“I Pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are mine ” John 17:9.
To every average minded human, there is a God who is in heaven, and who created the heavens, the earth, every other creatures, made man in His own image and rested on the seventh day. He so loves human that when man disobeyed Him by yielding to Satan’s advice in the garden of Eden, He could not close His eyes and allowed man to suffer the consequences of his sin as a result of disobedience to His order. He initiated a reconciliation process with His son Jesus Christ as a ransom for the sins of man. Yet when Jesus Christ came to take off the sins of man in the physical, many did not believe Him, His works and His teachings. To most Jews then He was a son of a carpenter – called Joseph whose origin and history they knew. To most of them Jesus teaching did not make any sense because His mandate was not from the Pilate’s palace or earthly councils.
But to selected few who loved God and Jesus, believed in His teachings, His works and His deeds, Jesus was their Lord and Saviour, the awaited Redeemer, Messiah and King. In John gospel chapter 17:9 Jesus made a categorical statement that “His prayer is not for the world but for those God hast given Him, because they belonged to God”. To some people, Jesus Christ was biased. But was He really biased?. No. why because Jesus initial focus was on a selected few to prepare them ahead of time and secondly, because His intercession for humanity generally was not complete. In John 17:6 “Jesus re-echoed, I am now wholly employed for my disciples, that they may be properly qualified to preach salvation to the end of the earth“.
Jesus Christ may have also made references to the then rebellious Jews because God’s wrath was about to descend upon them and Christ prays that His own followers might be kept from the evil according to John 17:15 – “But He does not pray for the world, the rebellious Jews, because the cup of their iniquity was full and their judgement slumbered not“. Jesus also in John 17:20 clarified some doubts “Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word“. What a divine provision because His intercession was in phases. Not these ones (Disciples) alone because some are meant to be pathfinders, trainers or better forerunners, not these ones only that are now my disciples under my tutelage (the twelve, the seventy, with other men and women that followed Him when He came to fulfil His mission on earth), but for those also who shall believe in Me through their words (confession), exercise of faith, either by preaching the Gospel by themselves in their own language, in their own days or written by them for the generations yet to come to benefit from. Christ prayed also for them that did not witnessed Him and His works while on earth but which after years will come to understand and believe, that they may all be one in their interest, exercise of faith or in prayers, that they will derive the benefits preserved for them. Christ knew very well those He prayed for – those that were and are ordained to eternal life, those whose names were and are entered in the Lamb’s book of life and those that WILL believe in Him without doubts (Revelation 20:12-16).
Jesus Christ foresaw our present dispensation and prayed for us to be Kingdom minded, yield completely to His teachings, believe in His works and yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It was not meant for privileged few or for great and eminent believers only or those employed or vested in the highest position of trust and honour in Churches, but for all who shall come to believe Him and His works even in time like ours.
Jesus prayed in John 17:21 and 23 – that we all may be one as in Trinity and unity of purpose, regardless of distance, locality, language, age, race, Church denominations or personal attributes yet we should be united in Him our Redeemer. Although language and manner of expressions may differs, in prayers we should be one because we have received the same Spirit of sonship by adoption through Christ.
Jesus in John 17:22 promised us eternal glory “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one”. The glory of being in covenant with His Father and accepting Him as our Lord and personal Saviour guarantee us a place in His bosom and at His Father’s right hand. This was the glory which the Father gave to Jesus Christ our redeemer, and He confirmed and guaranteed it to us His redeemed. This honour Christ hath given us, because he hath intended it for us, settled it upon us and secured it to us through our believed in Him.
In Revelation 3:5 Jesus Christ emphasized that “All who are victorious will be clothed in white. Will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but will announce before His Father and His angels that they are His“.
Are you truly His own, are you among those He will announce before His Father and His Father’s angels as His?. Being victorious in life is in accepting Him as your Lord and personal Saviour, believe His words, His teachings and His deeds. Just a little faith and Christ is ready and willing to remould, revive and perfect us out off His furnace or are we of Isaiah 29:13 And so the Lord says “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as these people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour but have removed their heart far from me and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men“.
Christ is still beckoning on us now, why not turn to Him, be saved InHisSteps and be victorious in all facets of life. Your parents, godfathers, mentors or guardians can only influence your decisions but the choice is absolutely yours. Jesus loves and cares more about you, even now!!!.
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