Last Sunday I briefly mentioned the method of prayer which Jesus used in John 17 and the way in which I have applied that method to this ministry. Now, I want to expand that discussion and the ways in which each of us can make use of His method.
Three stages define Jesus’ ministry: teaching, transition and transformation of His disciples into teachers, thereby, beginning the cycle of ministry over again. Jesus created a self-renewing method for spreading the Word down through the ages. Jesus said in Mt. 28:20 “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He is with us through His Teachings and as the spark of divinity within each one of us.
John 17 also has three stages: Jesus prays for Himself, He prays for His disciples and He prays for all Believers. Let’s visualize this as a triangle:
Jesus
Disciples Believers
Jesus the Teacher prepares the Disciples to become Teachers and reach out to potential Believers who will come after His crucifixion and resurrection. In ministry, we replicate this process as licensed teachers and ministers teach the congregation, thereby spreading the Word into the larger community. This blog provides an additional platform to spread the His teachings.
Jesus first prays for Himself because “the hour has come” to leave behind the work He has completed and prepare for His transition. In essence, He is asking God for the strength to go through the crucifixion and resurrection, with grace, to glorify God. Jesus has taught that
“this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
Jesus then prays for His disciples because they “they have kept your Word” and received His teachings. He knows what they will face in the world and they must be strong in His name. How often have we felt sorely challenged to hold to the Truth in the face of loss, knowing that so much more was expected of the Disciples?
“Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”
Jesus prays for those who come to believe through the teaching of His disciples. It is through this teaching that the world learns that eternal life comes of knowing God as He truly is. And, further, that the Only Begotten Son of God is not Jesus the Man, but the Christ in every man.
Each one of us is both teacher and student and it is up to us as the sons and daughters of God to let His Truth shine through us brightly, thereby building a better world for all.
Rev. Claudia Naylor
