The Gospel of John: That You May Believe Week 7: The Prayer of Jesus Uptown SS April 21, 2013

Transcription

1 The Gospel of John: That You May Believe Week 7: The Prayer of Jesus Uptown SS April 21, 2013 This prayer is for the troubled church of God, the spouse of Jesus Christ, despised of the world but precious in His sight. John Knox on John 17 Review (appx. 5 min) Previous: Jesus is God, Lamb, Creator in past and Present (Bread Sight) Physical truth and Spiritual truth: Life (as bread gives life) and Sight (spiritual sight/belief) Last Week: Jesus is The Vine - Christians are branches - Only life in Jesus - Only fruit through Jesus Opener Q: What do you pray for? What do you desire as the result? - Personal Needs? - Future cares? - Money? - Strength/Energy? - Others? When do you pray?? - In Crisis? - Formal events? - Meals? - Dyer Needs? - Daily? Introduction - Special Topic: Crucifixion Discussion o Differences between narratives in John vs the other Gospel accounts (Matt, Mk, Lk; Synoptics). - Main Discourse: John 17 Jesus Prays o The High Priestly Prayer Crucifixion Discussion The Issue: Date is claimed to be different accounts are therefore unreliable - Gospel accounts: o Synoptics: Institution of Lord s Supper/Passover and Crucifixion Lord s Supper/Passover Meal: Matt. 26:26-29 (Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:15-20) On Thursday Night (Lambs slaughtered Thursday day) Crucifixion: Friday Day o John: Seems to offer a different day for Crucifixion Jn. 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

2 2 Suggested as motive for the simultaneous sacrifices of Lamb and Jesus Lord s Supper/Passover Meal: Friday Night Jn. 13 There is no Passover meal (just a normal meal) Jn. 18:28 Says that the Passover is yet to come Crucifixion: Friday day Before Passover Usual Friday Death, but the above Passover Meal passage suggests before the meal had been partaken. o Conclusion based on these differences There must be historical contradiction! **Idea: John puts the Passover sacrifices on Friday Putting Jesus hanging on the cross at the precise moment lambs are being slaughtered for the Passover sacrifice Synoptics John Time of Meal Thursday Night Friday Night Time of Slaughter Thursday Day Friday Day Time of Jesus death Friday Friday What is our solution/how do we address this critique? - Actual vs. Assumed Content: What is being communicated? o Jn 1:29 does not specifically support the idea of Jesus crucifixion being the exact moment. o Jn 13 The absence of Institution is not absence of meal Scholars are right, Jn. 13 does not give the details of the Last Supper (an institution of the Last Supper), but this does NOT imply there was not a Passover Meal Known as Argument from Silence a weak argument. John s lack of detail could just mean he had his own purposes in recounting the institution. Why? John could have seen the Synoptics as plenty of testimony of the Institution Remember: John includes other stories should they be discounted? The washing of the Disciple s feetthe Synoptics don t contain this story: BUT this doesn t mean it didn t happen. o Jn. 18:28 What is the meal referring to? Pasxa can refer to main Passover meal, the Passover week, or other meals within the week so how do we know what he is talking about? The fear of defilement meaning they did not want to miss the Passover meal (that night, arguably) But, their law says they could wash and wait until sundown to be clean and allowed to partake.

3 3 SO gentile impurity could not keep them from the evening meal only the daily meals/fellowship feasts. Conclusion: The meal referenced would likely have been a meal during the day mid day meals (occurring throughout the week) which would make sense that they would not want to enter Pilates house (for fear of defilement) because they did not want to miss the mid day meal, and not the main Passover meal that evening o Summary: John includes details the other Gospels exclude, and John excludes details the other Gospels include this does not create negation. The verses used against the chronology of John s account each have a reasonable explanation The main verse, John 18:28, most likely refers to a different Passover meal, a mid-day meal, and allows the Lord s Supper to be still instigated in John 13 (the night before) Jesus Priestly Prayer Read: John 17 Q: What are some things that stand out to you in Jesus prayer? (Anything) Jesus Role as Priest Jesus is our example What do we learn from Him? - Timing of Prayer/Content of Prayer/Emotion of Prayer? Jesus Role as Priest - Remembering Jesus is doing more than showing up, teaching/healing, dying o We have seen throughout John that Jesus connects to OT prefigures and surpasses with Spiritual fulfillments (Sight, Vine, John the Baptist testimony concerning Jesus, Jesus proving Himself through Signs and miracles) - Jesus Ultimately fulfills 3 Major Roles in OT as they relate and connect God to Man: o Prophet God s spokesman to the people o King God s representative in ruling the people o Priest Man s representative before God - Jesus is our Great High Priest o He presents us before God, interceding for man o As explained in Hebrews 7 Eternal Effectual Perfectly Holy Represents 4 Parties: God, Man, Sacrifice, Priest Greater than Abraham/Levites/Melchizedek - The priest consecrates the sacrifice and consecrates the people o This is what Jesus does in His prayer

