Bible Studies

---

The Gospels
John 17:20-26 – And Jesus Prayed…

Key Verses: (NRSV)

• 20: "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word." – Turns a final prayer outward, first of Himself, then His Disciples, and now to all those who believe throughout eternity.
  
  
• 21: "That they may all be one. As you, Father, 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." – One body, the body of Christ, unified by His love.
  
  
• 22: "The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one as we are one." – Christian unity is founded in and of the glory of God.
  
  
• 25: "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent Me." – The fullness of God and all of His glory can be found through Jesus Christ.
  
  
• 26: "I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved may be in them, and I in them." – Forever the teacher, Jesus prays to always be in the hearts of His faithful so that the world will come to know God.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Did you know that Jesus prayed for you? Reread these verses carefully with the understanding that this prayer from Jesus is for you. As you consider your weaknesses and shortfalls in life, are you newly inspired to know that Jesus is supporting you and your ministry in prayer? What can you accomplish with a prayer warrior such as Jesus behind you? Does it help with feelings of loneliness, despair or doubt? Are you strengthened when you realize that Jesus has prayed for unity among all Christians and through this unity, the Church, together is actively pursuing God's purpose and plan?
  
  
• Are you one in the Spirit? Or do the sounds of discord and divisiveness dominate within your faith community? As a leader in your community, what can you do to avoid being sidetracked by dispute or argumentation? How can you fill in the trenches of self-righteousness and break down walls of closed-mindedness? Do you see the importance of unity among believers as we witness to the power of God's love to the world and why Jesus made it an important aspect of his final prayer? How are you helping to unify the body of Christ? Are you praying for unity? Do you avoid gossip? Are you loving and accepting of others, including those with whom you disagree? Are you humble, setting aside your own agenda and listening for opportunities to grow together through the common ground of Christ's love?
  
  
• Does the world know God? Jesus says that we only come to know God through Him. Is He making a distinction between knowing God and the knowing of God? In the Bible we have been taught that the knowledge of God is written on our heart. Is this a knowledge that reveals all there is to know about God or is it possibly only a foundational awareness from which a hunger grows to know Him more? Does a faith in Jesus take the innate desire we all have to know God and lead us through the closed doors of our limited understanding by revealing, in the only way possible, a full and intimate knowledge of God?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

Jesus prayed. These are simple words that are often overlooked or considered obvious and, perhaps, even redundant. Of course Jesus prayed. He was a teacher, rabbi, and holy man. He had an intimate connection to God. Communication with His Father was expected. Jesus prayed; and yet, this was not just another prayer. Jesus prayed for you and me. In the Upper Room 2000 years ago Jesus knelt, opened His heart to God, peered through the ages, and prayed for us. He pulled back the curtains of eternity and asked God to insure the unity of all those who come to believe in Him. It is through this unity that the full knowledge of God is revealed. The world does not know God and it can only come to know Him when we, the church, are living in union with God through the love of Christ Jesus.

FUMC Devotionals

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE