Prayer in the Life and Ministry of Christ
In studying the prayer practice of Christ, we must first contemplate His unique nature. The Lord Jesus Christ was Deity as well as human. He was both the Son of God and the Son of Man, which immediately brings up four questions: To whom did Christ pray? Since Christ is God, was it God praying to God? Since Christ is God, was He praying to himself? Since Christ is God, why did He need to pray at all?
1. To whom did Christ pray? The record is very clear. Eighteen times the Gospels record that Christ directed His prayer to the Heavenly Father. In five of those instances He included a descriptive phrase or term, but there is no hint of any other object to whom His prayer was addressed: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matt. 11:25; Luke 10:21); “my Father” (Matt. 26:39, 42); “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36); “Holy Father” (John 17:11); “righteous Father” (John 17:25); and “Father” (Matt. 11:26; Luke 10:21; 22:42; 23:34, 46; John 12:27–28; 17:1, 5, 21, 24). In responding to the disciples’ request that He teach them to pray, Jesus told them to pray, “Our Father” (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2). Jesus, however, did not include himself in that prayer, nor did He ever include anyone else when He said, “My Father.” On a single occasion, Jesus addressed His prayer to God: “ ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ” (Matt. 27:46). This, however, was His way of claiming Psalm 22 as an expression of His feelings on the cross (see Ps. 22:7–8, 14–17).
2. Since Christ is God, was it God praying to God? The answer to this question is not as simple as the preceding one, because it enters the realm of a rather profound theology.
That Jesus was indeed God is soundly established in Scripture (see Matt. 1:23; John 20:28; Heb. 1:8). Nevertheless, He laid aside His glory (but not His Godhood) when He clothed himself with the mantle of humanity (Phil. 2:5–7). In His identification with us He was still fully God as well as fully human. But He accepted the limits of being in a physical body. Consequently, He used His voice to commune with His Father.
It should not be overlooked that there is an evident communion within the Godhead (see Gen. 1:26). The nature of this communion is surely beyond human comprehension, but it would seem in content to be something other than the recorded prayers of Jesus to the Father.
3. Since Christ is God, was He indeed praying to himself? Though we do talk to ourselves (e.g., Ps. 42:11), from our vantage point to pray to oneself would be an absurdity. As the Son of God, Christ is indeed God, but He is also the Second Person in the triune Godhead. No, Christ was not praying to himself, since each Person in the Godhead is a distinct Person; therefore, God the Son prayed to God the Father.
4. Since Christ is God, why did He need to pray at all? Although Jesus Christ is God, He was not only God while on earth; He was the God-Man. As God He did not need to pray (except for that communion and fellowship within the Godhead already mentioned), but being human, clothed with a body as a descendant of Abraham (Phil. 2:7; Matt. 1:1), prayer was as essential to Him as it was to Abraham and to all of his offspring.
Nearly fifteen centuries before the beginning of Christ’s ministry on earth, Moses announced, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers” (Deut. 18:15). The likenesses of Christ and Moses are numerous and striking. For example, both were miraculously spared in infancy from the wrath of a king, both became savior of their people, and both were described as humble (cf. Num. 12:3; Matt. 11:29).
Although we cannot pursue all the similarities between Christ and Moses, we do want to note the clear similarity in their prayer lives. As has been noted in chapter 2, Moses’ whole life was governed by and based on prayer. So it was with Christ. Prayer was prominent in every facet and phase of His life and ministry. Scripture cites numerous instances of specific prayer during the short three and one-half years of Christ’s ministry, but there is evidence that prayer was the very life-breath of Jesus, just as it was of Moses. Jesus lived a disciplined life. The Gospels note certain habits; one was regular synagogue attendance on the Sabbath Day, which, of course, included prayer time (cf. Matt. 21:13; Luke 4:16). It is not unreasonable to think that Jesus went daily to the synagogue or temple, depending on where He was, for a time of prayer.
Also supporting the idea of Jesus’ constancy in prayer is His forthright declaration to His disciples “that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). Furthermore, at the very outset of Jesus’ ministry, Scripture indicates His commitment to and dependency upon prayer. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). Other references show that this was a continuing discipline (Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; 9:8, 28). Furthermore, at significant junctures prayer played a particularly important part in His ministry.
