“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you”
John 17:1
Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, prayed? Not just once or twice, but according to Scriptures, he prayed often. Mark 1:35 says, “Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Sometimes, as here, he would pray alone. But often, he would take one or more of his disciples with him, as we see in Luke 9:28 where it says he “took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.”
Prayer was a regular feature of Jesus’ life, especially when there was a need. For example, in Luke 6:12 when he was facing intense opposition from those who wanted to kill him, it says “he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” There are similar statements in Mt 14:23, Mk 14:21, Lk 3:21; Heb 5:7, etc. My point is that Jesus prayed! Prayer was a regular feature of His life! He prayed so often that his disciples were provoked to ask Him to teach them to pray – Luke 11:1, “Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus prayed! He didn’t see it as an optional extra, but as an essential part of life! If that was true for Him, how much more for us?
With that in mind, this morning we will begin looking at the longest of Christ’s recorded prayers found in John 17. This has traditionally called the “High Priestly Prayer” as Jesus prepares to go to the cross in order to make atonement for our sins. Here Jesus will pray (1) For Himself that he might be glorified and glorify God (vv 1-5); (2) For His Disciples to remain faithful to the end (vv 6-29); and finally (3) For all who will be saved (vv 20-26). There is much in this prayer for us to learn and to rejoice in as we listen to Jesus pray.
Oh! That God would give us a heart for prayer like His!
Pastor Scott