John 17:6-11

Yesterday, we looked at the first part of Jesus’ prayer, in which He prayed for Himself - that the Father would glorify the Son, so that the Son would glorify the Father. We need to remember that this is the same prayer time that is mentioned in Luke 22, Matthew 26, and Mark 14. It was prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. According to Courson, Gethsemane means olive press, where olives are crushed to release their oil. Courson writes, “The crushing, the pressing Jesus endured in Gethsemane as He was about to feel the wrath of His Father for the sin of all humanity, so far exceeds anything we can even begin to comprehend that it is rendered incomprehensible.” (Courson P. 407)

We know from these passages that Jesus prayed that the Father would take away the cup of suffering He was about to drink. But He also prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will...” In Luke it says, “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) I believe that Jesus was in anguish, not just because of what He was facing personally, but because of what He knew the disciples, and all believers would face. So, as we look at the rest of this passage in the next few days, let’s keep that in mind. He was so impassioned about what He was praying, that He was in anguish.

After praying for Himself, this is the first part of His prayer for the disciples:

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.  Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.  For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.  I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.  All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.  I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. (John 17:6-11)

What jumps out at me immediately is that Jesus specifically said, “I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me.” Jesus was focused on those who believe - in this section, the disciples. Although we know, from John 3:16, that “God so loved the world...” Jesus was only praying for those the Father had given Him - the “whosoever believeth” from the rest of that verse. The whole world does NOT believe in Jesus Christ, and this is NOT a universal prayer here.

And more importantly, what is it that He prayed? That “they may be one as we are one.” This is what He agonized over for us. Unity within the Church is a huge part of our witness. Our unity is found in our understanding of who Christ is and what He accomplished on the cross. Most other issues are the minor things we not only disagree about, but what we form churches around! They are they things that divide and destroy our witness to the world(baptism, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, what day to worship, how to worship, how to take communion, what communion means, etc.).

Years ago, when I was new to the interdenominational group, Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), our teaching leader asked everyone to shout out the names of their particular churches. It was massive confusion, with an unintelligible sound. Complete discord! Then she asked us to shout out the name “Jesus Christ.” It was a clear, beautiful act of worship! When we unify around the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son, our witness is powerful. But when we let denominational arguments get in the way, we make anything but a joyful noise to the world! Jesus agonized over this, because He wants us to glorify our Father in heaven!

More tomorrow, but I want to give a tremendous praise report. I asked you to pray for Celeste, a fellow teacher friend who was hospitalized in great pain, because scar tissue was blocking her intestines (by the way, her previous surgeries that lead to the scar tissues were for cervical, not breast cancer, and C-section). Anyway, God heard and answered our prayers! The problem is gone, and Celeste is home. She texted me this message this morning, “Thank you so much! I am so humbled and thankful for everyone’s prayers and kind thoughts. The week was scary and yucky, but each day I tried so hard to stay in prayer, keep reading His word, and have faith that He would heal me. Praise God! What a lesson I learned in faithfulness! I can’t thank you enough for keeping me in your prayers...” Thank you, God!!! I am going to visit Jacob this afternoon, so I will give you an update later. Thank you, prayer warriors!!!
 

John 17:1-5

This morning we come back to John’s Gospel at a most precious place. When we last left this book, Jesus had just completed His last teaching to His disciples. There was an urgency in the teaching, because Jesus knew He was about to die. Now, in this chapter, Jesus turns to His Father. This is the prayer of a dying Savior. How blessed we are to be able to listen in to the most intimate prayer of the Son. We know that what He says here is of eternal importance, so let’s pay especially close attention.

According to Jon Courson, in his Application Commentary: New Testament, this passage was the favorite of the Scottish reformer, John Knox, who called it the “Holy of Holies in the Temple of Scripture.” Courson writes, “So much did Knox love this chapter, as he lay on his deathbed, he had it read to him over and over again.” (P.572)

As we look at this amazing prayer, let’s think about another point Courson makes: “Prayer is not the way to get God to do our will in heaven. Prayer is the way to get man to do God’s will on earth.” And Jesus was all about doing His Father’s will. We will spend some time in here, so let’s first just look at the initial verses:

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.  For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:1-5)

The words “glory” or “glorify” appear five times in this short passage. It is really what Jesus’ entire life and ministry was all about: glorifying the Father on earth - revealing or illuminating His nature and person to the world. Even in asking that He, the Son, would be glorified, His purpose was that God the Father would be glorified through it - even though it meant a horrific death on the Cross.

I’ve underlined the second and third sentences in my Bible, because the statements seem so significant to me: Jesus is the one who gives eternal life to those whom the Father has given Him. First, Jesus is not just a messenger or teacher - He’s the Giver of eternal life! And second, it is not given to everyone - but to those whom the Father gives to the Son. John stated in the first chapter of his Gospel, “Yet to all who received him [Jesus], to those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) You aren’t born naturally as a child of God; you become a child of God by believing in Jesus Christ.