Although there is no recorded prayer of Jesus before his water baptism at the Jordan, we can be sure that He prayed regularly. But it is appropriate that the first mention of His praying occurred at His baptism, at which time the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. Though every child of God should know how to address the Father, there should be something special about the prayer of the Spirit-filled Christian.
Jesus’ praying at His water baptism also indicates that baptism should be more than mere ritual, ceremony, or formality. It ought rather to be an occasion for high and holy communion with the Father, as it was in this instance. What Jesus prayed is not recorded, but it is of no small consequence that heaven was opened as He prayed and that there was a striking manifestation of the other members of the Trinity.
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21–22).
It should be noted that in numerous instances during the last century, scores of believers have been filled with the Spirit at the time of their water baptism. Although there is no other biblical example of this, there is no scriptural prohibition to disallow its happening.
After He was specially endued by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was driven by that Spirit into the wilderness (Mark 1:12), where he was tempted. There is no record of His praying on that occasion, but there can be no doubt that it was a time of much prayer. Scripture records that after the wilderness experience, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). Prayer alone provides power over temptation as well as power for ministry.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews records that Jesus “offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Heb. 5:7). Although the obvious reference is to His Gethsemane experience, it is not inappropriate to associate intense prayer with Jesus’ temptation experience as well.
Prayer Before Choosing His Apostles
Before Jesus selected His apostles, He prayed. The importance of the occasion is underscored by the extended period of Christ’s praying—all night. He was about to select twelve men who would become some of the most significant in history.
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles (Luke 6:12–13).
These men were to be foundation stones in the building of God (Eph. 2:20). They were to have their names inscribed in the foundation of the heavenly city (Rev. 21:14). Upon their shoulders would rest the formation and the future of His Church. They would not only share in His earthly ministry and be taught by Him personally but they would also be eyewitnesses of His death, burial, and resurrection. Beyond that, they would, almost to the last man, be called upon to forfeit their lives for the sake of their witness. The choices Jesus made would have eternal consequences. They had to be made with the counsel of heaven, not the counsel of earth (which too often uses the basis of outward appearance).
Although the content of Jesus’ prayer is not recorded, we wonder if the gist of it might have been much like the prayer of the apostles after Judas’ tragic failure: “ ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen’ ” (Acts 1:24). The outcome was clear; the Twelve were selected on the advice of heaven: “Simon [whom he named Peter], his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor” (Luke 6:14–16). It is doubtful, when scanning the pedigree of those chosen, that the same choices would have been made by one who had only an earthly viewpoint. Jesus’ long and serious praying gave Him the divine perspective that enabled Him to make His appointments unaffected by worldly considerations.
Some may wonder how, after all night in prayer, Jesus could have chosen one who would so utterly fail as did Judas. Did not omniscient God know that Judas would fail? And since He knew he would fail, why did He permit him to be chosen? Assuredly God in His unfathomable wisdom does not think and act as we humans might. He has said as much: “ ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ ” (Isa. 55:8–9). Moreover, we need to remember that His choice does not do away with the exercise of human will, nor does His call guarantee against future rebellion and failure. That He foreknew Judas’ fall is certain (Acts 1:20). That He calls people despite His foreknowledge of their rebellion and failure is clear. There can be no question that on another occasion He chose Saul, the son of Kish, to be Israel’s king (1 Sam. 10:1); yet Saul rebelled, failed, and was rejected (1 Sam 15:23).
The disciples felt that they knew how Jesus should spend His time, and those whom He should minister to. Certainly, they reasoned, children should be far down on the agenda. So they rebuked the parents and the little ones for getting in the way. What emotional scars those children might have carried away if Jesus had not intervened on their behalf, touching them in a way they would remember as long as they lived.
Little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there (Matt. 19:13–15).
Here we have not only a heartwarming scene of Jesus praying for little children who were brought to Him, but a beautiful precedent for all parents. As ambassadors of Jesus himself, parents and all who minister to children can love and bless these who are held in special care by God (cf. Matt. 18:5–6; Mark 9:42).
