Last week we looked at the first five verses of John chapter 17, Jesus’ final prayer to the Father before He was arrested. The chapter is divided into three sections: Jesus’ personal message to the Father about sharing their glory (vs. 1-5), Jesus prayer for the apostles (vs. 6-19), and Jesus prayer for all other believers (vs. 20-26). Today, we’ll look at the second part, Jesus prayer for His apostles.
First, we see that the Father gave “the twelve” to Jesus as disciples to spread the Word throughout the world (Matt. 28:10-20). Aside from Judas Iscariot, this was always their mission, whether they recognized it or not. After all, Jesus spent their time together teaching and training them to do that very task to come.
These were Jesus’ friends, men who eventually saw that they were not just learning a new way of life but would be sharing that with others. Mark 6:7-11 (ESV) 7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”
They were forewarned of the trials they would face, but all stayed the course: John 15:18 (ESV) “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” But Jesus prayed that the Father would watch over them and protect them (vs. 19-20), and Jesus prayers are always answered.
The work the apostles did, and the work we do for Christ, glorifies Him (vs. 10). As we saw last week, glorifying Jesus is sharing who He is, that He is God: John 14:9 (ESV) 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? To look into Jesus’ face was to see the face of God.
I have to note that Jesus uses two terms for the Father in chapter 17: Holy Father (vs. 11) and Righteous Father (vs. 25). These titles are found nowhere else in Scripture. There are contrasts drawn by Jesus for both of these. In verse 11, Jesus speaks about being in the unholy world but will soon be in the presence of the Holy Father. In verses 25-26, Jesus is comparing the righteousness with which believers are held to who they/we were prior to our faith in Christ.
Jesus prays for the apostles’ protection from the world, so that the world will have those who carry the message of Christ. He would no longer be physically with them to protect them. The world hates us and fears us at the same time, but God will watch over us.
Why is this important?
Jesus’ prayers are always answered. While we will serve Him while we’re in the world, we needn’t be afraid. Until it is time for us to go and be with Him, we are invulnerable. We need only read the Book of Acts to see how Peter, John, and Paul were treated but not killed for preaching the gospel. What was their response to this treatment?
2 Cor. 4:16-18 (ESV) So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
1 Peter 4:16 (ESV) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
Revelation 1:9 (ESV) I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
With all we know these men went through, we can be sure Jesus was praying for their protection until their hour had come.
