Hi folks
Please find my notes on our first Lent Week's study on Prayer. I was supposed to share it earlier, so my sincere apologies for the delay. The service is still online via our Youtube channel (Youtube)
We studied John 17 before we considered how to approach prayer. Please find below some thoughts on John 17 - in much more detail than we shared in the service. As I was about to ordained as a priest in June 2010, we used this prayer as the basis for our Quiet Day. In preparation for this, I did quite a bit of reading around the chapter, hence the depth of the notes. It remains one of my favourite passages in the whole Bible - Jesus prays!
"There is no voice which has ever been heard, either in heaven or in
earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime, than this prayer
offered up by the Son of God himself." (Melancthon) - I concur completely!
John 17 - Jesus' Great Prayer
A. Jesus prays concerning Himself.
1. (1a) Introduction.
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:
a. The Bible is filled with great prayers. We are impressed with Solomon's prayer (1 Kings 8), Abraham's prayer (Genesis 18), and Moses' prayer (Exodus 32), but this prayer is by far the greatest recorded in the Bible.
b. "There is no voice which has ever been heard, either in heaven or in earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime, than this prayer offered up by the Son of God himself." (Melancthon)
c. A person's innermost being is revealed by genuine prayer; this is an unique opportunity to see the nature and heart of Jesus. In this prayer, Jesus will touch on many of themes developed in this gospel: glory, glorify, sent, believe, world, love.
d. Jesus lifted up His eyes when He prayed. This is a posture that we don't usually associate with deep prayer. We tend to bow our head and close our eyes. This shows us that we should never confuse the non-essential customs of prayer with the essential aspects of prayer.
2. (1b) Jesus asks to be glorified.
"Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,"
a. Father, the hour has come: Before, His hour of glorification (beginning with His death) had not yet come (John 2:4; 7:8; 7:30; 8:20). Now, the hour has come.
b. Glorify Your Son: Jesus prays first for Himself, but His petition is anything but selfish. His concern for Himself is actually a concern for the glory of the Father.
i. "It will bring no glory to the Father is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is not acceptable, or if the Son is not restored to his rightful place in the presence of the Father's unshielded glory. That would mean the divine mission had failed, the purposes of grace forever defeated." (Carson)
c. The hour has come . . . Glorify Your Son: It is the cross (see John 12:27-33, 13:30-33, 21:18-19) that will glorify the Son. The cross is utter humiliation to the world, but an instrument of glorification in God's eyes.
i. Are we willing to embrace the glory of God, even if the world sees it as humiliation?
d. That Your Son also may glorify You: How does the cross glorify the Father? "The Son glorified the Father by revealing in the act the sovereignty of God over evil, the compassion of God for men, and the finality of redemption for believers." (Tenney)
3. (2-3) Jesus speaks of the source and nature of eternal life.
"As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
a. You have given Him authority over all flesh: Jesus claims awesome authority, "authority to determine the ultimate destiny of men." (Takser)
b. That He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him: Jesus Himself is the great and exclusive channel of eternal life.
c. And this is eternal life, that they may know You: Eternal life is found in an experiential knowledge (ginosko) of God, and revealed in Jesus Christ.
i. Life is active involvement in an environment; death is the absence of that active involvement. Eternal life means that we are alive and active to God's environment. If our lives are not dominated by God and the spiritual environment, we have the same life as animals, and are dead to God and His environment.
4. (4-5) The request is again stated, full of faith: Glorify Me.
"I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."
a. I have finished the work: Jesus, with divine confidence and assurance, sees the work on the cross as already finished.
i. Even so, God sees the work of transformation and perfection as already completed in us, before the fact.
b. The glory which I had with You before the world was: This prayer could not come from Jesus if He were not Yahweh Himself, equal with the Father. In Isaiah 42:8 and 48:11, Yahweh proclaims that He shares His glory with no one. If the Father and Son share their glory, they must both be Yahweh.
B. Jesus prays concerning the disciples.
1. (6-8) Jesus speaks of His mission among the disciples and their reception of it.
"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them,and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."
a. Having taught and encouraged the disciples as much as He could on the eve of their despair, Jesus now does the great thing: He commits them to the Father in prayer.
b. I have manifested Your name to the men: Jesus did not simply teach about the name (character) of God, He manifested (displayed) that character.
i. "God is love" or "God is holy" must be lived as well as believed. Jesus did both for His disciples, and led them into both believing and living what was right before God.
c. They have kept Your word: When we think of all the failures and disappointments from the disciples, this is a kind assessment of Jesus. He generously judges His disciples.
d. They have known surely that I came forth from You: They may not understand everything, but they believe in the Divine origin of Jesus and His teaching.