What kind of prayer did Jesus pray over the children? We are not told. We read only that “he placed his hands on them.” And since the children were brought to Him “to place his hands on them and pray for them,” it seems obvious that He did indeed pray. The custom of the time would indicate that the prayer was some form of blessing. It may well have been spontaneous, or it could have been the very benediction that Moses instructed Aaron and his sons to pronounce upon the children of Israel: “ ‘The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give your peace’ ” (Num. 6:24–26). How the lives of the children touched by Jesus on this occasion must have been affected! Is it too much to think that some of them may have become stalwarts in the Early Church?
Prayer on the Mount of Transfiguration
The praying of Jesus on the occasion of His transfiguration is of particular interest. By this time, the cross loomed large in the panorama of His earthly mission. His popularity with the crowd was waning, and He had already foretold His frightful prospect (cf. Luke 9:22). Shadows of a nighttime experience were beginning to deepen about Him.
Perhaps His climb up the mountain with the three disciples was not unlike that of Abraham’s climb up Moriah, when he was divinely directed to offer his one and only son. Surely there was an uncommon and awesome atmosphere, with perhaps little conversation and none of the excitement that comes from ministering to multitudes. Yet they were on the threshold of experiencing the most unusual and remarkable prayer session they had ever attended. Never before nor since has there been such a prayer meeting on this earth.
As with several other singular occasions in the life of Jesus, no written record reveals the content of the prayer. Gibson speculates:
[M]ay we not with reverence suppose that on that lonely hilltop, as later in the Garden, there might be in His heart the cry, “Father, if it be possible”? If only the way upward were open now! Has not the kingdom of God been preached in Judaea, in Samaria, in Galilee, away to the very borderlands? And has not the Church been founded? And has not authority been given to the apostles? Is it, then, absolutely necessary to go back, back to Jerusalem, not to gain a triumph, but to accept the last humiliation and defeat?1
Jesus went up the mountain not to commune with Moses and Elijah, though He did talk with them about his departure (literally His “exodus,” His death, resurrection, and ascension). His real purpose was to speak with His Father that He might draw divine strength into His own spirit. The transfiguration prayer of Jesus had a lasting impact on His three disciples. Never again would they be the same. When John the Beloved declared, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), he was, at least in a measure, making reference to that unforgettable hour on the mount. Peter likewise declared the profound effect of the experience on him when he wrote: “He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain” (2 Pet. 1:17–18). Even beyond its deep influence on the three disciples, that prayer experience has cast its awe-inspiring rays upon Christian pilgrims from that day until this.
The prayer Jesus prayed for Peter (Luke 22:32) should encourage every believer, no matter how weak or flawed one may feel. As we wrestle against evil and spiritual wickedness, often in our own desires and lusts, the possibility of spiritual victory seems remote and unlikely. But Jesus knows the strength of the test and will not permit it to overwhelm us (1 Cor. 10:13). He told Peter of His faithful support (calling him Simon rather than Peter, for he was hardly a rock when in his own strength he tried to stand against Satan): “ ‘Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers’ ” (Luke 22:31–32).
The occasion of the Master’s praying was the impending failure, so frightening and tragic, of one of the three in His inner circle. Jesus knew exactly what lay ahead, though Peter himself could not even fathom the possibility. He replied, “ ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death’ ” (Luke 22:33). Not only was he naïve, oblivious to his weakness, he was also unaware that there was one seeking to devour him. Nor did he have the faintest notion of how God, in His pure wisdom, allows Satan to place His servants in the sieve of testing, for their own ultimate good. Satan had, no doubt, obtained permission to do this very thing, hoping to bring about the downfall of one of Christ’s chosen (Luke 22:31; see also Job 1:6–12; 2:3–7). But though Peter was about to fail miserably, Christ would not forsake him. Though His words to Peter were a blunt prediction of failure, they were spoken from a compassionate heart that was determined to bring Peter through to victory.
