Daily Devotions
John
John 17 : 1 - 26 "A CAREFUL ASSESSMENT OF THE DISCIPLES"
Day 258 – John 17
A CAREFUL ASSESSMENT OF THE DISCIPLES
Intercessory prayer is not just a matter of bringing up the needs of the Disciples to the throne of grace. Intercession involves an honest assessment of the people prayed for. Let us consider how Jesus brought the Disciples before His Father.
“Now they have known that all things
which You have given Me are from You.
For I have given to them the words which
You have given Me; and they have received them,
and have known surely that I came forth from You;
and they have believed that You sent Me.”
John 17:7-8
1. “They have known…”
One of the things that Jesus sought to impart to them was “knowledge”. When He first met them, they did not have a deep knowledge of the Father at all. Their knowledge was limited by what they had gleaned from the religious teachers of the day. Jesus mounted an important teaching programme for His Disciples. Though He wished that they had a greater grasp of things, nevertheless, He could say that they had at least mastered the basics. They had known the Father. They had known that Jesus indeed was the Son of God and all He did came from His Father’s hand.
“Now they have known that all things
which You have given Me are from You.”
John 17:7
2. “The words which You have given Me… they have received them”
Jesus taught the Disciples deep lessons from the Scriptures. Again and again He expounded the Scriptures to His Disciples. However, He did not teach as the Pharisees. He taught them with tremendous authority and power.
Whereas the multitudes were only astonished when they heard Jesus, the Disciples welcomed and received the teachings of Jesus well. Peter’s exclamation well summarized how the Disciples regarded the teachings of Jesus.
“Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
Also, we have come to believe and know
that You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.”
John 6:68-69
3. “And they have believed that You sent Me…” John 17:8
Jesus knew how so many struggled with having faith in God. In fact many found it hard to speak of a personal faith in God, even though they may have been brought up religiously and well.
One of the things that Jesus concentrated on was to help His Disciples come to have a personal and genuine faith in His Father. Carefully, through both teaching and deed, Jesus cultivated the faith of the Disciples. John recorded how the Disciples grew in their faith in God and in Jesus.
a) Through Personal encounters
Jesus impacted Nathanael, one of the original disciples deeply. Nathanael who had expressed skepticism initially was won over when he met Jesus personally.
“Rabbi, You are the Son of God!
You are the King of Israel.”
John 1:49
b) Through Sign-miracles
Another way in which Jesus sought to strengthen and confirm the faith of His Disciples was to show them that His mighty powers came from His Father.
“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana
of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and
His disciples believed in Him.”
John 2:11
c) Through deep teaching sessions
A third way may be observed. The Disciples learned much as they heard their Master ministered to the multitudes. However, the most precious lessons were learned when He took time to teach them as a special group of Disciples.
“Let not your heart be troubled;
you believe in God, believe also in Me…”Do you not believe that I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me?”
John 14:1, 10
Jesus did everything He could to help His Disciples to have a deep faith in the Father. He surfaced their doubts, and then went on to deal with those doubts. Finally, He could say to His Father these words.
“…the words which You have given Me…
They have received them, and have known surely
that I came forth from You; and they have believed
that You sent Me.”
John 17:8
PRAYING WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE ACTUAL SPIRITUAL STATE OF THE DISCIPLES
Intercessory prayer is not just bringing the needs of people to the Father. The wise intercessor must have done his part first. He must also know how to evaluate the spiritual condition of the people for whom he is praying. Jesus certainly practised these things, and thus He was able to intercede meaningfully on behalf of His Disciples.