A Shepherd’s Prayer for All Believers

John 17:20-26
Key Verse 17:20

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message...”

Once upon a time, the Apostle Paul said that he wanted to attain to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, by becoming like him in his death. What he meant was to say that the cross is the passageway in reaching the crown of the glorious resurrection. In today’s verses, Jesus offered a high priestly prayer right before suffering loss on the cross. Jesus’ heart could have been filled with dreadful thoughts of fear, pain, and agony. But he overcame them through faith in God’s absolute love and power. In his perfect knowledge of the love God had for him, he grew calm and offered prayer first for himself, then for his disciples, and in this passage, for all believers.

In this prayer, we can see the vision the Lord has for us. We then can adopt this vision as our own. In this vision we can overcome ourselves and this world. We can rise above the world of flesh and blood. Although we are in this world, we are not of this world. And since we are in this world, it behooves us to lead people out of this world into Jesus’ kingdom. In order to lead people to his kingdom, we need God’s vision, for vision is the key to leading God’s flock.

Isaiah 46:10 says, “I make the end known from the beginning.” Where did Jesus reveal the end? Here in the passage, in Jesus’ private prayer to the Father, right before crucifixion, he made the end known. John heard the prayer. He wrote it down. And now we study it so that we would know it. We can thus say that the vision Jesus is presenting is the most glorious vision of all visions. It is the true vision which will come true for Jesus who underwrote it with his own blood.

The Bible says that when there is no vision, people perish (Prov. 29:18, KJV). What then is this vision? Let us think about this as Jesus unravels it in his prayer for all who would believe in him.

First, “I pray for all those who will believe in me through their message” (20)

Look at v. 20. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” This passage is one of the best features Jesus built into his plan of redemption, that is, he chose to fulfill his glorious vision of salvation “together” with his disciples. The important point for us to remember here is that he did not do “everything” all by himself. Rather, he did what he could do, and left the rest of the matters in the hands of the disciples, while he himself retired to the role of an assistant. It has been said, “A truly great man is one who helps others to do great things, even greater than what he has been doing.” As far as this saying goes, Jesus truly served his disciples until they opened their eyes about the love and power of God. Now that his disciples came to know the greatness of the Father and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent, Jesus was ready to transfer the baton to his disciples. Eventually, thanks to this grace, the disciples had the opportunity to prove themselves. They then rose from the level of a disciple to the level of fellow brethren and heirs together with Jesus Christ.

When I went to Canada, I visited four UBF chapters - Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto Main, and Humber of Toronto. A lot of our missionaries in Canada, especially the male missionaries, are still struggling to get a job. Although a number of them have been in Canada for as long as a decade, they still have not yet been able to establish a stable career. Worse, due to the poor economy, they are still at the bottom of society, not knowing how to get on their feet financially. But still their spirit was very powerful. Even though they do not currently have any stable jobs, they know why they are there: they visit the college campuses and invite students to Bible studies. Their efforts have started to gradually pay off. Originally, the Canadian mission started out with a handful of Korean female missionaries going there as sewing machine operators. Now most of them have finished their college education. Their children are growing. Some of the male missionaries even have two degrees like a master’s degree in computer science and a bachelor’s degree in French. At the last Summer Bible conference, 205 people attended. And most of the 12 Canadian chapters invited local student leaders. Canada has 11 provinces. They pray to fully pioneer all 252 college campuses in 11 provinces. The vision to fully pioneer the Canadian college campuses and establish Canada as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation is not just a wishful thinking. It is increasingly becoming a reality. Humanly speaking, the Canadian missionaries look like a bunch of nobodies. But from a spiritual standpoint, they are real visionaries, bringing God’s vision into the hearts of college students who will sooner or later go out into the mainstream of Canadian society and fill leadership positions! Indeed, our Lord Jesus, who is truly great, uses our Canadian missionaries who likewise do not appear great in human eyes. May God bless Canada and all of the Canadian missionaries!  

Second, “that all ... may be one” (21)

What then is the point of the vision? What is the reason for Jesus having to make such great sacrifices? Why is it that Jesus, who is totally innocent, has to be hung on the cross and be crucified like the worst criminal? Why does he have to be a man of “sorrows”? Why did Father God will that the body of his son be crushed even to the point of no one being able to recognize him? Yet why is it that Jesus never talks about any of the great injustices that were about to fall on him, and rather kept talking about the vision that would come out of his great sacrifice? And what is the point of the vision?

