John 17:20 Jesus’ Prayer for You

One of the reasons that Jesus came into the world was to put a human face on God. 

In the Old Testament, all the other nations were trying to do something like that with idols, little statues of animals or some kind of being.  The problem there, of course, was that they were essentially making the Lord of all creation into something small and tiny like a block of wood or stone.

But the Lord of all creation is a hard thing for most of us to picture, let alone comprehend.  How do you have a relationship with something, Someone, who fills all of heaven and earth? 

Jesus told His disciples that He who has seen Him has seen the Father.  John 14:9

In John 17, Jesus prays for us.  Those of us who are alive today.  He is not just praying for His small band of disciples there but for us as well.   John 17:20 ²⁰ “I am not asking [these things] for these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.  

That’s us.  Some might wonder if Jesus’ prayer for us only begins here at verse 20 and not before this, but when you see what He is praying for us, it won’t really matter.  Usually we think that the disciples were privileged far beyond anything we might have today, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

So what exactly is He praying for us?

John 17:21 (NASB95) ²¹ that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.  

That we all may be one, just as God the Father is in Jesus and Jesus in Him, that the world might believe that He sent Him.  Jesus wants us to be in God like He is.

Now I don’t know all that that means, but I know it’s a lot more than what we are seeing now, because we are not making an impression on the world.  Maybe because everything we do together is in buildings where people don’t see what’s going on.  I don’t know.  But when people see or meet us, they should sense something different.

He even says that He gave us His glory, that we might be one just as They are.  John 17:22  “And I, the glory which you have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.”

God has given glory to His people.  Again, I don’t know what that looks like.  I suspect that if and when Christians see this and become aware of it, they will sense more of it in their lives.

Christians should have such a bond and a love for each other that it is obvious and noticeable to others.

In fact, we should be “perfected into one” (John 17:23).  Next time we see another Christian, we need to open our eyes real wide to fully see what God has wrought here.

AND  are you ready for this?

Jesus repeats this idea about the world knowing, before He said believing, that God had sent Him, but now also that the world would know that God loved us just as He loved Jesus.  John 17:23  I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them just as You loved Me.

We should pause here for a while and just let that sink in.  God loves you like He loves Jesus.

Then Jesus wishes that we could be with Him that we might see His glory.  John 17:24 “Father, what You have given Me, I want that where I myself am, that they might be with Me, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Going to heaven isn’t just for our sakes.  Jesus wants to show us stuff just like when you have people over to your house, and you show them your personal stuff as a way of connecting with them.  Jesus is saying, Wait, you’ve got to see this.  You won’t believe it.  He wants to share this with us. 

And then, one more thing.  Jesus wants us to know the love that the Father has for Him and for this love to be in them.  That’s us.  Jesus wants us not only to know that God loves us like He loves Jesus, but He wants us to experience that love for ourselves. 

Now I can’t tell you how to make that happen.  Romans 5:5 says that the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  I’m not sure how many Christians would say that it has.  I can’t, but I feel like it’s close.

Some Christians have had experiences where the love of God washed over them like the waves of the sea.  Most of us just have to take Jesus’ word for it, though when we do that, we will sense more of it.

If this is new to you, a lot of this is new to me as well.  Stay tuned.