There is in Peter’s experience a sobering lesson for every believer. All are in some way vulnerable to enemy ambush. None dare think for a moment of being above failure. The possibilities for and propensities to evil are enormous—error, unbelief, pride, vanity, selfishness, self-centeredness, worldliness, intemperance, impurity, and all the sins of the spirit. Regeneration is not a guarantee against Satan’s attack and devices. Yet what encouragement, comfort, and consolation spring from Jesus’ word to Peter “I have prayed for you”! If Jesus would pray for Peter, is there any reason to believe He will not do the same for all who follow Him? “He always lives to intercede for them,” points out the writer of Hebrews (7:25).
Jesus’ prayer for Peter deserves careful study. It is significant that He did not ask the Father to let Peter escape Satan’s sifting, or that he would not fail. If the Great Intercessor relieved us of all moral responsibility, guaranteeing that we would never fall, we would be mere puppets, bringing no pleasure to our Creator. Though we are utterly weak in the flesh, we must learn even though it be through our failure, that there are resources available to us. What we must do for ourselves, God will not do for us. The Scriptures show the way. “ ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak’ ” (Matt. 26:41). “If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13). “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Gal 5:16). Jesus’ prayer for Peter was brief and simple, yet heartening: “that your faith may not fail.”
What one does immediately after failure bears heavily on one’s ultimate direction. Then it is that the mettle of an individual is tested to the limit and the true condition of the heart is revealed. When we see ourselves for what we are, we are tempted to lose faith in ourselves as well as God. Consequently, the all-compelling concern of Jesus was not Peter’s immediate failure, but its possible fruit. Failure in testing can lead to failure of faith, which in turn can lead to the ultimate disaster, as was the case with Judas (Matt. 27:3–5).
One might question why Jesus did not pray for Judas as He did for Peter. Could it be that God, whose view penetrates the depths of the human heart, saw in Judas a heart sold-out to the Satanic purpose, while in Peter, though he too failed, He saw a heart desiring to fulfill the divine will? Whether we can fully comprehend Jesus’ reason, we can rest assured that He prayed according to what He knew was His Father’s will.
There can be little doubt that Peter’s faith was tested to the limit. Had he not boldly denied his Lord? Had he not been the ultimate traitor? Had he not done in cowardliness what he had so brashly announced he would never do? Indeed he had, and without doubt Satan sought to capitalize on it. Yet Jesus had said, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”
Possibly that prayer became its own answer, for it is not difficult to imagine Peter, adrift in despair, suddenly remembering the very words of His Lord whom he had disgraced. They must have rung in his heart. They were words of faith to him, turning on again the light of hope in his soul.
The outcome of this prayer of Jesus cannot be measured. Peter’s restoration was complete. His faith did not fail. He was not destroyed; instead, he went on to fill his high apostolic office with distinction and to strengthen his brothers, as his Master had directed.
In the raising of Lazarus from the dead, one of Christ’s greatest miracles, we find a manner of prayer different from that accompanying any other of His miracles. The Jews were unable to deny the reality of His miracles, so they ascribed them to the power of the devil. But by praying to the God of heaven, addressing Him as Father, Jesus boldly proclaimed that His miracles were performed by power from above. “Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me’ ” (John 11:41–42, NKJV). Public prayer need not be profound and lengthy if private prayer has been made in advance. Jesus had known for possibly four days (John 11:39) that Lazarus was dead. Much of the intervening time was no doubt occupied with prayer, especially the night hours. Jesus’ use of the past tense (“I thank you that you have heard me”) indicates that before the public prayer was ever uttered, private prayer had been made—and answered. There was no shade of doubt in Jesus’ mind.
Martha felt certain that the normal process of decay was already far advanced in the body of her brother. But there is no confirmation that such a stench had permeated the sepulcher. Is it possible that the process of putrefaction had been halted through the earlier private prayer and that the body was awaiting the moment of the public miracle?
The confident testimony of Jesus, “I know that you always hear me,” affirms that the prayers He prayed were submissive to the divine eternal will. So He could say later, “ ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you’ ” (John 15:7). In other words, if your desires are submissive to the divine purpose, there is nothing, neither material nor spiritual, that God is not prepared to give. This is the key to receiving answers to our prayers. We must pray in private until we know that our requests are in harmony with the divine will. This truth sheds meaningful light on the questions of prayer and the human nature of Christ. When we understand the principle of harmony between our requests and submission to the eternal will and purpose of God (as Jesus most perfectly demonstrated), the place of prayer in the life of Christ and in our own spiritual life is clearly seen.
