BIBLE STUDY WEEK # 2 (5/14/14)

The Ministry of Jesus Study

Created by Evangelist Claudia Jordan

Date:  4/13/14

Week Study # 2

 

Title:                                     Prayers of Jesus         

Scripture:                        Luke 18:1     

Weekly Focus:                Romans 12:12         

Memory Verse:              James 5:16   

Bible Reading:               John 17:9-19; Psalm 133:1; John 13:35; Matthew 6:9-15

 

 

Getting Started

 

Jesus Prays to God on Behalf of His Disciples and for Strength in the Garden of Gethsemane:

The prayers of Jesus are some of the most treasured and precious words in the Bible. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is found praying to His Father in Heaven. He prays for himself and for strength in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays for wisdom as he travels and teaches and he prays for to God on behalf of His disciples. This collection of articles provides overviews of the Prayers that Jesus prayed during his three years of ministry.

The Disciples were appointed to continue to deliver the Gospel:

There are three significant elements in the prayer that Jesus prayed for His disciples, as recorded in John 17:9-19. The first is the recognition that these men had been selected by God and they belonged to God. The second is the request for unity among these men, the same unity shared between the Father and the Son. The third is the petition of protection for the twelve disciples.

In the chapter preceding His prayer, Jesus gave His final instructions: the world was going to hate and reject them for keeping God's word; their Helper, the Holy Spirit, was coming to guide them; they were going to experience trials in the world, yet they were to take heart in the truth that Jesus had overcome the world. All of these final instructions were then sealed by Jesus' prayer, first for Himself, then for His disciples.

Each of the three major elements in Jesus' prayer for His disciples was important to their future ministry. Without coming under the guardianship of God, without unity, and without protection from the enemy, the effectiveness of the message of the gospel would be dangerously compromised. It was for this reason that Jesus prayed for his twelve disciples.

In this part of the series on Jesus' Prayer for His Disciples, the focus will be on the guardianship of God over the twelve disciples. Out of these three things, first and foremost they needed to be certain to whom they belonged. In John 17:9-10 is recorded the first part of Jesus' prayer: "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them."

In these few verses, Jesus reveals that a great part of His mission had been accomplished: the twelve disciples were now fully ready to fulfill their destiny. Certainly, Jesus came to offer His life as a sacrifice to take away the sins of the world, and to break the power of death and the grave through His resurrection. But the disciples were to play a key role in bringing this hope of salvation to the world. Without them, Jesus' sacrifice would have availed nothing.

These few verses hold incredible truths to which even Christians today can cling. The first is that the disciples belonged to God. And God had given them to Jesus, entrusting their discipleship to Him. Out of obedience, Jesus spoke the words of the Father to the disciples, teaching them the ways of the kingdom of Heaven. During His entire ministry, Jesus displayed God's character through His works and words. The disciples in turn accepted these words from God, believing that Jesus had been sent by God. And it was to the glorification of the Son that these men believed.

 

Jesus Prays for the Preservation of His Disciple

 

There are three significant elements in the prayer that Jesus prayed for His disciples, as recorded in John 17:9-19. The first is the recognition that these men had been selected by God and they belonged to God. The second is the request for unity among these men, the same unity shared between the Father and the Son. The third is the petition of protection for the twelve disciples. All of Jesus' final instructions recorded in the preceding chapters were then sealed by this prayer.

In Jesus' prayer for His disciples, He closed His prayer with a request for protection for them. John 17:14-19 records this third part of His prayer: "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

Some scholars believe that Jesus' prayer was not so much for the benefit of His requests, but for the benefit of His listeners, the twelve disciples. His words were spoken to Jesus' Father, but they also spoke to the hearts of the men who would be left behind after Jesus' resurrection. They were sensing the heaviness of the suffering to come. Soon Jesus was going to be arrested, tortured, and crucified. They certainly had every reason to be frightened for their own safety and uncertain of their future. But surely Jesus' prayer helped put their minds at ease.

