John 17:1-26
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
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 Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Matthew 6:5-15
Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Jesus teaches and shows us that there are two types of prayer we can use...One is public prayer, and the other is private prayer...While Jesus sometimes prayed publicly, as in John 17, where His Disciples heard Him and St. John wrote about these prayers...He also emphasized the importance of doing and using private prayer...These practices aren't contradictory but rather complementary aspects of a healthy prayer life...
In public prayer we sometimes do it in a group setting like at mealtime...This type of public prayer is about corporate worship, intercession, and unity...It's a way to express our collective faith and support one another while we pray... We are not to be like a hypocrite and try to "show off" our praying by doing it in public and praying on and on...It has to be sincere prayer...One time, in the Book of Acts, chapter 12 Peter was in prison...Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly publicly praying together to God for him to be released...The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance...Suddenly an angel of the LORD appeared and a light shone in the cell...He struck Peter on the side and woke him up...“Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists...And out of prison Peter went and back to his praying friends...Peter said to himself that without a doubt that the LORD had sent His angel and rescued him from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were praying for had happened...
Then there is private prayer...This is a more personal and intimate form of prayer, where we can speak directly to God without distractions...It's a time for reflection, confession, and seeking guidance...When you pray your private prayers, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen...Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you...Do not be like pagans, pray sincerely, because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him and pray to Him...
Jesus encouraged both types of prayer, recognizing that different situations call for different approaches...In John 17, in His High Priestly Prayers, He was praying publicly on behalf of His disciples, believers, and for Himself...In other instances, He emphasized the importance of private prayer, especially when seeking guidance or dealing with personal matters...
Ultimately, the key is to find a balance between public and private prayer that works for us...Both forms can be essential components of a vibrant and meaningful spiritual life...