In fact, that is the exact statement Jesus made in this prayer in the third verse, when He said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Knowing God, having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - THIS is eternal life. Jesus is saying in these first verses that He glorified the Father by making Him known to those the Father gave the Son. That was His number one purpose: making the Father known. And He asserts in the opening of His prayer, in the fourth verse, that He had completed that work! He had COMPLETED it!

I see two very important applications here: first, we are to glorify the Father, NOT ourselves, in all that we do; and second, we are to complete the work He has given us. Courson reminds us that Jesus said, “Let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Whatever you do for the LORD should point people to Him, so that they think, “Wow! God is amazing!” It’s why He chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

Finally, when we know God has given us a task to do, we need to complete it. Jesus was able to say He had completed all He was supposed to when He was on the cross. He said, “It is finished!” - not, “almost done!” Don’t we want to be able to say that on our death beds???

So much here, and we’re only getting started! So glad to be back in His Word!  

Much needed prayer!

Hello, dear friends! I am somewhat overwhelmed today by the needs for prayer that I’ve been faced with in the past few days. I hate to burden you all, but for those of you who are prayer warriors I just thought I’d share some special needs:

First, two former students of mine, both high school freshman now, have serious health issues. Gavyn, whom I’ve mentioned before, continues to be plagued with kidney problems. He as been in and out of the hospital and a few weeks ago was back in because his transplanted kidney is not working well. Please pray that he will be completely healed! And I just received an email last night from Jacob’s mom telling me that Jacob was just diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s! He is currently in CHOC in Orange, receiving massive chemo. Again, Jacob needs a miracle, so pray that Almighty God will touch Jacob’s body and completely restore his health. Pray for the families of these two boys (especially the moms), as the stress and worry naturally overwhelm them. Pray for peace and rest as they look to God to provide all they need.

A sweet teacher friend, Celeste, who joins us for Bible study here, was treated a couple of years ago for breast cancer and is in remission. However, she just went into the hospital a few days ago in great pain because she has scar tissue from the surgery that is actually invading her intestines. Please pray for wisdom for her doctors and for relief from pain for Celeste.

Speaking of kidneys: Karen, one of my favorite former parents (I had her older daughter, Kristen, in first and fifth grades – now 25) learned last year that her kidneys are only working at 10%. She has been on the transplant list at UCLA, and just learned that Kristen is a match and will donate a kidney to her mom at the end of this year. Please pray for them both as they prepare, and pray that Karen’s kidneys will remain stable while they wait. Karen, too, is a reader with us here.

Please pray for the husband of my dear friend, Marie. Greg had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus last week and was doing really well, until he started feeling “cramps.” Luckily he thought to take himself to the emergency room Thursday, while Marie was in her classroom preparing for school in a room that had no cell coverage! Turns out he has some deep vein blood clots! So now Marie is the “nurse” giving him heparin shots twice a day to break up the clots! Greg will be taking coumadin for the next six months. I told Marie that I’m sure he feels like he’s sitting on a ticking time bomb, but my husband assures me that the heparin therapy will do its job. Please pray that the clots completely dissolve QUICKLY and that Greg and Marie will have total peace!

Another sweet friend (remaining nameless to all but God), just found out she has cancer in the uterine wall. She will be seeing an oncologist this week for further testing and to plan for her surgery and treatment. Pray for wisdom for her doctors and for peace for my friend.

Baby Royce continues to need our prayers although he is growing well and is a very happy baby. He has a long road ahead, but God has been so faithful.  I will get an update on Valen for you this week.

Finally, I have asked for prayers for my sister, Jodi, for a year and a half now. You may remember that last year, within 24 hours, she learned she had multiple myeloma (a form of bone cancer) and that her 35 year old son, Justin, had died of sudden cardiac arrest. She spent all last summer in isolation in the hospital as she went through a stem cell transplant and chemo, while trying to somehow come to grips with the tragic loss of Justin (he left a beautiful wife, Stephanie, three precious young boys and had a daughter on the way – who was later born last August). She was back in the hospital this summer for a second batch of stem cells and more chemo, and recently returned home extremely exhausted. In the meantime, she has lost two very close friends – one just last week. It’s all just so much! Please pray that this last treatment will complete the job of healing. Pray that God will continue to lift her up and be her strength, hope, and joy. And because her immune system is so compromised right now, please pray that the LORD will protect her from any bugs! So many needs, but one HUGE God!  

Summer is over! School starts Wednesday!

