La Prière Sacerdotale (The high priestly Prayer) 1900-1 by Eugène Burnand

Written by Jason Montoya. Posted in Christian Faith.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer — From The Garden To The Cross

Welcome to another special edition of the Share Life podcast. We're in an ongoing series, as part of the discovery process for my next book project, From The Garden to the Cross: How Jesus' Harrowing Mission Shows Us The Way.

In this final 'From The Garden to the Cross' discussion series, we're rewinding and reflecting on Jesus' Prayer at the end of the Farewell Discourse from John chapter 17.

In this conversation series, we've already discussed Jesus' final message to his disciples before the passion began, Jesus' agonizing prayer in the garden, his middle of the night arrest, Judas' betrayal, a night of scheming to kill Jesus, the three denials by Peter, the death of Judas, Pilot asking Jesus about Truth, Herod directing Jesus to entertain him, Pilate washing his hands of responsibility, Simon carrying Jesus' cross, Jesus forgiving his perpetrators, and Jesus' final finishing moments on the cross.

Now, we're rewinding in time once again, to the moments right before we enter the Garden of Gethsemane to see and reflect on Jesus's intercessory prayer before his sacrificial journey climaxes. His prayer has three sections; one focused on God's glory, another for the disciples before him, and finally for believers across all time.

Discussion Topic Highlights

Some topics of the discussion included:

What does eternal life mean? And what does it mean to "know" God?
The concreteness of God through Jesus and his existence prior to this universe.
The uniqueness of God, as an inherent community, prior to the creation of humanity.
The theological richness of Jesus' intercessory prayer from John 17.
Why is Jesus asking God to glorify the Son of Man?
Zero-sum games.
Coveting, the 10 commandments, and joy theft.
The order of prayer and giving glory to God.
The goodness and worthiness of giving God glory.
How we often petition a genie inside ourselves for what we want instead of the God who loves us.
The connection between God's glory, worship, and church unity.
Unity or uniformity? Valuing the diversity of the church.
Wanting to skip the suffering and the connection to God's redemptive plan for humanity.
God's unshakable presence and his gift of a heart that recognizes Him.
What's revealed to the disciples as Jesus prays this prayer.
Holding onto the Joy God gives us.
How God cares about you and me, as individuals, deeply and personally.
Learning and being empowered to rejoice in our sufferings.
Unity as a gospel witness.
Compassion and empathy for others.
Christians belong to Christ and to each other.
Jesus is praying this prayer for us, even now. That gives us hope in our own prayer life.
What does unity look like with our spouse, our kids, our small group, our church, and our community?
How church unity should transcend political affiliations. Click here to watch the sermon from Andy Stanley which Angela mentions.

Click here to download Angela's notes.

Fellow Conversation Participants

In this episode, I'm joined by Rachel, Angela, & Todd.

Rachel Enns is a teacher, wife, mother, dreamer, prayer enthusiast, silviculture nursery owner, lover of science, paper crafter, and rational optimist. Connect with Rachel on Twitter here.
Angela Rainwater is a farm-grown child of God, a gifted painter, small farmer, and the founder of Growers for Grace — an organization focused on regenerative plant-based products from upcycling and redirected waste streams. Visit Angela's Websites = Growers for Grace | Standing Ford (Painting Gallery) - Connect with Angela on Linkedin.
Todd Miechiels helps people know and share their story wholeheartedly through his work with The 3:15 Project and StoryDrive. Also, explore a previous episode of the podcast where Todd leans into the idea of sharing and resting.

I'm grateful for their participation in this episode and for helping to make the book better.

Listen to the Discussion

Click here to listen in on Anchor directly, or click play below to immediately begin streaming.

You can also find this discussion on Stitcher, Itunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts under the name, Share Life: Systems and Stories to Live Better & Work Smarter or Jason Scott Montoya.

Watch The Conversation

Click here to watch this discussion on Youtube directly, or click play below to begin streaming the video. Click here to subscribe to my Youtube channel.

The High Priestly Prayer For Reference & Study — An Excerpt From The Book

Part 1, 17:1-5, For God's Glory

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.”

Part 2, 17 6-19, For the Disciples

“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”

Part 3, 17:20-26, For Us Christians

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”