Intercessory prayer and love of Jesus for His disciples
The wonderful prayer of intercession by Jesus for His disciples and for all those who would believe on Him applies to all of His disciples for all ages. His entire prayer to the Father may be read in 17th chapter of John. “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given; for they are mine “ (Vs.9) Today also the same Jesus makes intercession for us before the Father. He does pray for every one of us. When you seek the intercessory prayer of some person, he/she promptly replies, “Yes. I will pray for you”. However, that person tends to forget you in due course. May be, he remembers you occasionally or for a day or two. Whenever you remind him/her, she/he retorts promptly, “I pray for you”. It may be true or not. Only God knows. However, Jesus does pray for you. He remembers all of His people in various nations. Oh, we are graven on the palms of his Hands.
However, Jesus does not pray for the world or its peace. He does not pray for the people who have rejected Him. However, He does remember His chosen people because He is zealous of them. The Church is a people chosen out of the world. The world neither does want the Church nor does heed them. However, Christ needs His Church and wants to bless the world through them. The world has hated the Church because the Church is not of the world even as Jesus was not of the world (Vs.14).
He does not forsake His people. He does not allow them to be lost. None of His people is lost except the son of perdition, Judas Iscariot. (Vs.12). If one of them has backslidden, He will seek him/her as the one lost sheep. If he/she hardens his/her heart, He will not leave him/her but will chastise him/her. This is His eternal love for the Church.
Jesus does not pray that we should be taken out of the world but that we should be kept from the evil. The proponents of the theory of Rapture preach that the Church will not undergo great tribulation but will be taken away from the world. This is a false doctrine. However, the church would be kept from the evil. He keeps the Church under His wings.
Neither does Jesus pray for us alone but for them also who will believe on Him through our word “that they all may be one: as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (Vs.21).
Jesus does pray for those who would believe on Him through our word so that all of us including those who would join His sheep may be one, and may be one in the Father and the Son. So long as we do not give them the word of gospel, they will not join His sheep. The responsibility for preaching the gospel is laid on our shoulders.
He does not only for the unity of His people but also gives the glory, which the Father gave Him, to His people. He does not give His glory to individuals but to his Church, the Body of Christ, “that they may be one, even as we are one”. Jesus gives His glory to us so that we may be one. His glory unites us in His body. As He is in us and the Father in Him, we are made perfect (vs.23).
If we are with Him where He is, we “may behold His glory” which the Father has given Him. We have to be with our Lord, and we should not find ourselves in the company of the Antichrist and his world rulers If we remain in their company, we cannot behold His glory. By remaining in fellowship with one another in His body, we can behold His glory. If we behold His glory today, we will certainly behold Him when He comes again (Vs.24).
- Job Anbalagan