Where have I been??? Spending lots of time with family! Although the weather doesn’t show it, fall is definitely here! The smell of “freshly sharpened pencils” is in the air (that’s a quote from the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie, “You’ve Got Mail”)! School starts next Wednesday, and we will be starting back in the Gospel of John. We will begin in John 17, and I can’t wait!

God has been teaching me so much this summer, but the main theme has been to trust Him! I argue so much less with Him than I used to, because I have seen His faithfulness proved over and over. I will be teaching a new grade level this year (fourth instead of fifth), and can see God’s hand so clearly in moving me. I will remain at the same school and in the same classroom, so the changes will be just curricular. This old dog is ready to learn new tricks!

As I start the school year, I’ve been thinking about all that goes on within a classroom and on a playground, so when my daughter, Molly, asked me to write a guest blog on her blog site, I reached back to when she was in school to offer some tips to moms about letting God be God in their children’s lives. Please take a look: click here for Let God Be God in the Life o Your Child
Meanwhile, I’ll be meeting you in the morning again starting next week! So much to learn!  

John 16:29-33 I'm back!

Been crazy busy and doing little trips filled with hard labor! I’ve been really missing my morning quiet time!!! Today we finish up chapter 16 and then go into chapter 17 to listen in on the amazing prayer of Jesus before His crucifixion. That will be sacred time! But I did not want to miss these last few verses of chapter 16, when Jesus ends the preparation of the disciples for what is ahead. When we left off, the disciples were about to make their declaration of understanding:

Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.  Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” 


“You believe at last!” Jesus answered.  “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. (John 16:29-32)

They claim to understand, and yet Jesus knows they will scatter in fear. My sense is that they understand more with their heads, but it hasn’t gripped their hearts yet. It will take the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit to embolden these men. The statement, “You will leave me all alone,” really speaks to me. Jesus would be abandoned by His closest friends. When we feel far away from God, it is NOT because He has moved! How often do we abandon Him, because we are just too busy to take time for Him. That has been my experience since summer started: so many distractions and being pulled in so many directions! I’ve really missed my time with Him!

Note, however, that He tells them He is NEVER alone, because His Father is with Him. [There was only one point when He would be feeling separated from His Father - when the sin of the world was laid upon Him.] This was another statement that really jumped out at me. I have several friends who seem to be walking their journeys alone (some even in their marriages). And yet, the Father is with them, and He has enabled them to find their joy in Him.

Finally, as Jesus closes this discourse with His disciples, He explains why He has felt it necessary to prepare them:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (v.33)

The next few days for the disciples would be filled with fear and confusion and even a sense of hopelessness. There would be great trouble and trials in their future, as in ours. This is one of those “promises” of Jesus that people don’t want to claim! We WILL have trouble. But we can take courage and have peace in the midst of all of our trials, because Jesus has overcome the world!

Oh, if we could just grasp that! Yes, we are in the midst of spiritual battles. We have financial worries, serious health problems, marital conflicts, children who are rebellious, and a world in political, social, and economic turmoil. How do we find peace and joy in the midst of all of this? We remember that the end of the story has already been written. Jesus has won the victory and overcome! This should give us courage and peace! God is sovereign, in control, and His Kingdom will come! Hang onto that assurance! It is our great hope!  

John 16:23-28

Today’s passage I find somewhat difficult, so it surprises me when the disciples declare in verse 29 that they finally “get it.” I’m thinking at that point, “Really? Because I’m a little confused!” Thank you to Jon Courson for helping me through the first verses of this passage! He doesn’t really touch on my questions for verses 25-28, so I’m relying on the Holy Spirit for clarity here. See what you think...

Jesus is encouraging the disciples by assuring them that their grief at his departure will be replaced by joy. First joy in knowing that their pain will be transforming, and next, as we’ll see in today’s passage, joy because they will have the power of answered prayer.

In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:23-24)

Many people seem to take this promise to mean that you can request ANYTHING and force God, like a genie, to answer your prayer so long as you tag “in Jesus’ name” at the end. But what does it really mean to pray in His name? Jon Courson says it means two things: in His authority and in conformity with Jesus’ character.

Praying in Jesus’ name means that I don’t come to the Father with my own authority or counting on my own righteousness to seal the deal. Courson writes, “... when I approach the Father in heaven, I don’t come saying, ‘Did You see how long I prayed last week, Father? Fourteen hours logged in, eighteen chapters read, twenty-two verses memorized. On that basis I come to You with these requests, and I’m sure You’ll give them to me.’ No, I simply come on the authority of the name I’ve been given to use: Jesus’ name.” (Courson, P. 571)

