Jesus’ Prayer For Us
John 17
April 6, 2025
If you had less than 24 hours to live, what would you do? What would you say in the last 24 hours of your life?
What would you say and do in the last 24 hours of your life if you were in good health?
Anyone want to answer that question?
I’d want my loved ones to be with me. I’d especially want to be with our two children – Scott and Sarah and our five grandchildren. I’d tell them how much I loved them. I’d thank them for what they’ve meant to me. Then I’d pray for them. I’d pray God’s blessing on them. I’d pray that God would protect them, love them, and use them to help others.
It reminds me of the blessing I used to share with our kids every night when they went to bed. I would tuck each of them in. I’d put my hand on their forehead. Then I’d say, “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you lots and lots of…” When I prayed with Scott, he would say at this point “cheese” instead of “peace” just to be funny. Sarah would respond with A, M, E, N. or Aaaa, mmmmm, eeeee, nnnnn. She’d try to stretch it out as long as she could before I’d conclude with Amen.
This blessing is a Biblical tradition. It started with Isaac. At the end of his life, Isaac blessed his two sons – Esau and Jacob. His main blessing went to Jacob, but he did pray for both of his children.
The tradition continued with Jacob. At the end of Jacob’s life, he gave a specific blessing and prayer for each of his twelve children. These children became the twelve tribes of Israel.
Many years later, Moses blessed the people of Israel at the end of his life as well.
Jesus is continuing this biblical tradition of blessing and praying for His children at the end of His life.
Jesus doesn’t have biological children, but he considers his disciples his spiritual children.
The gospel of John has a long section on Jesus’ last full day on earth. It started in chapter 13 of John. There it talked about how Jesus washed the feet of each of his disciples. Then Jesus started preaching. His message starts in chapter 13 and goes through chapter 16.
Now Jesus is at the end of his sermon. He gives a final prayer for his disciples. He blesses them and encourages them and challenges them one more time through this prayer in chapter 17.
After he finishes his prayer, they go out to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is arrested. Jesus is crucified twelve hours later.
This final prayer is not just for his twelve disciples. This prayer is for each of us today.
It’s as if Jesus is laying his hand on your head and praying for you today.
What does Jesus pray for his disciples and for us today?
Jesus says, “God, I’m no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name you have given me.”
Jesus first prayer is for our safety and protection. We live in a world full of dangers. As Jesus will soon reveal on the cross. Jesus prays for us in the midst of those dangers.
Jesus prays, “I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t.”
Jesus is praying for us as we experience the backlash and pushback from the love we share in this world. Too often the good we do is rewarded with something negative. We see that in our nation. The love and progress we make is followed by backlash and retrenchment. But Jesus is praying for us in the midst of that.
Jesus prays, “God, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one.”
Most of all, Jesus prays for protection against the evil we are tempted to take up with. It’s easy to fall to the temptation of hating instead of loving. It’s easy to fall to the temptation of looking out for ourselves alone instead of caring for the least and the lost. It’s easy to fall to the temptations of the evil one who wants us to live in fear, not hope.
As the Lord’s Prayer says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Jesus goes on to say in this blessing prayer, “I’m sending them into the world, just as you sent me.”
So, we are called to go forth into the work of this messy world despite its temptations and evil and dangerous people.
The final part of this prayer in the 17th chapter of John, Jesus talks about unity.
Jesus says, “I want all of my followers to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe you sent me.”
There are two aspects of this unity Jesus is talking about.
The first unity has to do with our unity with God. It’s about our connectedness with the God who lives in us and around us and through us. God is not just some external, distant deity. God is a life we enter, a love we share, the ground in which we are rooted.
Early in the prayer, it’s mentioned about knowing Jesus Christ. This can be an intimate, personal connection of heart, mind and soul. We are invited to walk through the door of Christ, follow the way of Christ, and enter into the expanded life of Christ. God reveals God’s love in and through us. We are united in purpose and love.
The second type of unity Jesus is talking about is the unity among his followers. When this book was written, there was a great deal of tension between those who primarily followed Peter and those who followed John.
This book was written by the community in Ephesus who primarily followed John’s approach to Jesus’ message. They emphasized love. Others who centered themselves in Rome followed Peter’s approach, which emphasized the forgiveness of sins.
The authors of this book recognize that Jesus Christ would want them to find unity in working together, in living together, in loving together. Unity and love in the midst of diversity and difference is a wonderful witness to the God of Love.
I pray that we can find that in our day. I pray for that unity so that we can work together and love together with those who are different and those who believe differently.
In this 17th chapter, Jesus is at the end of his sermon and his life.
He gives this final prayer for his disciples. He blesses them and encourages them and challenges them one more time.
We know that after he finishes this prayer, they will go out to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is arrested. Jesus will be crucified twelve hours later.
This final prayer is not just for his twelve disciples. This prayer is for each of us today.
Jesus final prayer is that God’s love will be a part of us.
Jesus wants all of us to experience God’s love deep in our hearts.
That is my prayer as well – that each of us will sense God’s love in our hearts.
It’s as if Jesus is laying his hand on your head and praying for each of you today.
I had the opportunity for that to happen at a Retreat I attended a few years ago. I sat in a chair while a dozen fellow pastors laid their hands on me and prayed for me.
Imagine Jesus doing that for you right now.
Close your eyes and bow your head as we imagine Jesus praying for us.
Picture Jesus reaching out and placing his hand on top of your head. Feel the pressure of that loving hand.
Hear these words spoken by Jesus Christ about you.
Dear Loving God,
I pray right now for these specific followers of mine. They are your beloved children. Remind them that I am with them even though they cannot see me with their physical eyes. I am truly with them and will always be with them.
God, you have loved me as your Son. I pray that you will love each of these followers as your children. And that your love will rest deep in each of their hearts. I pray that your love will be a source of peace and strength and calm deep inside them.
May they feel that love – inside them – even right now – in the quietness of this moment.
May they feel that love – inside them – in the midst of whatever trials and tribulations they may face in the days ahead.
Amen.