Yet the request for protection was not so much for physical safety as it was for spiritual preservation. This preservation was going to come solely by the Word of God, which is living and powerful. It offers comfort in times of distress. It provides guidance in times of confusion. It brings healing to the broken, and freedom to the oppressed. There is no better spiritual protection than what is provided through the Word. Jesus knew and understood this. For this reason, He daily spoke God's words to His disciples, infusing them with a powerful weapon against the lies and destruction of the enemy, Satan. Jesus also knew that because these twelve men had the words of God within them, they were going to be hated by the world. The disciples refused to participate in the ways of the godless, even speaking out against their wicked thoughts and actions. For this reason, the disciples needed protection from the attacks of those who opposed God and His Word.

Although Jesus' ministry was coming to an end and He would be leaving earth to return to His Father in heaven, the disciples were going to be left in the world. Just as Christians today are left in the world to spread the message of the gospel, the twelve disciples had a mission to fulfill during their lie on earth. It was not realistic for Jesus to ask God to remove the disciples from the world just so that they could be protected from evil, just as it is not realistic for believers today to ask to be taken home just to escape the hardships of life here on earth. Without God's chosen people bringing the lost to Christ, many nonbelievers could not find their way.

 

Jesus Prays for Unity among the Disciples:

There are three significant elements in the prayer that Jesus prayed for His disciples, as recorded in John 17:9-19. The first is the recognition that these men had been selected by God and they belonged to God. The second is the request for unity among these men, the same unity shared between the Father and the Son. The third is the petition of protection for the twelve disciples. All of Jesus' final instructions recorded in the preceding chapters were then sealed by this prayer.

In this part of the series on Jesus' Prayer for His Disciples, the focus will be on the necessity for unity among the twelve disciples. Unity, as spoken by David in the psalms, has incredible value in the eyes of God. As David said, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1) Jesus knew the Scriptures well, and perhaps was reminded of this psalm when He prayed for His disciples. Jesus knew that if they were unified amongst each other and with God, they would be purposeful and effective witnesses for Him.

In order for the gospel to be carried throughout the world, those who carried that message had to have one heart and mind. They all had to share the responsibility of not only the mission but the message. Jesus told them that their greatest testimony to the world was going to be their love for one another and their spiritual like-mindedness. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) This love for one another included not only a mutual respect as men but also care and compassion as fellow eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Unity among the disciples was critical.

In John 17:11-13 is recorded the second part of Jesus' prayer: "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves."

Jesus had come to the end of His ministry on earth. Soon he was going to be handed over to Roman officials and crucified. He knew that He would be raised to life again, but He also knew that He was going back to the Father. This meant that the disciples were going to be left here on earth to carry out their mission. Jesus prayed that they would be kept, or guarded, so that they could experience the same unity as what was shared between the Father and the Son. They were to know and understand the Father's will, and obey it. They were to consider the sick, the lame, the blind, the fatherless, and the widowed. They were to desire to see mankind restored and reconciled just as Jesus had desired. To do these things meant to submit to the authority of God. In so doing, they were going to be able to lead all men to the salvation of Jesus Christ.

During Jesus' ministry, He walked with His twelve disciples and taught them about kingdom living. He performed miracles before them, and He spoke the words of the Father to them. Jesus completed every task that the Father had sent Him to do, including preparing these twelve men for the path that lay ahead of them. Not one of them had been lost, or destroyed, except whom Jesus called the "son of perdition," or the heir of eternal destruction. He was speaking of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.

The other Eleven, along with Matthias who replaced Judas as one of the disciples, remained united both before and after Jesus' resurrection. It was this unity that enabled them to spread the gospel throughout the then-known world within 30 years after Jesus' ascension. Because of their efforts, the message of the gospel is still heard all around the world today. Prayer is essential!  Jesus taught prayer, Jesus prayed, Jesus knew the power of prayer. When you get time do a refresher study on Prayer.

Extra:  

The death of Jesus Christ involved six co-conspirators, each doing their part to push the process along. Their motives ranged from greed to hatred to duty. They were Judas Iscariot, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate, Herod Antipas, and an unnamed Roman centurion.

