Jesus Prayed For His Disciples | John 17:6–19
Caleb Suko
Do you know what the following people have in common? Cristiano Ronaldo, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift
You probably know some or all of these names? What do they have in common? They are all what the media call “Influencers.” In fact if you look at a current list of the top social media influencers you will find them in the top 5. Together they have an audience of over 2 billion with Instagram and Facebook combined. I would bet that there are a few of you here who are following one or more of these people.
Now let me ask you why is being an influencer such a big deal? Why is it that so many people want to become influencers themselves? You see an influencer is one who can affect the behavior, the actions, and even the thoughts of others. So when Ronaldo smiles and shows us his black and gold underwear collection, those underwear fly off the shelves. Some estimate that Ronaldo makes up to 1.6 million dollars for each sponsored post on Instagram. But what if I told you there’s a more powerful way to influence and impact the lives of others. What if I told you that you can be a greater influencer than Ronaldo with his 517 million followers?
You’d probably think that I’m crazy but I’m not. As Christians we are all called to be influencers in a different way, in a powerful and lasting way. Unfortunately, many of us are not even taking this opportunity seriously. God has given us the opportunity to influence our friends and family through prayer. In our text today we will see how Jesus prayed for those closest to him and how that impacted their lives and the lives of millions, even billions of other people. Indeed we will see that prayer is millions of times more powerful than instagram, facebook, or any other social media. In what way is it more powerful? It is more powerful because prayer can affect the heart of man, it can change him and change his eternal destiny. Prayer can have eternal results and anything that can influence eternity is innumerable times more powerful than anything that can’t influence eternity.
Let’s look at how Jesus prayed for those closest to him and follow his example.
John 17:6–19
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.
8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
We need to pray for others
Let’s start with the simplest truth, if Jesus prayed for his disciples we need to pray for those close to us. It shows us that Jesus was not apathetic to the plight of his disciples, he cared deeply for those closest to him and desired their safety and their success. This prayer shows a heart of love for close friends. How amazing to think that at a time when Jesus could have been totally consumed by the suffering he would experience in the near future, he chose to spend significant time in prayer for his closest friends.
You may also be going through some tough times in your life right now but don’t let that stop you from praying for those close to you. The truth is, we don’t always know the difficulties of others. We can’t always see their difficulties and we may wrongly assume that they are OK. Sometimes we mistakenly think that our problems are bigger than the problems of our friends. This may not be true. But even if our problems are big, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be praying for others.
The truth is that God often does the greatest work in our own hearts when we come to him on our knees on behalf of others.
“I commend to you the importance of intercession in our prayers. We are all selfish by nature, and our selfishness is very apt to stick to us, even when we are converted. There is a tendency in us to think only of our own souls, our own spiritual conflicts, our own progress in religion, and to forget others. Against this tendency we all have need to watch and strive, and not the least in our prayers. We should study to be of a public spirit. We should stir ourselves up to name other names besides our own before the throne of grace… This is the highest charity. They love me best who loves me in their prayers. This is for our soul’s health. It enlarges our sympathies and expands our hearts.”
J.C. Ryle
May we feel the need to pray for others.
May we believe that praying for others is one of the greatest things we can do for them.
May we take time to pray for others.
2. Jesus’ prayed about their faith
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.
8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
Jesus begins his prayer for the disciples by talking about how he revealed the truth to them. You see before someone can really have faith they must have revelation. If we are going to pray for someone’s faith then we also need to be willing to help them see God’s revelation through Jesus Christ. We ought to be willing to share the truth of the gospels with them. Notice how Jesus’ prayer and his actions went together. Jesus didn’t just pray for his disciples and then sit around on his hands hoping that God the Father would do something.
Jesus knew that his most important task on earth was to reveal the Father. He came as the ultimate revelation. This is why the Apostle John calls him “The Word” in John 1:1. Jesus himself referenced Scriptures in the Old Testament which spoke about his coming as a great revelation.
Luke 2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
Jesus revealed perfectly the Father’s nature, will, and plan. Jesus often spoke of the fact that he and the father were one. Jesus called for faith in himself and said that he was the only way to the Father.
Hebrews 1:1–3
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Jesus knew that in order for his disciples to have a strong faith in God they must know the Son. Just a little earlier we see how he explains this to Philip. In John 14:8 Philip says:
“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Philip didn’t completely understand the concept of the Trinity, so Jesus explained to him.
John 14:9–11
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.
In the Son we see the Father because they are one. The Divine Trinity is The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons, one essence.