We pray in His name in conformity to it. My prayers need to be in line with Kingdom values. They need to reflect the heart of Christ as it is revealed in the New Testament. My pastor is currently doing a series that will continue through the year called “Reading the Red.” We are looking at everything Jesus said to discover His will. Learning what His Word says is how we will know whether or not our prayers are in conformity. For sure I know that when I ask the LORD to help me love someone or to forgive someone, I know I’m praying in His will. When I pray that someone will come to know the LORD, I know I’m praying in His will. When I pray that my coworker who hurt me will suffer, I know I’m NOT praying in His will!! :)

Jesus tells the disciple that when we receive what we ask for in His name, in His authority and in conformity to it, our joy will be complete! There is no greater joy than knowing we have pleased our Father by our prayers! And He delights to answer! This seems clear to me from the next verses:

“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.  In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.  No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.  I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (vs. 25-28)

The Father delights to answer our prayers because He LOVES us - and that is because we have loved the Son and have believed in Him. This is John’s constant refrain in His gospel. We are made right with God when we BELIEVE in Jesus - in the fact that He is the Son of God and God the Son, who died for our sins, was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of the Father. And when we pray in the authority of His name, and in conformity with His character, the Father answers.

 Now I thought those were difficult passages, but apparently the disciples claimed to finally understand. We’ll see next time if that is truly so! In the meantime, I have a new appreciation for that rote, “in Jesus’ name” that we ritualistically tag onto our prayers. I’m going to try to be mindful of what I’m saying, what it means, and the power behind it!  

John 16:16-22

I’m so grateful to be back from Washington, DC! I was a delegate to the NEA (National Education Association) Representative Assembly, which included about 8,000 delegates (mostly teachers) from all over the country. It was a long week of meetings from 7:00 am to about 6:00 pm. Delegates had one day for sightseeing - the rest was business! Thankfully we were in air conditioning, because the temperatures ran from 98 - 104, with LOTS of humidity. Great fireworks on the 4th! I was reminded at this convention that teaching is not what I DO, it is who I AM. I love that!

But I feel like I’ve been in a desert and am so glad to be back into God’s Word!!! It’s been a while, so just want to remind you that in this chapter Jesus is speaking to his disciples as He prepares them for His arrest and crucifixion.

“In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”  They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” (John 16:16-18)

Jon Courson, in his Application Commentary, finds humor in the fact that the disciples start murmuring in confusion to one another, rather than taking their questions directly to Jesus: “Here the disciples are discussing things about Him when they should have been talking to Him... I’m always amazed at how ready I am to talk to another person - when it is the Lord alone who knows the solution.” (Courson, P. 570)

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?  I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.  A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.  So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (vs.19-22)

Courson points out that the disciples had left everything (family, friends, business) to follow Christ for three years, and now He’s telling them He’s leaving them. No wonder they were confused! But Jesus affirms that the grief they will feel will eventually be replaced with joy. He uses the illustration of the woman in childbirth who is suffering great pain in the process. In fact the very thing that is causing the pain is what will bring her great joy. Here’s where Courson makes a remarkable observation that blew me away!

“Yes, there’s pain and struggle, perspiration and anguish. But yet it’s the very object that produced the pain that provides the joy when the baby is finally born. In other words, Jesus says, ‘My leaving, My being crucified, My death is going to cause you great joy when you see me again in heaven, when you finally understand it was necessary for Me to go to Calvary in order that your sins be forgiven completely.’

“When you go through pain, the Lord does not take away that which caused the pain and replace it with something else to bring joy. It is not substitution, but transformation as He produces joy with the very thing that once caused pain.” (Courson, P. 570)

Here’s what I take from this that I find mind-boggling! It is NOT the answer to prayer that produces the ultimate joy; it is the need for prayer (the situation that makes us turn to Him), the struggling in prayer, the WAITING for the answer that is what transforms us and actually brings joy! All of those things that have been negative and hurtful in our lives - the disappointments, the struggles, the betrayals, the losses, the financial and health crises - these are what God uses in our lives to transform us and make us people God can use for His glory and our joy.

Courson uses the example of Joseph in the Old Testament. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused and thrown into prison for years, then finally brought to the place of second in command in Egypt so that God could use him to save the Jewish nation, from which the Messiah would come! Joseph utters one of my favorite statements in all of the Bible when, facing his brothers and looking back on it all, he declares, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen 50:20)

Joseph did not merely put a happy face on the situation. He acknowledged the evil intention of his brothers. What they had done was WRONG! However, Joseph saw that the sovereign God of the universe works ALL things together for good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) That was the key to Joseph’s being able to forgive and love his brothers freely.

What struggles have you gone through that have been excruciatingly painful? What betrayals have been unbearably hurtful? In your struggle to overcome or forgive, don’t be looking for something to REPLACE the hurt, rather look to the object causing the pain and ask God to help you see it with His eternal perspective, so that you may find joy in your transformation! God will use the very thing which causes the pain to bring great joy to you and glory to His name! Amen?