“A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF JOHN” ST. JOHN 17:13-19

The Remarkable High Priestly Prayer of Christ

Part III

One prominent reason why Christ uttered this most sublime prayer in the hearing of His apostles was that they might be instructed and blessed therein; and that those who might believe will come to know that the Lord cares and He comforts His own!  Truly, in reading the wonderful prayer of our blessed Saviour, one prevailing thought obsessed my mind and heart: “The Lord is certainly interested in the welfare of His saints.”  As we approach this section, it was certainly beneficial that the disciples were comforted by the soothing words of Christ, especially in view of the fact of His passion; however as the disciples recall His words, they will experience the full extent of His joy (v. 13).

As Christ continued to intercede on the disciples’ behalf, He declared that He had faithfully delivered the word unto His disciples; however, He cautions them that they (disciples) were in danger because the world system dominated by Satan hated them (v. 14).  As present believers, we must understand that we are in the world, but not a part of the world; moreover, we are pilgrims and strangers on our way to heaven.  Our real citizenship is in heaven; thus, we are not a part of this ungodly world system (Philippians 3:20).  In verse 15, Christ prayed for the disciples’ protection even in the midst of a hostile world system.  It was not God’s plan to take them out of the world, but protect them in the midst of conflict.

As Christians, we must continue to allow our light to shine even in the midst of a dark and degrading society (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15).  The Lord is praying intimately in verses 16-17 that the disciples would be set apart (sanctified) from evil through the truth.  As believers in this age of grace, our lives are indeed changed and bring honor to God when we appropriate God’s word, which is the cleansing agent for our lives (Ephesians 5:26).

In verse 18, as the greatest Missionary of all, our blessed Lord was sent by the Father on a errand of mercy, declaring the infinite riches of God’s love and grace (Ephesians 2:4).  Just as Christ was an ambassador from heaven sent to declare the truth, we are also God’s representatives left down here to tell forth the gospel of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:20).  In a beneficial way, our Lord in verse 19 was sanctified in behalf of His disciples, for He dedicated Himself to die on their behalf so that they (the disciples) might be truly sanctified.  It is indeed wonderful to contemplate that our Lord had our best interest in mind, for He sanctified Himself that we might be set apart for His use.  May God truly bless!