All Christians are aware of what is known as ‘The LORD’s Prayer’ which Jesus taught his disciples when instructing them on prayer.

However there is another Lord’s Prayer in the bible, of which fewer Christians are aware or ever read. It comprises the whole of the chapter 17 of the Gospel of John and is a very rich source of guidance for Christians today.

This is the prayer which Jesus spoke to His Father regarding His mission on earth.

For those unfamiliar with this prayer, let us first read it in its entirety to lay the seeds of understanding within us, of what The LORD wishes to teach us today.

¹Jesus spoke these words and lifted up His eyes to Heaven and said:
Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that Your Son also may glorify You, ²even as You have given Him authority over all flesh so that He should give eternal life to all You have given Him.
³And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
⁴I have glorified You upon the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵And now Father, glorify Me with Yourself with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
⁶I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave to Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷Now they have known that all things, whatever You have given Me, are from You.
⁸For I have given to them the Words which You gave Me, and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from You. And they have believed that You sent Me.
⁹I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
¹⁰And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I am glorified in them.
¹¹And now I am in the world no longer, but these are in the world, and I come to You, Holy Father. Keep them in Your name, those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are.
¹²While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those that You have given Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
¹³And now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world that they might have My joy fulfilled in them.
¹⁴I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
¹⁵I do not pray for You to take them out of the world, but for You to keep them from the evil.
¹⁶They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
¹⁷Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.
¹⁸As You have sent Me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.
¹⁹And I sanctify Myself for their sakes, so that they also might be sanctified in truth.
²⁰And I do not pray for these alone, but for those also who shall believe on Me through their word, ²¹that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
²²And I have given them the glory which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one, ²³I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.
²⁴Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me, that they may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You have loved Me before the foundation of the world.
²⁵O righteous Father, indeed the world has not known You; but I have known You, and these have known that You have sent me.
²⁶And I made known to them Your name, and will make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Here Jesus speaks and prays for all those whom the Father has given to Him. These do not only include the 12 disciples, but also the 70 other disciples (Luke 10:1) and others who remain unnamed in the Bible.

By extrapolation, this also includes us, if we are true disciples of Jesus.

Let us now look at the 10 characteristics of Jesus’s Disciples which define them in this prayer:

1 Jesus has manifested the name of God the Father to them:

v6 I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave to Me out of the world….
v22 And I have given them the glory which You have given Me ….
v23 I in them, and You in Me ….

2 They all belong to God the Father:

v6 … They were Yours ….
v9 … for they are Yours.

3 The have all been received and have kept the Word of the Father:

v6 … they have kept Your word.
v8 … and they have received them and have known surely…

4 The all know God and believe Jesus came from God the Father:

v7 Now they have known that all things, whatever You have given Me, are from You.
v8 … And they have believed that You sent Me.
v25 … and these have known that You have sent me.

5 The world hates them:

v14 …the world has hated them because they are not of the world …

6 They are not of the world, just as Jesus is not of the world:

v14-16 they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray for You to take them out of the world, but for You to keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

7 Jesus is glorified in them:

v10 … I am glorified in them.

8 God the Father gave the disciples & followers to Jesus ( 7 times ):

v2 … to all You have given Him.
v6 … They were Yours, and You gave them to Me …
v9 … but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
v11 … those whom You have given Me …
v12 ... Those that You have given Me I have kept …
v24 … I desire that those whom You have given Me …

9 Jesus has given them eternal life:

v2-3 … He should give eternal life to all You have given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know You ….

10 All those whom the Father gave the Son are kept and none are lost, other than Judas:

v12 … I kept them in Your name. Those that You have given Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

As we read the 10 characteristics of a Disciple of Jesus, know that these apply to us also. Interestingly Jesus did not pray for prosperity for His Disciples, but “that they might have My joy fulfilled in them.”

Next, Jesus does not pray for all mankind here but “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours …… but for those also who shall believe on Me through their word …” (v9 and v20)

For the blessings of Jesus to be given to the peoples of the world, there is only one way. That one way is through His disciples. Those who “… shall believe on Me through their word …” (v20)

This prayer aligns perfectly with the Great Commission which Jesus gave His followers when “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen’“ (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV) or put another way: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…. “ (Matthew 28:11ba-20a ESV).

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Biblical days of deception and persecution are upon this world and upon the Church of Jesus and things are only going to get worse.

I pray The LORD will comfort and strengthen you and deepen your faith as you go about the Commission of The LORD, without fear or favour.

Amen.

 

~ Angus MacKillop

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