We find the answer to this question in v. 21: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Here Jesus shares his daring vision. Why is his vision so daring? It is truly daring when we think about the two expressions: “that all of them may be one” and “just as you are in me and I am in you.”

Our hearts are overwhelmed when we think about reality and the world around us. In our society, as many are all too acutely aware, human relationships have become increasingly broken. The first day I arrived in Canada, as I got onto the train, we were provided with several newspapers. As I picked up the morning paper, the front page news report was really frightening. A father had murdered his six lovely children, and his wife was called to testify against her husband. The story was so horrible that I stopped reading it. Why is such a civilized society like Canada marred by such a horrible story, reading about it day after day in the newspapers? According to my own observation, the situation is not that much different among so-called “believers.” I have seen so many believing couples fighting with one other, on so many different occasions, and for so many trifling matters. I believe, and perhaps you would agree, that there are more power struggles inside of the various church organizations in our nation than in Washington, D.C. And a lot of them are so ugly that, if you were to bring them into the light, even Hollywood moviemakers would feel sick.

Indeed the vision Jesus shares is truly daring. “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” You know what? Here again we find further proof that Jesus is different from any one else. He is totally different from all of us. And as I read and meditated on this passage, one thing really struck me: Jesus is absolutely different in that he talks about complete hope even when the situation is totally hopeless. Yes, Jesus is completely hopeful when things look totally hopeless! And the most amazing thing of all?  It’s that he came up with a practical solution. When things become hopeless, people start looking for someone or something to blame. But Jesus is totally different. Instead of finding fault with anyone, he offers himself to blame; he thus takes away the basis for people to point fingers at anyone except at Jesus Christ. At the moment that the words, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” fell from his mouth, Jesus was ready to take upon himself all the blames which all the peoples of all generations would hurl at all others, including at God the Father.

Inasmuch as the seemingly perpetual habit of finger-pointing and buck-passing onto others is great, the vision Jesus came to fulfill in a realistic sense is far greater and far loftier. “I pray...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” In the middle of the prayer Jesus added the word “Father!” Then he continued on saying, “just as you are in me and I am in you.” A lot of people have a so-called “father” problem. To this very date God has sent me a lot of people who have a father problem.  I thus recognized that I myself had a father problem. But Jesus did not have a father problem. He enjoyed a perfect relationship with his Father. Why was he able to have such a perfect relationship with his Father? The answer is clear: it was not because his circumstances were favorable but because his faith was absolute. Depending on how one views the cup Jesus was about to drink, it might be plausible that the Father Jesus was calling was an abusive one, for which father desires his son to drink the kind of cup Jesus was asked to drink? But Jesus did not doubt his Father’s love. Rather, in the Father’s will, Jesus saw his Father’s great desire to bring all to him so that all would be one just as Jesus is in the Father and the Father in the Son! What a daring vision! Thus, when we have Jesus’ faith, we can no longer consider this vision a groundless one. This vision is backed up by Jesus’ great sacrifice which is in turn backed by Jesus’ great faith!  Let us pray to copy Jesus’ great faith!

Third, “I have given them the glory that you gave me” (22)

Look at v. 22. “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:”

This sentence has two parts, each linked by the word “that.” The word “that” is used to express the purpose of the first part. The first part reads, “I have given them the glory that you gave me...” The second part then reads, “that they may be one as we are one.” So the purpose Jesus had in giving the disciples God’s glory was that the disciples (and all who would believe in the Lord through their message) would be one just as Jesus and the Father are one. So we have this message: glory breeds then unity.

What does glory mean? Glory means “fame and honor won by great deeds; adoration and praise in worship; beauty and magnificence; a thing deserving praise and honor” (according to the Oxford American Dictionary). Jesus received this glory from the Father. Then Jesus gave the glory to the disciples. Jesus’ life thus far as it is recorded in the four gospels is summed up in what Jesus said here. For example, we know the disciples were political. They were no different than the politicians in Washington, D.C.  As natural born politicians they tried to knock down their competitors. But Jesus taught them something different. He said that the greatest one is the one who is the least and in fact the last, the servant of all. He then taught the disciples how to have an unworthy servant’s attitude, explaining that even Jesus the Son of God came to serve, not to be served. Indeed, demonstrating his servant-hood, as the disciples were seated around the dinner table, Jesus knelt down. He took a pan of water. And Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Then with a towel Jesus dried up their feet. Dictators do not do this. Only servants wash their master’s feet. Yet Jesus washed the smelly feet of his disciples, thus lowering himself to an unworthy servant’s position. This is a beautiful act of God. This is a powerful example of Jesus showing God’s glory to his disciples. Thanks to Jesus’ service, the disciples learned a truly beautiful way of serving others. As they learned the way of God’s beauty, they stopped becoming political. They started respecting others. Then later they formed a unity.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.” This vision is beautiful because it is based on God’s beautiful principle which turns otherwise ugly relationships into a beautiful unity of God!

