Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
John 17:1–11

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. (NRSV)

Reflection

This prayer marks the conclusion of the “Farewell Discourse” in John’s Gospel, a series of four chapters (John 14–17) that serve as a summary of Jesus’ identity and teachings along with empowering the disciples to carry his ministry forward. Unlike the other Gospels in which Jesus is frustrated by the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, John instead concludes with Jesus earnestly praying to God on their behalf — highlighting the immense responsibility they carry forward.

Jesus may be addressing God throughout the passage, but the implications for the gathered disciples are readily apparent. Jesus makes clear that his “hour has come” and he is “finishing the work that [God] gave me to do” — all “the words [God] gave to me I have given to them.” This is an end, but it is also a beginning: Jesus’ earthly work may be finished, but the work of the church is about to commence – guided and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who is soon coming.

We often dedicate time in this season of Eastertide — and the coming Day of Pentecost — to remember the earliest days of the church and the disciples who helped it grow, but Jesus’ prayer in John 17 wasn’t merely intended for those in the upper room. They were shared with us in mind as well: we bear an immense responsibility as God’s people in this world — both as church and as individual disciples. So may we hear these words from John 17 anew this day, joining together with Christ in praying for the Spirit to guide us as we are sent out into the world.

Prayer

Holy God, may your Spirit of truth guide me once more this day, that I may faithfully witness to Christ’s love, grace, and hope. Amen.

Written by Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children and Family Ministry

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

Devotion index by date

Please email me daily devotions