“I know that you always hear me” beautifully portrays the divine communion between the Father and the Son. Indeed, there is never an impediment to the perfect alignment of their will and purpose. Even Jesus’ cry on the cross “Why have you forsaken me?” was an expression to fulfill the entire Psalm 22. No satanic effort can ever short-circuit that eternal relationship of “God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side” (John 1:18). As the Father heard the Son always, even during His earthly mission, so we can be certain He hears Him now, as He is seated at the Father’s own right hand in heaven. What confidence then is ours that His intercessions avail for the petitions we place in His hand, for Him the Father hears always.
Jesus looked up to heaven, invoking the supreme God before the disbelieving Jews so that they might know it was God’s divine power, not a satanic counterfeit, that was working the miracle. At the same time, in addressing the Father, Jesus sought to increase the faith of the multitude in the power of the Most High God. The result of Jesus’ prayer was immediate and, no doubt, utterly astonishing to all present, for in front of their incredulous eyes stood a man who had been dead and in the grave four days.
Especially noteworthy is the fact that at the tomb Jesus did not pray for Lazarus to be raised to life. He had done that earlier, and when He arrived at the grave site, there was not even a vestige of doubt in His heart. His prayer was only thanksgiving. How glorious for the child of God is that experience of absolute assurance born in prayer, nurtured in thanksgiving, and brought to fulfillment at the strategic moment.
Not only was Lazarus raised, but a greater concern of Jesus was fulfilled: “ ‘That they may believe that you sent me’ ” (John 11:42). Just a few verses later, John records, “Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him” (John 11:45).
Nevertheless, the outcome of answered prayer sometimes has negative aspects since not everyone has faith; such people often view the outcome through a different set of eyes.
Some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “ ‘What are we accomplishing?’ they asked. ‘Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation’ ” (John 11:46–48).
Those who pray are well advised to keep in mind this frequent response of skeptics and workers of evil.
Prayer for Himself and All Believers
An aspiring pianist once desired to take lessons from the great master Paderewski. Although he was enrolled as a pupil, the chief lesson he received was the privilege of watching and listening to the great pianist practice. This inspired him to practice. In John 17, we are privileged to listen in on “the true Lord’s prayer.” In what more meaningful way could we gain some of the most profitable lessons in the art of prayer, lessons that can inspire us to pray?
The occasion of Christ’s high priestly prayer (John 17) is not recorded. However, some possibilities have been suggested by various expositors. Some feel that Christ concluded the solemn time of the Last Supper (at the Passover meal) with the prayer. Others speculate that the prayer was voiced in some area of the temple as Jesus and His disciples stopped there. No matter what the occasion may have been, the prayer is one of the most significant of Holy Scripture. It was only a matter of hours until Jesus would give His life as a ransom for many.
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.… 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.
“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.… They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believerd 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. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.…
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you 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. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:1, 4–6, 9–26).
J. C. Macaulay calls this prayer “the sanctum sanctorum of Holy Scripture.”2 We, like the disciples, listen in on intimate communion between the Father and the Son just before the offering of the divine sacrifice for our salvation. It seems almost irreverent to analyze such a prayer, but it is only as we dwell on the content of the prayer that we appreciate its full meaning. We come to it as worshipers, not as grammarians or lexicographers dissecting each inflection.
As the Master prays, three primary concerns occupy His mind: (1) His own glorification (vv. 1–5), (2) His immediate apostolic group (vv. 6–19), and (3) the many believers yet to come (vv. 20–26).
Jesus’ central concern and all-encompassing plea in the first section of the prayer (vv. 1–5) is His own glorification. He anticipates the restoration of a condition known to Him “before the world began” (v. 5) but laid aside during His pilgrimage on this earth.
