Someone to Believe InSample

The Same in the Present

The way the world sees Christ is by looking at his people, the ones he dwells within. Paul calls us the “aroma of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15–16 ESV). We look and smell like those set apart from the world. For the disciples, this meant linking arms with people they had nothing in common with. It meant Jews worshipping alongside Gentiles. It meant former, lawless idol worshippers eating in the homes of believing Jews who strongly revered the Law. It means Samaritans and pagans calling Jewish men and women “brothers and sisters.”

The entire book of Acts tells the story of the answer to this prayer. Some hate the disciples, some give up everything to follow the Jesus they proclaim. Their lives look different, as they live in the world but are not of the world. Jesus sends them into the world to continue his rescue mission to redeem a people for himself.

The prayer he prays is the prayer the Father answers.

He Prays for Us

We are the answer to his prayer for the disciples in verses 6–19. Lest we think his prayer is just for his scared disciples, Jesus has the Great Commission in view. In John 17:20–26, he shifts from the immediate to the future, from the disciples of that day to the disciples of the coming ages. “I am praying not only for these disciples,” he says to the Father, “but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message” (John 17:20 NLT). In his final moments before the cross, Jesus knows this small Christian movement is going to spread. In fact, that’s been his goal all along.

Consider Jesus’s last words before his ascension in Matthew 28:18–20:

Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Again, Jesus is not just praying for his disciples; he’s praying for all future believers who come after them. He’s praying for us—for you and for me.