The Interceding Christ
Scripture Reading: John 17:1-26
Meditation
Prayer lifts hands and head toward heaven.
And because the eyes are looking up, they can’t look around at the many worries that the world brings. They can’t look down in depression. They don’t close in despair. When one prays up, the head lifts, the heart opens and the eyes only see the open arms of the Father.
In this moment, Jesus needs to see the Father.
It’s the final hours of his life. As his eyes look ahead, he sees betrayal and denial. He spies mock trials, but real condemnation. He sees rejection. Pain. Suffering. He winces as crucifixion, death, and burial flash before his sight. And so he lifts his head and shoots his gaze up.
“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.’ ”
Everything is right in this prayer.
Jesus is in a right relationship with the one who sent him. He begins his prayer tenderly, affectionately, and relationally. He calls out, “Father”. He is the right person, who is in the right place, at the right time, and so he affirms, “the time has come”.
It’s the right redemptive moment.
The eternal purpose of his Father’s hands has met the hands of earthly time and so he petitions,
“Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”
As Jesus lifts his head, peace invades his pain. Its soothing voice whispers,
“Everything is going to be all right.”
After Jesus prays for himself, he begins to pray for his disciples. All of those who have believed in him are gifts from his Father. As he prepares to visibly hide from the ones he loves, he intercedes. He pleads. He acts as a go between. He extends his hands toward heaven and gently places the ones he loves back into the arms of his Father.
“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word …
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 …
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
As he prays, his heart beats fast.
He knows that the world he entered is not the paradise he once helped create. It’s a shattered place. It’s far from the image of perfection he had painted.
It’s a deceptive place; absolute truth is distorted or denied, heavenly reality is blurred, and the longing for eternity is being eclipsed by the perversion of earthly pleasure.
It’s a satanic place: the devil’s playground. It was the evil one who had invaded the Garden. Sin followed. Paradise was lost. Death, destruction, and decay took up residence.
The world isn’t a safe place and yet he doesn’t ask his Father to take the ones that he loves out of the world. Rather, he prays for their protection.
Why does he pray,“protect them”?
Why not talk of …“retreat”, “leave”, “escape”, “victory”?
The Interceding Christ doesn’t know how to retreat; he only knows how to invade.
In the womb of a virgin, he invades his dying world in order that it might be born again. Through his miracles, he invades and destroys the work of the evil one. In his death and resurrection, he invades the realm of hell, takes the keys of sin and death, and declares victory.
And as he invades his world, he asks the ones he loves to follow him,
“Invade the world with me!”
That’s why he prays,
“Protect them!”
It’s his last prayer on earth but it’s a prayer that he will continue to pray throughout eternity. Except in eternity, he won’t have to look up to see his Father’s face; he’ll be able to look straight into his eyes.
“Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34)
Prayer
Father,
Throughout your Son’s ministry, he invaded the realm and destroyed the work of the evil one.
He healed the sick. He cast out demons. He raised the dead. He interfered with the Devil’s plans. He intervened in divine and providential ways. He got involved, jumped into the fray of humanity, and put himself in between the hate of the Destroyer and the beloved children of heaven.
As the time for him to visibly leave his disciples approached, he prayed his last earthly prayer. As he prayed, he stood between heaven and earth, lifted his head, extended his hands, and placed the ones that he loved into your arms. His last prayer began on earth but he promised that it would continue throughout eternity.
During this day, give me faith to believe that the Interceding Christ lifts his head toward heaven for me.
Help me know that, as he prays, he gets in between the destructive plans of the evil one and the purposes that you have for my life.
Help me realize that he is an eternal “go between”, an intercessor, the one who sits at your right hand and speaks to you on my behalf. As he prays for me, I pray all of this in his name. Amen.
Reflection
What causes your eyes to look around in worry, down in depression, or close in despair?
How does prayer lift your head toward heaven? How does it change the way you view your life?
From what do you need protection?
What comfort is there in knowing that the Interceding Christ is praying for you—that he has extended his hands and placed you in the hands of the Father?
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day (John 17:1-26). Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted in parenthesis. All Scripture quoted on this site is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.