“Glorify” comes from the Greek doxazō, which means “to praise,” “honor,” “magnify,” or “clothe in splendor.” Our Lord himself provided an insight into the profound depths of His plea for glorification when He prayed, “Glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you” (17:5). Although the word “glory” has numerous facets, or shades of meaning, and various applications, depending on its setting, Jesus applied it here to the glory He shared with the Father.
Consider also Paul’s vivid portrayal of Jesus’ condescension (Phil. 2:5–8), or “deglorification,” whereby, in some incomprehensible way, Jesus laid aside His glory in behalf of His mission of redemption. By the time of this prayer, even though His passion was yet ahead, Christ considered His mission already accomplished. He was anticipating that highest of expectations—His “reglorification” and return to the Father’s throne where He remains as the God-Man in heaven.
Not to be overlooked is the necessity of His glorification. His longing for His original state was not mere selfish desire. Just as His deglorification was essential for the salvation of the world, so His reglorification was essential to the welfare of His body, the Church. According to John, the glorification of Jesus had to precede the sending of the Holy Spirit as Comforter, or Helper. “Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (John 7:39).
Should we, like Jesus, pray for glorification? J. C. Macaulay observed, “Such a request would be altogether inappropriate and irrelevant on our lips, in any circumstances.”3 Yet we wonder if in some sense such a prayer might be acceptable, for it seems that Paul had the glorification of human creatures in focus when he wrote:
The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:21–23).
Paul also says, “Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49). This does not suggest, even remotely, that believers will be glorified as Jesus was when He returned to His exalted position as very God in heaven. Nor should we pray for such glorification; yet it suggests that we might well pray to bear His likeness now and that we will experience an ongoing glorification throughout eternity (cf. Phil. 3:21).
The second section of the prayer (vv. 6–19) may be described as a prayer for preservation. First, Jesus recounts the process by which His closest followers were brought into an intimate, holy relationship. “ ‘They have obeyed y our word’ ” (v. 6); “ ‘I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them’ ” (v. 8); and “ ‘they believed that you sent me’ ” (v. 8). The lesson is obvious. Those who desire the highest revelation and insight into the divine realm have a role to play themselves. They must accept and obey His Word, and they must believe in the One who has given the Word.
The focus of this prayer was not the world, but the disciples: “ ‘I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me’ ” (v. 9). We could clarify the meaning by simply inserting “now” into the text: “I am not praying [now] for the world.” His intercession at this time was pinpointing those who were already given to Him and had chosen to believe in Him. What a great consolation for every true believer!
A famous race horse of years ago was considered the most valuable horse in the country. His keeper loudly proclaimed his virtues, letting it be known that not even for a minute, day or night, was the horse without a human eye watching him. To the Lord we are far more valuable, for we have eternal value. His eye is always on His children. Christ’s central concern was the keeping of His own after His departure. The work He had begun in and through them had to continue. Paul also reflected similar concern for his immediate followers (see Acts 20:25–32).
Spiritual leaders must always show a concern for those they have touched for Christ, though they may be separated by great distances. The means of the keeping is shown in the petition, “Protect them by the power of your name” (17:11). Jesus had been protecting them—even when they thought they were protecting Him.
Now, when that fortress was removed, they would feel the ringing blows of their real adversary. And yet the words of life were alive in them. And these precious powerful words and the transferred guardianship back to the Father would deliver Jesus’ ragged and frightened little expeditionary force through the D-day of spiritual warfare and muster them into a vast and willing army of powerful spiritual warriors that would rock the world!4
Verses 12–15 are a plea that the Father would continue what the Son had begun: I have kept them; now You keep them. “ ‘While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.… My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one’ ” (vv. 12, 15). Here is great encouragement for every believer. All who desire to be kept will be kept. So also those who deliberately choose not to be kept will not be kept. The “one doomed to destruction” (v. 12), Judas, was not so by divine determination, but by the direction of his own will. “God, we infer, could have brought about God’s purposes without the sacrifice of Judas. Judas, Caiaphas, Pilate, the crowds—and we, no doubt, if we had been there—however, lent willing hands.”5
Escaping from the problems of life was not in Jesus’ mind, though it does at times plague the minds of His followers. How much better we think it would be to flee than to fight. How much better the glorious new world than this troublesome old world. Paul described the dilemma well: “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Phil. 1:23–24). Likewise, while the world with its animosity and evil is a dark threat, the believer is the means necessary for dispelling that darkness. For this reason, Jesus’ prayer is a pattern for our daily prayer.