4 4 Timing: When Does Jesus Pray? - In John Jesus prays at different occasions: o Private Prayer Personal benefit of fellowship with Father Jesus went to pray. (Lk 6:1; 11:12 o Specific Circumstances Testimony to others Before Feeding Miracle (Jn 6:11) Before Raising Lazarus (Jn 11:41-42) o Before Death The focus here Priestly Prayer He prays for Himself He prays for others Jesus intercedes Content: What Does Jesus Pray? A Prayer of Consecration (The Priest s Role) Consecrates Himself, as Priest and Sacrifice (v 1-6) - The Task: The Hour Has Come o Up to this point usually Jesus (and John) tells the reader that His hour had not yet come (Jn 2) o God s Glory fulfilled Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. (1) Echo of Jn 12:23, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified o The Cross is the Vehicle of Glory How does this Glorify God? Obedience Jesus already mentioned that He was sent to do God s will His obedience glorifies the Father Proper Representation Jesus task was to display God s love o If Jesus stopped before Dying o There would be lengths God refuses to go for His people o God s love would be limited The cross, as he knows full well, is to be the vehicle of that glory F.F. Bruce (329) - The External Purpose: To give eternal Life o Since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. (2) o Jesus declaring His free will in deciding to go to the Cross For the purpose of giving eternal life Life only through His death o Eternal Life: Knowing God And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (3) Intimate mutuality of Love as displayed by Jesus and the Father

5 5 Consecrates Believers, those on whose behalf the sacrifice is being made (7-26) - Prays for His Disciples: 7-19 Not for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. (v9) o Unity: Holy Father, keep them in your name that they may be one, even as we are one. (11) o Perseverance (not removal): I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. (v15) Connected to v11: in your name Power depicted in God s Name: Psalm 20:1 The name of the God of Jacob protect you Psalm 54:1 Save me, O God, by thy name Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. o A divine Task Set apart: Sanctify them (v17, 19) In order to accomplish faithful work of God Must be set apart from the world I have given them your word I have sent them into the world. (v8) Their task was unique revealed by Jesus next focus in this prayer - Prays for Future Christians: I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word (20) o Those that would believe through their word reveals the disciple s task: Propagate the Gospel message o All previous prayers can still be applied to future believers (ourselves) o **Insert your name in place of those - Prayer for Us is Unity: o Unity: that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you that they may become perfectly one. (23a) o Divine Task: so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them (23b) - TO be glorified: o Jesus prayer that Christians would see His glory is referencing the time when His glory will be shown in fullness: at the end of days Prays for Consecrated Church (24) o That all can see His glory o Summarizes His prayer: Emotion: How Does Jesus Pray? - Purpose/Confidence Jesus prays as if the work was already accomplished o I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. (4) Jesus has not died yet! o I am glorified in them. (10) The Disciples are about to flee and abandon Jesus Peter is about to deny Jesus 3x! o I am no longer in the world. (11)

6 6 Yes He is! o While I was with them, I kept them in your name (12) Jesus is still with them! They are on the other side of the rose bush! For Us: o For all those who will believe (20) o The glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one. (22) This is referencing believers, you and me, years later! There is finality in Jesus Voice! o As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (18) The Great Commission has not happened yet! How can Jesus speak in the past tense? Because God s plan/will is final - Love Jesus expresses deep love for those He is praying for o Referenced as possession: given to me, mine Connected to the previous idea of His flock (Jn 6) o Tells us of God s Love: You loved them even as you loved me. (23b) That the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. (26) Same love of God toward Jesus IN us! Jesus Himself in us! o Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory Jesus prays for us with great love, compassion, and intimacy Conclusion: Image of the coming sacrifice: - For a Jew, watching the Priest give a prayer over the sacrifice before entering the Holy of Holies is the most anticipated time o As the priest makes his way into the Temple/Tabernacle, there was no guarantee that he would be coming back out having satisfied the Holy God of the Universe - This is the position we are in Watching Jesus pray over the sacrifice, which is about to be given, on behalf of the people o But we know the good news at the end: The Sacrifice is pleasing and satisfactory More than any sacrifice ever made Jesus prayer should be sweet to us He is interceding for you individually, and for me - John Knox, on his deathbed, asked for John 17 to be read this is a picture of how precious Jesus work as our priest before God is to this man. o Referred to it as his f SO. Q: What does this chapter tell us about Jesus?

7 7 - Jesus prayed for Us - He desires our fellowship with Him - He understands His own task: death on the cross Q: How are we called to respond? - Praise Him for His intercession o Thankful that He had us in mind - Follow Him in His example o Pray with confidence o Pray with intercessory prayers (on behalf of others)