2. (9-10) Jesus directs His prayer.
"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them."
a. When Jesus says I do not pray for the world it is not out of unconcern for the world's plight. It was because of a focus on His own disciples. "He was praying for the instrument He was creating, through which He would reach the world." (Morgan)
b. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine: Anyone can say to God the Father all mine are Yours but only Jesus could say and Yours are Mine.
c. I am glorified in them: No one should be glorified in the believer other than Jesus. Leaders have a tendency to glorify themselves in their followers, but it should only be Jesus.
3. (11-12) Jesus' first request for the disciples: Father, keep them.
"Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."
a. Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me: The basis of Jesus' request is rooted in the name (character) of God. God is glorified by completion of His work in us.
i. Our continuing on in Jesus is not left to our own efforts alone. The world, the flesh, and the devil are so mighty, so pervasive, and so seductive, we could never keep ourselves in our own efforts. If we stay with Jesus, it is because Jesus has prayed for us "Father, keep them."
b. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name: Jesus kept the apostolic band together and safe during His earthly ministry. He prays that this "keeping" would continue.
c. None of them is lost except the son of perdition: There was one exception to Jesus' work in keeping the disciples, Judas. This is because in fulfillment of the Scriptures, Judas was the son of perdition, the one destined to evil and destruction.
i. Tenney on the son of destruction: "the phrase denotes an abandoned character, one utterly lost and given over to evil."
4. (13-16) Jesus elaborates on the first request: keep them in My joy and away from the evil one.
"But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."
a. That they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves: God's purpose is to multiply joy in our lives, not to subtract it. The world, the flesh, and the devil would tell us something different, but God wants joy fulfilled in our lives.
i. The joy of Jesus is always just a faint flicker in the worldly believer; real joy comes from abiding in Him.
b. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world: This prayer of Jesus cautions us against seeking refuge in Christian isolation; in modern day monasteries. Our goal is to be in the world, but not of it, or of the evil one; even as a ship is to be in the ocean, but not allowing the ocean to be in the ship.
c. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world: Would we have said this about the disciples? Jesus is showing us that we don't have to be perfect to be unworldly.
5. (17-19) Jesus' second request for the disciples: sanctify them.
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."
a. Sanctify them by Your truth: Sanctify means to be set apart for God's special pleasure and use. It implies holiness, being set apart fromthe corruption of the world and for God's use.
i. Jesus didn't just leave the disciples to sanctify themselves. He prayed for their sanctification. This process, as the keeping process, is not left to us alone; it is a work of God in us and through us.
b. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth: The dynamic behind sanctification is truth. The word of God read, heard, understood and applied.
c. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world: The thought of service is sandwiched by sanctification. We are set apart for service, not for mutual admiration.
C. Jesus prays concerning all believers.
1. (20) Jesus broadens the scope of His prayer.
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;"
a. I do not pray for these alone: Jesus prayed for His eleven disciples, but He also had the heart and the vision to pray beyond them. He prayed for those who would come to faith by the testimony of these disciples. He prayed for us.
b. Those who will believe in Me through their word: This shows that Jesus expects that the disciples' eminent failure would only be temporary. Others would hear from them, and come to belief in Jesus through the testimony of the disciples.
i. Jesus went to the cross knowing His work would not be for nothing; He wasn't "hoping" on the disciples.
2. (21) Jesus prays for a oneness among all believers, even as among the original disciples.
"That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
a. That they all may be one: Jesus envisions that great multitude before the throne of God, of every race, tongue, class and social strata; and prays that they may overcome their different backgrounds and understand their unity.
b. That they all may be one, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You: Jesus did not pray for uniformity, or institutional unity among believers, but a personal dynamic of unity, bringing together the Church's rich diversity.
i. Uniformity seeks to unite wheat and tares; it can't be done. Unity of institutions does not insure unity of the Spirit.
c. We must believe that this prayer was answered, and that they churchis one. Our failure is in failing to recognize and walk in that divine fact.
d. That the world may believe: The stakes of the unity Jesus prayed for are high. The spiritual unity of Christians is linked to the way the church represents Jesus to the world.
e. That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You: The foundation of our unity is the same as the foundation of unity between the Father and the Son: equality of person. We are all on the same ground at the cross.
3. (22) Jesus prays that the church would be marked by glory.
