaving his disciples alone in a world that was at enmity with God, that hated the light and would persecute the light-bearers. But Jesus did the best thing he could have done—he left his disciples in the tender care of his Father who had given them to him—“Holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are.”

And this prayer was not alone on behalf of those immediate disciples who walked with him in Judea, “but for them also,” he continued, “which shall believe on me through their word.” His prayer was that God should keep them, and that they might all be one with him and with the Father—that they might ultimately come into that same glorious oneness which existed between him and the Father. This is an all-comprehensive oneness—a oneness in suffering, in works, in glory, and in love.

This revealing prayer was not on behalf of the world, yet in it Jesus remembers the great objective of the Father’s plan for the blessing of all mankind. In praying for the oneness of his church he ascribes as his reason, “That the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Whosoever believeth on Jesus shall not perish, but have everlasting life, our Golden Text states. But in order to believe on him they must know of him, and be convinced that the Father sent him. This knowledge will go to the world through the glorified Christ, Head and body, when united in the kingdom.

QUESTIONS:

Why did Jesus ask the Father to restore his pre-human glory to him?

How could Jesus be glorified in his imperfect disciples?

When will all mankind be convinced that the Creator sent Jesus into the world to be the Savior?

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