Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

The final scheduled post for Maundy Thursday, it would be the whole chapter of John 17. Since I prefer to mix topical posts and expository preaching, I would like to write on John 17 in its entirety. It’s because the entire topic is what’s often called the high priestly prayer. This is an important lesson to show Jesus’ role as the high priest of the New Covenant. The Levitical priesthood was coming to an end. It was a shadow of things to come. This would be very important to reflect on this prayer that came before the Lord Jesus’ agony in the garden. This was a prayer set for Jesus’ followers. I haven’t bothered to write about this prayer. Now, I’m burdened to write about it.

The comments of great theologians of the priestly prayer, as revealed by the late J. Vernon McGee are:

“It is the most remarkable prayer followig the most full and consoling discoruise ever uttered on the Earth.”–Matthew Henry

“This is truly beyond measure a warm and hearty prayer. He opens the depths of His heart, both in reference to us and to His Father, and He pours the m all out. It sounds so honest, so simple. It is so deep, so rich, so wide. No one could fathom it.”–Martin Luther

“There is no voice which has ever een heard, either in Heaven or in Earth. more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime than the prayer offered up by the Son of God Himself.”–Philip Melanchthon

In summary, the prayer summarizes key themes from John’s Gospel. We must look at these with utter reverence. First, we talk about Jesus’ faithful submission to the Father. Second, the Son’s commitment to glorify the Father. Third, the election and protection of His disciples. Fourth, their witness a hostile world. Fifth their unity with Christ and with one another. Sixth, their glorious future that awaits them.

Jesus’ prayer for Himself (verses 1-6)

We take a look at the first six verses. Jesus was always ready to fo the Father’s will. The hour was oft His death was coming. I’m going to look at these important words that are spoken. We can read the first paragraph as:

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. 2 since you have been given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I glorified you on Earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify Me in your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.

Verse 2 goes back to John 6:37-44. No man can come unto Jesus except the Father grants Him. All who come to Christ will He no wise cast out. People can use that verse to defend the quasi-Arminiam or semi-Arminian view that people have the free will to come to Jesus. However, John 6:44, and 65, both say that no one can come unto Jesus except the Father draws them first. The doctrine of unconditional election would further explain why no one would accept the invitation, by default, and why no one is cast out who goes to Jesus.

In verse 5, the deity of Christ is further defended. This was before the foundation of the world. This would already prove Jesus existed before the world began. Even the introduction of Genesis shows the Holy Spirit at work. God the Father would’ve only spoken to the Son and the Spirit. John 1:1-3 says that by the Word, all things were made. I’m amazed how deist groups continue to try and explain it away with very mind-boggling explanations. In basic physical science and chemistry, matter is neither created nor destroyed. That means a self-existing God isn’t a scientific contradiction. The Universe was created by an uncreated God. I’m amazed how atheists claim to be scientific but can’t even follow the basics of science. Basic biology disproves atheistic evolution. Basic chemistry and physics prove neither matter nor energy is created or destroyed. The evidence is ignored because it’s inconvenient (Romans 1). Christ’s deity is always under attack because it’s a very important doctrine in Christianity. It’s either downplayed or denied outright.

Jesus’ prayer for the apostles (verses 6-19)

Now, we need to move to verses 6-19. Jesus emphasized that those who believed in Him for salvation, are given by the Father. An argument against unconditional election is often linked to free will. One problem many Baptist and Protestant churches have today is freewillism. I’m not saying that those who don’t adhere to Reformed Theology, aren’t saved. However, with the focus on statistics and aiming to win a specific number of people to Jesus before the year ends, it can cater to false converts. Fortunately, some of these churches still preach it hard enough that false converts leave. However, I do still want to raise the fact that believing in humanity’s limited free will to get saved, can be more dangerous than teaching that God has a chosen few for salvation. Jesus then affirmed their salvation in verse 8.

Jesus continued to pray because the disciples would be hit by various trials. It will be an arduous journey. What we need to see is that this was all well-prepared. There was no Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C because God is perfect. God isn’t like the gods of mythology who can make mistakes. Jesus asks the Father to have them kept safe.

We need to focus on verse 12. None of them are lost but the one doomed to destruction. The KJV uses the term son of perdition. The ESV uses the son of destruction. A look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3, we see the same title is used for the Antichrist. Judas Iscariot was called a devil at the end of John 6. There’s no reason to believe that Judas Iscariot was ever a believer who lost his salvation. Instead, Judas Iscariot was a fake believer, who sat with Jesus for 3.5 years, and still never got saved. The reason is that the other 11 weren’t given unto Jesus. Judas Iscariot was merely a pew-warmer, chosen so that the prophecies of Scripture would be fulfilled.

Jesus further affirms the sad facts. The world will hate the disciples because they’re not of the world the prayer is not to take the disciples out of the world but to protect them from the evil one. John Piper’s Desiring God devotional talks about being immortal, until the work is done. Jesus showed this by that He wasn’t going to die until the Father’s plan to have Him crucified happened. The same went for Peter. Peter was spared while James the apostle, not James the Lesser, was beheaded by Herod Agrippa. Jesus told Peter he would one day stretch out his hands when the other is old. Peter was to continue his ministry until he was old. Later, Paul would suffer a lot of things and only died when he was scheduled for beheading under Nero’s bloody reign.

The Word of God can be trusted. The Word of God is truth, therefore it can sanctify all believers. The verb sanctify can be found in verses 19 and 10:36, in John’s Gospel. All believers are being set apart and sanctification isn’t an option but an outcome. Sanctification is more than just mandatory in the Christian life. Sanctification will happen in the Christian life. Sanctification can only be achieved using the truth, which is the revelation that the Son gave regarding all His father had commanded Him.

Jesus’ prayer for all believers who form the church (verses 20-26)

To close, Jesus mentions that the prayer isn’t just for the 11 disciples alone. This would be evidenced that after the assumption into Heaven, more people joined the disciples. Mattias’ life isn’t so well-known. Paul would later join the ranks after he was rescued from his terrorist lifestyle in Acts 9. Barnabas and Silas both worked for Paul. We have both John Mark and Luke. This would be an effect of extending the prayer for all who would believe the Gospel.

The prayer for unity is next. Sure, Christians today can have various minor issues. I was amazed when I heard of how Revelation is somehow spiritualized by some Christians. The Reformers tried to portray the Antichrist as a dynasty of Popes, something I personally find to be a ridiculous interpretation. Some Christians are somewhat Arminian or better called, the non-Calvinist. However, some non-Calvinist Christians openly admit that they read Calvinist sources, and vice-versa. Living Word Christian Learning Center’s principal, Mrs. Ninfa Verano-Lumagbas’ husband, Pastor Leslie L. Lumagbas, is a KJV Only, non-Calvinist. Despite the differences, there’s still some form of unity going on. It was also that time I always assumed that Calvinists were automatically Presbyterians. It’s because John Calvin is often credited for Presbyterianism, more than his pupil, John Knox. Whenever I met a Calvinist, I’d say, “Oh! You must be a Presbyterian!” I would end up discussing the late D. James Kennedy to that person, firsthand.

Sure, Protestant Christians and Baptist Christians are divided organizationally. Even Baptists aren’t exactly united. We’ve got Reformed Baptists, Southern Baptists, Bible Baptists, and Fundamental Baptists. I used to think Living Word Christian Church was a Presbyterian organization. Jesus confirms that all the Father had given to Him would be with Him. Jesus affirms againt that the Father loved Him before the creation of the world. That would be Jesus affirming His deity once more yet it’s always under attack regardless. To conclude, Jesus requests that the love the Father has for Him will be in the believers and He Himself may be in them.