John 17:1-19 | Food for Thought
Notes
After spending the last few chapters giving his followers his Farewell Discourse, Jesus now turns his attention to the Father in prayer.
Questions
Jesus wants to use his glory - whether on earth or in heaven - to glorify the Father. What is glory, and what does it mean to glorify God or be glorified by him?
How does knowing what’s about to happen change the way we might understand glory and what it means to glorify God?
How is Jesus’ glory unique from any glory that we might have one day?
Jesus says that eternal life is knowing God and himself, the one God sent. Tease this out. What does this statement tell us about living forever because of Jesus?
Jesus goes in and out of talking about relationships among himself, the Father, his church, and the world. He says a lot of things and asks for a lot of things. How would you summarize Jesus’ prayer?
What does Jesus want for his people?
How do Jesus’ requests for his people compare / contrast with your prayers for yourself? …others? …the church?
Are there things that Jesus is passing on to us, now that he’s leaving?
Why would Jesus go out of his way to say he’s not praying for the world?
Jesus makes it clear that he’s not asking for the Father to take his disciples out of a world that doesn’t like them and isn’t even theirs anymore. Why would he not want them to leave?
What does he want for his disciples while theyre still here?
How does any of that land with where you are today - suffering, sin, evil, disappointment, fear, etc.?
How does Jesus want us to live in this world?
After spending a few chapters encouraging his people to pray in his name, Jesus finally prays himself. How can his prayer change what you pray for?
Why does that matter?