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. (John 17:11)
John 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus and the last one in John’s gospel before Jesus is crucified. While the other gospels focused on the “Lord’s Supper” on that night, John focused on Jesus’ words to His disciples and on this final prayer.
In this final prayer, Jesus prays for His present disciples and His future ones (i.e., us!). What does He pray for? He prays that we would have His joy (17:13), that we would be protected from the evil one (17:15), that we would be set apart from the world by adherence to His truth (17:17-19), and that we would be unified together (17:20-21).
What particularly struck me this morning was Jesus’ prayer request in John 17:11. Jesus prays for the protection of His disciples so that they may be one. I would expect Him to say, “Protect them so that they will be safe and unaffected by harm and free to spread My word.” Instead He prays for our protection so that we will remain unified. Interesting. It seems that Jesus is saying that our biggest threat in this world is becoming disconnected from the body, from cutting ourselves off from other believers, from “going alone” in our faith.
Look at it again. Protect them by the power of your name…so that they may be one. What are we to be protected from? What kind of things threaten our unity? What may have been on Jesus’ mind?
- Pride…Lord, protect them from thinking that they are self-sufficient.
- The world…Lord, protect them from adopting the materialistic, me-first attitude of the world.
- Trials…Lord, protect them getting so overwhelmed by trials that they withdraw or turn their inward sorrow and grief into anger against others.
- Fear…Lord, protect them from self-protection, from the fear of showing their weaknesses and struggles to others.
- The evil one…Lord, protect them from the devices of Satan, the accuser of the brethren. May they not let their anger fester or their gripes turn into gossip or their differences into division.
I don’t know exactly what was on Jesus’ mind but I do know that foremost on His prayer request list for us was unity. Jesus basically prayed on that night, Lord, protect their unity. May they be one as we are one. May they stick together and learn to love one another so that the world will see the difference in their lives and be drawn to You.
May Jesus’ prayer become my own. Lord, protect the unity of Your church and may it begin with my local church, Sayre Woods. Keep me from self-righteousness, self-protection, and self-sufficiency. Help me to love others in this body as You have loved me.