The third concern of Jesus included us (vv. 20–26). He was interested in those far beyond His immediate circumstance, in fact, to the very end of the Church Age: “ ‘for those who will believe in me through their [the disciples’] message’ ” (v. 20). Whether we are aware of it, that prayer reaches all the way to each of us present-day believers. Our prayers are usually confined to the present, or, at best, to our lifetime. The lesson here is that we might enlarge the vision of our praying, reaching beyond our generation and encompassing all believers, to the end of the age.
Ray C. Stedman expresses his concern “how to convey something of the gripping reality of the requests of Jesus—something of the intense practicality of what Jesus is saying. I am so afraid that we will listen to these words as we would to beautiful poetry or a moving drama, and entranced by their familiarity and beauty, fail to realize that Jesus is actually praying for us here—for what he prays for his disciples he prays for us.”6
The scope of the intercession now enlarges. Although earlier in His prayer Jesus declared he was not praying for the world (v. 9), He here definitely concerns himself with the world: “ ‘that the world may believe that you have sent me’ ” (v. 21). Although Christ’s intercession is primarily for believers, it recognizes that sinners become believers through faith in the divine Son of God and His redemptive work.
To comprehend the glory of the Son is to understand the very essence of the unity of Father and Son: “ ‘the glory that you gave me’ ” (v. 22). Glory may be defined as the manifestation of the nature, character, and being of God. It is reflected in God’s image. Jesus understood that the glory which made Him and the Father one would also make His followers one in fellowship with the triune God and with each other. “[We all] are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). Can the believer pray any greater prayer than to ask that the image and glory of God be formed in himself and in all members of Christ’s body? Surely there is no more powerful means for gaining the eye and ear of an unbelieving world than for God’s image to be fully reflected in His children.
Inherent in God’s nature is His supreme love. When demonstrated in believers, that love, Jesus realized, would convince the world that God had indeed sent His Son as an expression of His love. Here is the unparalledled means to world evangelism—the love of God manifested in believers, between believers, and through believers. Carrying God’s love to the sinner should be the prayer concern of every believer, even as it was of Jesus.
Preceding His arrest, Jesus went with His disciples to Gethsemane. On this occasion of the overwhelming agony of our Lord, the inner circle of disciples—Peter, James, and John—failed the Master miserably. Not only did they miss the significance of the hour and the great test Jesus was facing, but they also failed to prepare themselves for the testing that was yet ahead for them.
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing (Matt. 26:39–44).
Never has there been a prayer time to match this one. Though the most committed of His disciples were nearby, Jesus had to carry His burden alone to the Father. It was night. The very atmosphere was heavy with foreboding. Mark records that He “began to be deeply distressed and troubled,” “overwhelmed with sorrow”—what an awful hour for Jesus!
What could have reduced the One who had “authority to lay [His life] down, and … take it up again” (John 10:18) to such an unfathomable distress? What could cause Him to pray as He did that dreadful night? In Jesus’ own words, it was “this cup” (Matt. 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:20, 42). We can only surmise what made that cup so frightful. Surely it was not simply the prospect of His physical death; if that were so, many of His followers faced death with greater courage. Furthermore, He had come into the world to die.
The strong implication is that the cup was full of iniquity: the sins and guilt of the world. All the horrible sins of humanity were in that cup. What was happening there was likely foreshadowed in Leviticus:
“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert” (Lev. 16:20–22).
As He faced Calvary, the Son of God was confronted with the indescribable prospect of becoming the Scapegoat for all sinners, past, present, and future. There, too, Isaiah’s prophetic insight found its fulfillment: “The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). Little wonder, then, that the horror-filled prospect and the tortured praying caused blood to spring from the Savior’s pores (Luke 22:44).
The contents of Jesus’ three successive prayers on this historic occasion are almost identical. Note the similarity of Matthew, Mark, and Luke:
First Prayer: “ ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’ ” (Matt. 26:39). “ ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will’ ” (Mark 14:36). “ ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done’ ” (Luke 22:42).
