Did Jesus Pray For Us in NT?
Jesus is only listed once in the Gospels praying for us. Jesus prays in John 17. First, he prays for himself. Then, he prays for the disciples. Finally, he prays for those who believe through the disciples. That would be us. So what did Jesus pray for us the night before he died?
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.
Wow, he could pray we would be housed and fed. He could pray we would be bold in evangelism. He surprises us again, though. Jesus wants us to be one like Jesus and the father. In Ephesians 5 he commands men to love our wives like Jesus loved the church in dying for it. We cannot get there but the goal is clear.
Did Jesus Pray For Us? YES
That is our wife who we are to be one flesh with. Now, Jesus turns the screws again and says he longs for us to be perfect friends with our brothers and sisters in faith. He prays for us as knows we cannot do this on our own. I sense we can touch this only briefly and rarely. However, this is where we are headed, and we should always long for it like Jesus did. Jesus was not close with every one in the synagogue or temple. He saw some of then were not being true or had no faith. People of faith – he challenged and praised. They were his people, his friends as it were. Their job was to be one with him. We have that job and when we get there I sense we can be one with all believers.
Faking oneness with people in the church is not healthy. Raw grit likely cannot get us anywhere close. Sincerity is commanded.
We should pray about it as Jesus did for us. Although, we do not need to become a doormat among our brothers and sisters. We can challenge and praise them like Jesus did. Accordingly, we need to love them and not fear or reject them (unless they are wolves among the sheep)
How About the Impact?
Jesus said we can bring the world to faith when we do this. Wow, that is huge. My wife started her path to faith in college when she saw a group of Christian students with an unexplainable unity. They did not know she was watching, but she joined them and later came to faith among them. Unity is contagious and let’s not pretend. Work for it.