"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:"
a. The glory which You gave Me I have given them: There should be a shared glory among believers, the glory of the present Christ. A focus on Jesus in our presence will promote unity.
b. If we have the glory that the Father gave the Son, remember that it was a glory that often appeared humble, weak and suffering, and was ultimately displayed in sacrifice.
4. (23-24) Jesus prays for a unity founded in love.
"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."
a. I in them, and You in Me: There is a unity of compromise, or of fear or coercion. Jesus wanted a unity of love, and common identity in Jesus.
b. I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am: Jesus asks for the consummation of the unity - a promise of togetherness with Him that we can be sure of.
c. Jesus' strong desire and prayer for His followers was that they be kept, sanctified, and unified. Do we share the same desires? Or are our desires taken more from this world than from Jesus' heart?
6. (25-26) The triumphant conclusion to Jesus' prayer.
"O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
a. I have known You: As He is about to approach the cross, Jesus is full of faith and triumph. The battle is still ahead, but He goes forth as a conqueror.
i. Though the whole world said that He was wrong, He knew that He was right. Jesus' mind is not clouded by confusion or fear.
b. That the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them: The prayer concludes with the great secret of Christian living - Jesus and His love indwelling the believer.
On the thought of prayer, here are a few of the notes that I shared during the service:
Prayer and Worship
One of the most common questions that any clergy person will be asked is “How do I pray?” There is no shame in admitting that prayer can be difficult at times, and something that we may not be confident with. Prayer is simply a communication between us and God. In his Holy Word, God has promised to listen to our prayers and to answer them. It is interesting that Jesus prayed regularly throughout the Gospels – taking the time and opportunity to speak to his Father in Heaven.
To pray is to make our hearts ready to experience the love of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Praying regularly will help us to develop a spiritual rhythm. A discipline of prayer changes the way that we think about our lives, because it creates new habits of heart and mind. Prayer opens us more deeply to the transforming grace of God. We enter God’s presence, allowing the Holy Spirit to pray in us.
Services like Morning and Evening Prayer, services that are commonly used during the day, and Night Prayers (Compline or Late Evening Office) are designed so that they can be said by individuals or in a group.
But we may often wish to pray by ourselves as we try to share in Christ's prayer to his Father. Whether you are a child, young person or an adult, prayer is easier than you might imagine! Millions of people of every age pray every day.
Remember that God hears every prayer — but not all prayers are answered in the way we might expect or desire: we don't always pray for his will to be done! Prayer is a discipline - it can be difficult at times, just like keeping fit, being on a diet, or keeping weeds down in the garden. Little and often is best, but don't give up! No prayer, however inadequate you may feel it to be, is ever wasted or of no value.
When should I pray?
Traditionally, prayer times have been morning and evening, but you can choose a time which is best for you. It helps to be somewhere quiet, where you can have some time for yourself. A favourite time for me (the rector) is when I’m driving or riding my motorbike. I turn off the radio to ensure that I don’t have any distractions and talk to God, just as if he was sitting next to me in the car. My motorbike time means that I can talk away inside my helmet – and I’m sure that anyone passing by wonders what I’m at!
John 17 records Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane – in one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible anywhere. We will be studying that prayer in our Bible Study on 24th February, and the study notes will be issued on the parish website soon after.
What do I need?
Honestly – nothing except your faith!
You might like to set up a special place in which you pray regularly. You might also place an open Bible, a cross, a candle, or a picture, to give the time and space special significance.
You don't have to know any prayers if you want to pray - in fact, words can often get in the way. But you may wish to write down or memorise some prayers that speak to you, especially the Lord’s Prayer. You could build up a collection of favourite prayers and sayings and keep a scrapbook. Or you could use a collection of prayers that are readily available in your local bookshop, or online.
Do I have to kneel?
Kneeling is the traditional posture for penitence and standing for praise, but you can pray anywhere - walking, standing, sitting, whatever feels comfortable. Some people feel that being quiet is best – some love to pray while listening to music. Some feel best kneeling by their bed, others love to pray in the midst of nature! There is no “best” place to pray – but there is normally a most comfortable one!
Structure
Sometimes we need to offer ‘arrow prayers’, asking for God’s immediate help in a particular situation. These are usually short, urgent prayers which are “fired” towards Heaven in a moment of crisis. There is no harm in this – we all use them in our desperate times of need. They are just as valid as longer planned times of prayer, and God hears them all. Thankfully, we don't live all our lives in moments of extreme crisis. What about day-to-day praying?
