"Jesus Prays for His Disciples"

 

verse 9: "I pray for them."

verse 11: "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you."

 

            At our prayer retreat in February at the St Mary's Seminary grounds in Mundelein, we spent some time considering the account of the storm at sea in the Gospels. While the storm raged, and the disciples were fearful for their lives, Jesus slept in the front of the boat. When he woke up, he stilled the storm and then wondered about their lack of faith. As we discussed this passage, we wondered about how the Lord watches over us, or if he does. How do we know if God is watching over us?

            In the next hour we were sent outside to take a prayer walk. The previous year there was a particular spot where I had happened on some deer, silently watching me, and I had not been aware of their presence until I was very close to them. So I walked the same route wondering if I would see deer there again, quite sure, with the deep snow of this winter, that I would not. When I got to that same place along the road, I looked up fully expecting to see nothing, and there was a large deer, looking right at me, yet completely silent. The deer had been watching me walk along the road, and I did not know it.

            Is that like the watchful Lord in our lives; quiet, observing and yet we hardly notice His presence? And if the Lord is indeed watching us, always aware of us, then how do we enter into a relationship with the Lord? Is there more than just observation going on?

            Jesus, going to the cross, prays for his disciples. There are two prayers that we find in the gospels that occur just before the arrest of Jesus. One is the prayer of agony in Gethsemane. It is a prayer of wrestling with the will of God. Jesus asks to have the cup removed if possible, and then comes to pray, "Thy will be done." This prayer is not found in the Gospel of John. In John we find a different prayer. Jesus, going to the cross, is returning to the Father. He is being lifted up – first on the cross and then in resurrection and then in ascension. He prays, not for his own struggle and impending death, but he prays for the struggles that his disciples soon will face. He does not pray that they might escape the hostility of the world, and he does not pray for victory or smooth sailing in life. The world is not a place of safety, nor is everything that happens here the will of God. But Jesus prays for the unity of the disciples as they live in the world. He prays for protection from the evil one so that they will not be lost, and he prays that they might have his joy and that they might know a life of holiness.

            As he prays for his disciples, we discover in verses 6-8, that he expresses a confidence in them that we might not feel.  After all, we read in so many places of their failures, their lack of faith, and their lack of understanding. They struggled with faith and they struggled with obedience, much like we do. But they belonged to Jesus, and they recognized that he came from God and his words were from God.

            "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

            The disciples were those who did believe and receive him. They had their times of struggle, but after the resurrection, their faith deepened in him. Thomas moved from doubting Jesus' resurrection to exclaiming, "My Lord and my God." Peter sat with Jesus on the beach and talked of his love for Jesus and the call to feed his sheep. So Jesus prays confidently for his disciples.

            We also can struggle with faith. We feel incapable of meeting the demands of the Gospel. Sometimes we get discouraged. Sometimes we fail, or feel we do. Jesus helps us here. When we accept Jesus' words, and believe he comes from God, he prays for us. He pulls us through. Don't feel alone or defeated in your faith. He is watching over you.

            Jesus is clear that the disciples are to remain in the world. They do not belong to the world and its values, but they must live in it. So he prays that they might remain united. This is not a future prayer that some day they might become united, but a present and continual prayer. The unity of believers is very important to Jesus. Sometimes we ignore his heart. It is easier to remain divided. We have been taught both by culture and church to separate when we have a disagreement. Jesus prays for our unity. Why? Because he wants us to experience the kind of relationship he has with the Father. It is hard to be united in faith. The divisions we feel are wide and long standing. Sometimes you can almost be made to feel disloyal when you work for unity among Christians. But I do believe that after a long history of division, we live in a time when we must work to swing the pendulum the other way.

            This is difficult work, and sometimes it can feel impossible. But I think we need to be present when there are occasions to show Christian unity. We need to be willing to participate together in mission and in serving God. We need to be willing to speak our convictions without taking sides that leads to separation. We need to be developing relationships both in our church among those of different generations or of different viewpoints, and also relationships with Christians of other traditions.

            Leon Morris writes, "The unity for which Jesus prays is a unity that rests on a common basic attitude, that of abiding in him and having him abide in them." The heart of Christian unity is when followers of Jesus draw close to Christ. When we are trusting in Christ, he draws us together. A big part of the renewal we seek in the season of Lent is reconciliation with each other through Christ. That begins with our own relationship of abiding in Christ.

            Next, Jesus prays for protection for his disciples. This is not protection from life in the world, or the dangers that we face in life, but protection from the evil one. Jesus saw Judas walk away. He saw one of his disciples have Satan enter into him and then go off to betray him. Jesus knew where the genuine battle was in life. Morris says that Jesus prays for his disciples so they would be "in Christ" and therefore "out of" the evil one.

            I know it has been hard for me to watch so many of my generation and of younger generations leave the faith over the years. This is a heartache for all of us. As we pray for one another we desire to understand why a generation of young people is drifting away from faith in Christ. We want to respond to those who are drifting. We pray for the young, for the vulnerable. It is helpful to read the prayers of Paul in his letters. He also was concerned to protect the believers. He prayed consistently that those in Christ might come to know him better. That is crucial at every step in life. Let us be a praying congregation, and one that seeks to understand and finds ways to respond.

            Finally Jesus prays for the holiness of the disciples, that they be sanctified. This comes through attention to the truth of the word of God.  Gary Burge writes, " 'Holy' refers to a life that is so aligned with God that it reflects God's passions completely. It means to be attached to God's purposes and presence." Leon Morris writes, "Their lives are not to be aimless. They are given a definite commission by the Lord. Their task is to discharge it."

            I was reading about evangelical churches in France in the latest Friends of World Mission report. France is one of the most difficult places in the world to carry on Christian work. Evangelism is all but impossible, and the society seems totally closed to the church. Out of 65 million people, 53 million do not have any contact with the Gospel. But surveys show that about half the population says they pray, although only 15% pray to Christ. So, the evangelical churches there have decided they must plant churches; they are committed to doing God's work and carrying out the commission of Christ. They are creative in their approach. They use the arts a great deal in presenting the Gospel. They are not discouraged.

 I also know a couple who serve with Campus Crusade in France. They invite neighbors and friends for dinner and conversation, they hold book discussions, and invite special speakers to come to home gatherings. They do not give up and they are hopeful. Leon Morris says that "The truth is to be done, and not just understood."

            The challenges are great, but we serve the Lord who prays for us, who is aware of us, who gives us his spirit. As we heard in the drama earlier in this service: "The power that was born over 2,000 years ago was not left back there. But is here. Now. Today. How then, Lord, do we connect?"

            Amen.