Fourth, “let the world know that you sent me and have loved them” (23)

What then is the motive that under girds the vision? What is the driving force that causes the vision to come true? What puts the relationships together into one unity? Look at v. 23. “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Here the word “loved” is repeated twice.  Jesus used this word to say that where there is the love of God there is complete unity. This reminds us of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:16, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

By definition love looks to the interests of others. The love God has for his children is a selfless love, not a self-seeking love. In God’s dictionary love is equal to sacrifice. But no one can sacrifice as much as he or she desires. God is different. His love is without limit. So in this love, one can have the hope to form a complete unity with one’s neighbor. Jesus came to open up the channel of this self-less love. Then looking forward to the time when people would open their eyes about the kind of love God has for his children, Jesus prayed that the disciples would form a complete unity of love through the love the Lord God has for them. Having experienced this outpouring of God’s love, the Apostle Paul later said in Romans 5:5, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Thank and praise God for loving us so much as to love even the unlovable. As we practice this love God’s purpose will continue to be fulfilled among many in this dark, cold world.

Fifth, “I want them to be with me where I am” (24)

One of the most important points we need to understand in coming to the word of Jesus is the fact that the promises we have in Jesus are never a bunch of “wishful thinking” sorts of promises, but “realities” which have come true and will continue to come true in the days to come. Plus, the realities reflected in Jesus’ prayer come with tangible results. For this reason, we say that those who have faith in the Lord have all the promises of God, just as good as if they had cold, hard cash!

What then is the ultimate fruit Jesus desires to bear among all who believe in him? Look at v. 24. “"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” Here “glory” refers to the uninhibited glory of God as it was revealed in Jesus while he was here on earth. But although this glory was veiled, from time to time, it would miraculously shine forth and thus manifest itself. For example, once Jesus attended the wedding at Cana. There, Jesus revealed his glory by turning wash water into choice wine. Can you do that? I don’t think so. No one can turn a body of wash water into volumes of choice wine. But Jesus did thus showing that Jesus is God. On another occasion Jesus took three disciples to a high mountain. There his body was transfigured. His body changed so drastically that his disciples could not look at Jesus directly. It was dazzling white! The transfigured body of Jesus is truly amazing!

But here is something which is even more amazing than this. ”Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”  When God loves, he gives. And he gives what is best. See how much God loved Joseph (in Genesis) and see how much Joseph received. Consider how much God loved Daniel and how the Lord God exalted Daniel. And we know that God loves our Lord Jesus the most. Because of his love for Jesus, he gave Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). What does ‘all’ mean? All means all.

More amazing than this, our Lord Jesus, who is the embodiment of true love which is totally sacrificial, wants to share his glory with all who will believe in him! We can confirm this desire to share his glory with his bride in his prayer: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” Here the word “see [my glory]” means to personally experience it. Later in Revelation 4-5, the Risen Jesus revealed to the Apostle John the end times when what Jesus said here in v. 24 will come true. In Revelation 4-5, we see twenty-four elders singing a new song dedicated to Jesus the Lamb of God saying, "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." It is in this vision that we continually pray that the United States and Canada would be established as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation!

Sixth, “I will continue to make you known” (25-26)

Another reason why we say that the vision Jesus has for us is for real is because of Jesus’ on-going work. What do we mean by Jesus’ on-going work of redemption? Look at vs. 25-26. “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

As this passage says, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Then he rose again. Then he ascended into heaven. Then, as we see in the Book of Acts, the Risen Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with his disciples. In Acts 2:38, the Apostle Peter then said, “"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” As we have a fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and serve God’s mission for us more and more, we can have the assurance that Jesus’ hope for us is for real. At the same time, as we serve the Lord more and more, the Spirit of Jesus helps us to know God the Father better – his person and his purpose of redemption. Let us then pray to repent daily and live according to the Spirit of Jesus, who works in and among those who obey his will and purpose.

One word: Jesus prays for all who will believe in him.