In our prayers for our friends, our family, and those close to us, let us remember to pray for their faith in God. This is the best thing we can do for them. This is what they need more than anything. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters, for our parents and children, for our friends and neighbors that they would truly know the One God and have a strong faith in him. Because, their faith is strong, if they are trusting Jesus for everything then we know that ultimately they will be ok! We know that God is on their side and he will work everything out. This is the main thing we should pray often for those that we love!
But if we are to pray this way, let us also do everything we can to spark their faith. Let us be a light of revelation to for them as we point them to Christ
3. Jesus’ prayed for them specifically
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
Jesus prayed more for his disciples than for anyone or anything else.
It is interesting that Jesus specifically says that he is only praying for the disciples here. May this be an example to our prayers. We need to pray narrow and wide. Jesus’ prayers will widen in the next section but for now he is focusing on the specific needs of his disciples. It is important that we have these specific prayers because everyone has different difficulties and troubles in their lives. When we pray for those close to us we can focus on those specific details of their life and bring them before God.
4. Jesus prayed for their spiritual protection
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
We live in a physical world and it can be a dangerous world. There is the danger of accidents, desease, crime, and many other physical dangers in this world. We can and should pray about these things, nevertheless, as we look at Jesus’ prayer here we see that he focuses on something entirely different. When Jesus prays for safety he is praying for spiritual safety.
We tend to fear the physical dangers of this world more than anything. Look at the fear in people’s lives caused by Coronavirus? Some people go to extreme measures to avoid all physical dangers. As Christians we must guard against this kind of fear and instead focus our attention on the spiritual dangers around us. The truth is there are far more spiritual dangers than there are physical dangers. I’ll say more, spiritual dangers have far greater consequences than physical dangers. We need to change our perspective on these dangers. We need to take the spiritual dangers more seriously and we need to pay less attention to the physical dangers.
Peter describes spiritual dangers this way.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
As we pray for those close to us let us pray for their spiritual safety. Let us pray for their spiritual protection even if it seems they have fallen away or betrayed us. It’s amazing to think that Jesus knew that all the disciples would betray him but still prayed for them.
Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
We must pray for those who may even betray us or leave us knowing that God can bring them back.
Jesus’ prayer for protection focused on spiritual protection
Jesus came in the name of the Father
John 5:43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
The power of the Father’s name is not some magical title that we must say in times of danger but rather it refers to the Father’s power and authority in our lives and in this world.
In the name of the Father we have unity. Unity comes from the common bond of belief in Jesus Christ. This is a natural spiritual unity that ties all Christians together. This unity would be important to them as they faced trials and persecution. Christian unity is often what gives us strength in times of trials and temptation.
Sometimes we think unity is just a surface unity of smiling at each other, but our unity is much deeper. Still sometimes we think unity means absolute agreement on everything. This is also not exactly the unity that Jesus is talking about here.
Christian unity is centered around Christ, is made possible by Christ, and always looks towards Christ. Christian unity is not “sameness” but rather “likemindedness”
We are like minded in our ultimate goals
We are like minded in our worship
We are like minded in our beliefs about Christ, sin, eternity, etc…
We are like minded in our life for God and for each other
As we think of the name of the Father we are reminded of his power, his authority, his promises, and his goodness to all to come to his name in faith.
Jeremiah 32:18 NIV — 18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty,
5. Jesus prayed for their joy
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
In a world where hate is all too common we are unique in our joy.
Let us pray for the full joy of those close to us and let us do everything possible to help them have that Joy in Jesus!
Joy isn’t just excitement or entertainment, joy is a deep heart condition of peace and closeness to God. True joy can’t be taken away but it can be given away. True joy grows stronger in difficulties and multiples in hardship. Let us pray for this kind of joy in the lives of our friends.
6. Jesus prayed for their spiritual growth
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Finally, we see Jesus praying for their sanctification. Sanctification is a big word that can sound very theological and churchy. Literally it means “to make holy”
To be holy doesn’t mean that you must live a boring life of a monk who never has any fun and spends 23 hours a day in prayer. A holy life is simply a life that looks like Jesus.
What is sanctification? Living like Jesus! Sanctification refers to Christian spiritual growth. We all must grow spiritually we do this in several ways.
- Through studying God’s Word
- Through application of God’s Word to our lives
- Through prayer
- Through worship
- Through fellowship
- Through service to others
Conclusion
Let us take seriously the task of praying for others.
Let us pray for their faith
Let us pray for their spiritual protection
Let us pray for their joy
Let us pray for their spiritual growth