Second Prayer: “He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done’ ” (Matt. 26:42). “Once more he went away and prayed the same thing” (Mark 14:39).
Third Prayer: “So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing” (Matt. 26:44).
It is noteworthy that only on this occasion did Jesus address God as He did here: “My Father” (in Matt.) or “Abba Father” (in Mark). One cannot help but feel the anguished appeal of Jesus’ soul as He calls upon the only Source of help for Him. But Jesus qualified his request with, “ ‘If it is possible.…’ ” (Matt. 26:39).
With God all things are possible. But it was not possible to take away that cup of woe if men were to be saved.… God will not always take the cup of suffering from us. It may be necessary that we should suffer, for our own good or for the good of others; our sufferings may be contained in God’s eternal purpose. Yet we pray for their removal.… Only we must pray all the Lord’s prayer, not part only.… “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.”7
What was the outcome of Jesus’ unprecedented prayer? The author of Hebrews tells us: “He was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Heb. 5:7–9).
Luke provides a further aspect of the event: “An angel … strengthened him” (Luke 22:43). Although there was no way for both the cup to be taken away and the will of God to be accomplished, there was a way for the cup to be borne so the will of God could be done. It is still the same for us today.
Only three brief prayers issued from Jesus during the horrible ordeal on the cross. In the first we see utter distress over what appeared to the (man) Christ Jesus to be total abandonment by God; in the second we note His compassionate concern for those who so maltreated Him; and in the third we see His declaration of total abandonment to God.
The first prayer on the cross came near the end of the crucifixion: “ ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ” (Mark 15:34; see also Matt. 27:46). Experiencing an awful darkness, an almost unbearable physical agony, and a sense of total aloneness, Jesus cried out; in all likelihood, everyone at the scene heard Him. We wonder if those who heard Him ever forgot that anguished cry. For certain, the heart of God must have been torn at that pleading utterance. Yet, to complete redemption’s plan the Father had to allow His Son to pass through those dreadful moments. There may still be times when God’s servants sense a similar loneliness, if Paul’s experience is any indication (see Phil. 3:10).
The prayer, though only a short sentence, provokes the most sober thinking. Had God really forsaken Him? Does God ever forsake His own? Though the Father could not embrace the sin and iniquity His Son bore in our behalf, He still loved His Son. The one who can so call upon God has His presence even when feeling abandoned. The Father responds to the faintest cry or to the most desperate plea. Only the one who cares not about being abandoned is truly alone.
Jesus’ cry, which quotes Psalm 22:1 in the Aramaic, was also a way of His claiming Psalm 22 as an expression of his suffering on the cross. The psalm should be read with this in mind.
His prayer of desperation was heard (see Heb. 5:7). The awful agony of feeling abandoned was short-lived. It lasted only as long as the purpose of God required. When moments of deep distress visit us, we must remember: God does hear.
The second prayer from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34), is a revelation of the very heart of God, a heart overflowing with compassion for His enemies. Certainly it inspired Stephen’s conduct before his executioners (Acts 7:60) as well as Paul’s instruction to the Romans (12:14): “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” And it vividly portrays the kind of heart God desires to see in all His children.
The third prayer on the cross was also very brief: “ ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ ” (Luke 23:46). Having prayed those words, Jesus breathed His last. Here is a prayer that few will ever pray, although some have. John Huss, taunted by his enemies as he made his way to be burned at the stake, spoke out with sure faith and theological accuracy: “I commit my spirit into thy hand, O Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed me.” Although we may never at the point of death find occasion to pray these same words, we may make the commitment of our lives every day that we serve Him.
1. What reasons did Jesus have for praying regularly?
2. What does Jesus’ prayer for Peter teach us about His intercession for us?
3. What does Jesus’ prayer at Lazarus’ tomb teach us about the relation between public and private prayer?
4. What aspects of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 can we apply in our own praying?
5. What was in the cup that Jesus spoke about in His prayer in Gethsemane?
6. Does God every really abandon or forsake His own?