Two weeks on the Life and Teachings of Jesus: Day 10 – Jesus’ Prayer for His Disciples (John 17)
Jesus prays for you. Jesus prays for me. We have come to faith in Him through the written Word of His apostles (20). The story of the Cross (1-5), the story of the first disciples (6-19) is an ongoing story. It continues in us. The saving effects of Christ’s death are still being felt today. The written Word of His apostles is still exerting its powerful influence on today’s world. Jesus is still praying for us (Hebrews 7:25). He prayed for His first disciples – ‘that they may be one’(11). He prays the same prayer for us (20-23). Among His first disciples, there was Judas Iscariot, ‘the one who chose to be lost’(12). If we are to ‘maintain the unity of the Spirit’, we must take account of ‘the Judas factor’- ‘take notice of those who create dissensions… avoid them’(Ephesians 4:3; Jude 4; 1 John 2:18-19; Romans 16:17-18).
