Christ’s Will And Grace
In John 17:9-10 ESV, Jesus prays to his Father, saying, “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.”
A verse like this unlocks a myriad of theological questions that believers have spent their lives searching out. Who is “the world?” Who are those that belong to Christ? How does this influence our evangelism? Who are God’s chosen people? Does everyone have a chance to be found in Christ?
It can be easy to take Jesus’s prayer as mere instructional words and try to dissect them for the sake of knowledge. While I wouldn't say that Jesus never wanted us to explore theological questions like these, this verse in particular seems to point toward Christ’s heart of tenderness and grace, not just information about who is in and who is out.
Any time we start trying to categorize people as in Christ or apart from Christ, we should remember Paul's words in Ephesians 2:13 ESV. He says by the Spirit, “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Remember that you are only included among those Jesus prays for in John 17:9-10 becasue of Christ’s faithfulness in Ephesians 2:13. For only moments after his prayer, Jesus would be seized by the worldly powers and sentenced to an unjust death. In this way, Jesus prayed a prophetic prayer that was only sustained by his obedient love on the cross.
The collision of Christ’s tender prayer with his mighty power on the cross marks the perfect intersection of divine grace. Not only does Jesus extend the power of salvation through his blood freely given for our sins, but he demonstrates his will for us to be included in his glory through his prayers.
As Christ looked forward to the cross, the significance of this will of the Father was on display. Every son and daughter that was called to the house of the Father was entrusted to the Son for redemption and sanctification. And he was faithful. So Jesus prays, “I'm not praying right now for the ones who are lost in the world. I’m praying for those precious souls that recieve hope through this gospel.”
Jesus prays for us that we wouldn’t be stuck in transactional religion—God’s grace, my freedom, end of story. Rather, he wants us to receive the invitation to abiding glory, actually, unspeakable glory that flows from the heart of God. Unimaginable wonder that radiates from the presence of his Spirit. Unending love and freedom that was paid for by the blood of the lamb.
Jesus shows us that we are called to glory. This is the will of the Father.