Hundreds of years earlier, the Old Testament prophets had said the Messiah would be led like a sacrificial lamb to slaughter. It was the only way the world could be saved from sin. Learn the role each co-conspirator played in the most important trial in history and how each step contributed to the death of Jesus.

Judas Iscariot – Betrayer of Jesus Christ:

Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus Christ's 12 chosen disciples. The group's treasurer, he was in charge of the common money bag. Scripture tells us Judas betrayed his Master for 30 pieces of silver, the standard price paid for a slave. But did he do it out of greed, or to force the Messiah to overthrow the Romans, as some scholars suggest? Judas went from being one of Jesus' closest friends to a man whose first name has come to mean traitor.

The Sanhedrin - Jewish High Council:

The Sanhedrin, Israel's high court, enforced Mosaic law. Its president was the High Priest, Joseph Caiaphas, who leveled charges of blasphemy against Jesus. Although Jesus was innocent, the Sanhedrin (with the exceptions of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea) voted to convict. The penalty was death, but this court had no authority to order execution. For that they needed the help of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate

 

Joseph Caiaphas - High Priest of the Jerusalem Temple:

Joseph Caiaphas, High Priest of the Jerusalem temple, was one of the most powerful men in ancient Israel, yet he felt threatened by the peace-loving rabbi Jesus of Nazareth. Caiaphas feared Jesus might start a rebellion, causing a clampdown by the Romans, at whose pleasure Caiaphas served. So Caiaphas decided Jesus had to die, ignoring all the laws to make sure that happened.

 

Pontius Pilate – Roman Governor of Judea:

Pontius Pilate held the power of life and death in ancient Israel. When Jesus was sent to him for trial, Pilate found no reason to execute him. Instead, he had Jesus brutally flogged then sent him to Herod, who sent him back. Still, the Sanhedrin and Pharisees were not satisfied. They demanded that Jesus be crucified, a torturous death reserved for only the most violent criminals. Always the politician, Pilate symbolically washed his hands of the matter and turned Jesus over to one of his centurions
Herod Antipas - Tetrarch of Galilee:
Herod Antipas was tetrarch, or ruler of Galilee and Perea, appointed by the Romans. Pilate sent Jesus to him because Jesus was a Galilean, under Herod's jurisdiction. Herod had earlier murdered the great prophet John the Baptist, Jesus' friend and kinsman. Instead of seeking the truth, Herod ordered Jesus to perform a miracle for him. When Jesus was silent, Herod sent him back to Pilate for execution

Centurion - Officer in Ancient Rome's Army:

Roman centurions were hardened army officers, trained to kill with sword and spear. One centurion, whose name is not given, received a world-changing order: crucify Jesus of Nazareth. He and the men in his command carried out that order, coldly and efficiently. But when the deed was over, this man made a remarkable statement as he looked up at Jesus hanging on the cross; (Truly this was the Son of God).
 
The extra will continue in next study:
 

Questions:

 

1.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, what did Jesus pray for?

2.  What was Jesus final instruction following the scene in the garden?

3.  How did Jesus close His prayer for His disciples in John 17:14-19?

4.  Jesus prayed for all the disciples, but the one that was lost, who was that?

5.  Jesus told His disciples their testimonies were going to be what?

6.  What was the mystery of Christ?

7.  How many years did Jesus ministry last?

 

Response Questions:

 

1. Do you believe prayer works? Share an answered prayer.

2. Do you find yourself losing heart when it comes time to pray?

3. Do your prayers bear much fruit?

4.  Do you believe God has called you to pray, if so, according to the world situation, how would you pray?

 

Prayer:

After this manner we pray to Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.  Father, let Your Kingdom come into our hearts as we study this lesson on Jesus' ministry. Your will be done as we make the decision to follow Jesus' prayers. Give us always what we need to learn more of You, help us to eat our daily bread from Your Word. Forgive us always, Lord. As we study Your Word, help us not to give up or give in to temptation, but keep us focus on our time of study. We honor You because all the power and all the glory be Your forever, in Jesus' Mighty name we pray. Amen