John 16:33
Troubles in this World
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 17:13-19
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
13 “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. 14 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. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus tells His disciples that He has told them about His relationship with His Father so that they may have peace...But then He tells them that they will have troubles in this world...But they can take heart, because He has overcame this world...There peace is in knowing Him, and that He lives...His peace is greater than this world and its troubles...
Then He prays for them...He prays to His Father not that they will not have troubles, be persecuted, or suffer...Jesus knows they will have many troubles and suffer greatly, after His resurrection... Peter, and many of the disciples would be persecuted...Peter would be crucified...If they remain focused on Him, they will have many troubles in this world, but they will somehow understand and be alright through Him...By believing in Him, they are no longer of this world...
None of us like troubles or suffering or to be persecuted in our lives...Yet, Jesus does not pray for His disciples to be safe and in peace from these worldly troubles, when they would go out after His resurrection and spread His teachings and the good news to others...He doesn't pray for them to have an easy time of it, when they spread His gospel...No, He tells them that in this world they will have trouble when they are spreading His news...He even prays that God not take them out of this world, so they will stay in this world and make disciples of all nations...When He prays for them, what He asks God to do is to protect them from the evil one...
Then He prays that God sanctifies Him, but also to sanctify His disciples...He is asking His Father that He be set apart from others and to set His disciples from others...He will certainly be set apart and is like no other...He is unique, remarkable and divine and is sanctified and separate from others, and prays this for the glory of God...That same reason is in His prayer for His disciples...They too are to be sanctified...They too will be separate and like no other preachers in history...They will have as men the divine task of spreading the word about the Messiah...He is the One who was and is to come...He is the Son of God...Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but also to separate and consecrate the disciples into God's service...This is their Great Commission and ours to be His evangelists and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)...