Find a prayer that speaks to you and meditate on each word one by one
For instance the Jesus Prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’.
The Lord’s Prayer: ‘Our Father..’ is a very well known and useful prayer. We use it extensively in our services, sometimes even twice in both the Traditional language services from the 1662 BCP use it twice! Sometimes use the modern version of the prayer – it challenges you to actually think about the words rather than simply recite them without thought.
Use your hand as a model
Your fingers can be used to bring to mind different things to pray for.
1. Thumb
This is the strongest digit on your hand. Give thanks for all the strong things
in your life, like home and family, relationships that support and sustain you.
2. Index finger
This is the pointing finger. Pray for all those people and things in your life
who guide and help you. Friends, teachers, doctors, nurses, emergency services
and so on.
3. Middle finger
This is the tallest finger. Pray for all the important people who have power in
the world, like world leaders and their governments, members of parliament and
local councillors, the Royal Family, other world leaders and their governments.
4. Ring finger
This is the weakest finger on your hand. It can’t do much by itself. Remember
the poor, the weak, the helpless, the hungry, the sick, the ill and the
bereaved.
5. Little finger
This is the smallest and the last finger on your hand. Pray for yourself
Read a psalm or Bible passage
Our Book of Common Prayer lists all the psalms at the back of the book – or perhaps you prefer to read them from your own Bible. Read a part of the Bible about prayer. I have been following the Revised Common Lectionary – which can be accessed through an app on your phone, or online via the Church of Ireland Website (Ireland.Anglican.org). The advantage of the lectionary is that it guides you through a three-year plan that focuses on a particular Gospel each year, and a selection of Old Testament and New Testament books. Over the three years we read the Psalms regularly, and the vast majority of the rest of the Bible. It also follows the times and seasons of the liturgical year – but I’ll explain a lot more about studying the Bible in an upcoming class.
The reason we normally include a reading is to help us to focus our minds on the fact that we are worshipping and praying to an Almighty God, who has answered prayers throughout generations, and still answers them today.
Use a prayer book
The Book of Common Prayer contains daily intercessions to give you some ideas for prayers during the week, or you can use its prayers as a basis for your own. These are located on pages 139-145
On our parish website (Aghavea.blogspot.com), there are sample prayers from the BCP – which cover a multitude of situations and circumstances. I have also compiled a large selection of prayers over a long period – some classical ones from history, and some very modern ones that have helped me in certain times. These are available too, in either electronic form online via our website, or in booklet form – just let me know if you need one, I’ll send you a copy.
Finally – two thoughts:
1 Persist in your prayers. In my church before I was ordained, we used to use the acronyn PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens. If you imagine an issue you are praying about as a large boulder you're pushing up a hill, then don't stop until it goes over the top. Not all prayers are answered as we would like - God will always answer it correctly according to His plan, not ours. Persistence in prayer is encouraged in the Scriptures, and we will continue to PUSH until all our prayers are answered!
2 Take a moment to listen! This sounds strange, but don't forget that Prayer is about a conversation with God. Conversations only work if we are prepared to stop talking and listen once in a while. Sometimes we blame God for not answering when we haven't actually stopped talking to listen for the answer.
I remember a story told of a walker who accidentally fell off a cliff and was left dangling from a short root over the sea hundreds of feet below. He was a devout Christian who firmly believed that God would save him. He prayed and prayed, and suddenly a rope appeared from over the top of the cliff.
"Grab hold and I'll pull you up," came a voice from above. The walker thanked him for the assistance, but turned down the offer claiming that he didn't need anyone else, God would save him! The rope disappeared.
Suddenly a helicopter appeared overhead and a cradle was lowered to the man in danger. "Climb about!" came the message from the helicopter. "Thanks, but don't worry, God is going to save me!" The helicopter flew off.
Shortly afterwards a submarine appeared in the water below. "Jump into the water and we'll pull you to safety!" came the message from the submarine. "No thanks! God will save me!" Despite their offers, the submarine had to leave the man dangling from the cliff.
Eventually the man got tired, his grip on the root slipped, and he plunged to his death in the water below. He arrived at the gates to Heaven in a terrible mood! He was furious, and demanded an immediate audience with God!
"I have always trusted in you to save me! When I prayed, I thought that you would have saved me from that cliff! When I needed you, where were you?" the Christian insisted.
"Well," said God, "much as I appreciate your disappointment - I did send you a rope, a helicopter and a submarine! Why didn't you see the answer to your prayers?"
Will you recognise the answer to your prayers, or simply ignore God's help?
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