The Prayers of Jesus (Written by my Wife)

The Prayers of Jesus (Written by my wife)

In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and for all believers. Today,  I will explore the middle prayer for the disciples (verses 6-19). 

This is such a beautiful prayer, and there is nothing I can add to it.  How can anyone add to the words of Jesus?  Well, no one can, but this is merely my commentary.  

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."

Notice first that Jesus acknowledges that the disciples were picked by His Father, God.  I take the phrase "out of the world" to be mean just as II Corinthians 6:17 states, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”  His disciples were to be separate from the world; to live pure and clean lives as an example to those they taught. 

Next, it states that the disciples "kept Your word."  They received the words for Jesus as Truth from God, and they believed that Jesus and God (along with the Holy Spirit) are one with God.  Their beliefs remained steadfast and their conduct honorable; a goal I pray to emulate.  

" I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."

Here, Jesus acknowledges again that God chose the disciples for Jesus' mission and again reminds us that He and God are one.   

While Jesus is praying this heartfelt prayer, He knows He will soon be crucified.  In fact, right after this prayer, Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane.  Yet, in the midst of His fear, knowing what torture He was about to face, He takes the time to pray for His faithful followers.  He knows He is about to die when He says, "I am no longer in the world."

When Jesus asks God to "keep through Your name" the disciples, I believe He was asking God to bestow strength upon the mortal men to endure to the end.  Matthew 10:22 & 24:13, Mark 13:13 all state  that "he who endures to the end shall be saved."  In fact, when you finish reading this blog, look up the word "endure" on Bible Gateway or some other search engine and see how many scriptures remind us that we must endure, or  as Jesus also puts it, be kept in God so that we can become one with Jesus after we die.   

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

This section here is, of course, about Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus.  Yes, Judas' betrayal was predicted by David in Psalm 41:9 "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me."

"But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." 

These last sentences of Jesus' prayer are so rich and beautiful!  Jesus (as well as other writers of the Bible) reminds us many times over that we will be hated when we choose to follow Him.  However, Jesus did not pray that the disciples be removed to a separatist  colony to live in safe little bubbles.  No, instead He prayed for protection moreso spiritually than physically, which is why He asks His disciples be kept away from "the evil one" (Satan), so they would not fall away from their salvation.  Again, we are reminded that the disciples are to be an example of sanctification (or holy living) while they are a part of the world.  I am sure you have heard the saying, "be in the world but not a part of the world."  The diciples were called to minister and set up churches after Jesus died and rose again.  They had missions that went on after Jesus ascended back into heaven.  One cannot be called to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15) if one stays hidden away from those in need of the gospel!

We should all try to imitate Jesus' disciples.  As a Christian, being a part of the world does not mean we act and dress like the world, it means we have the courage to be separate in our lifestyles and actions.  Then we can be like the disciples and, most importantly, like Jesus Christ, and "be sanctified by the Truth" and be a light unto those walking in the darkness. 

Commentary on James 5 (Part Two)

^{Commentary on James 5 (Part Two)}

^{(James 5:12)} But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

James tells us to let your "yes", be "yes," and your "no", be " no", lest you fall into judgment. God's Word teaches us that no liar shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Telling the truth is most important for us to maintain our Christian witness, as well as our spiritual health. Our word should mean everything to us.

 The Jewish people of Christ's day would swear by everything, including their head, in order to make people believe what they were telling them. Christ, as well as James, was teaching them that this was wrong, because their honesty should be evident to all.

¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

If you are suffering from an illness, I suggest you seek the Great Physician, Jesus Christ for healing. Allow the elders of your church to lay hands on you, as well as anoint, and pray over you, for your healing. Be sure these are Godly men who lay hands on you, so demonic transference does not occur. Some ministers with a counterfeit, or familiar spirit, may transfer an evil spirit upon you.

 It is the prayer of faith that will move God's hand on your behalf. Christ told some that he healed, "Be it unto you according to your faith", or, "your faith has made you well." If you doubt, your sickness will remain. James also said that you sins will be forgiven.

 Christ told a paralyzed man that he healed, to sin no more, lest something worse come upon you.  (John 5:¹⁴⁾ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” In some cases sin will bring about a curse of sickness.

 However, we live in a fallen world and sickness may not be the result of sin. Christ was asked what sin a man committed that he was born blind. Christ told them that his blindness was not the result of sin, but that the works of God may be revealed in him (John 9:1-3).

 Walking in bitterness, or refusing to forgive others, may also prevent your healing. You must leave your gift at the altar, and make peace with your brother, before offering your gift before the Lord. This also applies to healing, you must make peace with others before being granted your healing. Divine healing occurs by the will of God, not man, so continue to seek God for his will and don't be discouraged. 

¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

If you have wronged someone, you need to confess your sin to them and seek their forgiveness, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. Forgiveness and reconciliation are crucial for both spiritual, as well as physical health.

¹⁹ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

It is a hard thing to confront someone about their sin, but you are doing them no favor by being silent. If you know someone bound by pornography, lust, jealousy, disruptive behaviors, or substance abuse for example, talk to them about repentance before God. If you turn the sinner from his ways, you will save his soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins.