John – Page 18 – Be Still…

John 18:1-11 – It Has Begun

The end is drawing near. Jesus has said his time has come. It has begun. Each year as we prepare our hearts for the Easter message, I am saddened. I know the plan all along was that Jesus had to die. Why do I feel sad? I’m sad that the people just didn’t see that the I AM was right in front of them!

But isn’t that exactly how it was supposed to go. If everyone had been enthralled with Jesus and hanging on his every word every waking moment, there would be no crucifixion, there would be no resurrection. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

John 17:20-26 – Jesus Prays Unity for Us

Read John 17:20-26

Did you know that Jesus prayed for you? Jesus’ prayer in this chapter included himself, his disciples, and us, those who are the faithful followers to come. Jesus knew we would need prayer for unity. There are so many things that separate us from him and each other. Satan does whatever he can to drive wedges between relationships, split churches, and distract us from our mission.

Jesus gave us a new commandment, to love one another as he has loved us. It’s hard to do this when our hearts are not unified. Our human frailty often stands in the way of us being able (or willing) to love each other. Divisions will separate, but Jesus prays for unity. In the end, we will all see him face to face. We will at long last be unified with the Father, Son, and Spirit.

John 17:6-19 – Jesus Prays for His Disciples

Read John 17:6-19

We see love in action here in Jesus’ words. His love for his disciples, the ones “God has given him,” is so real and raw. Jesus recognizes they, too, will be hated by the world simply by the association with Jesus. Jesus wants to make sure he asks his Father to protect them.

Jesus wants for them to know joy. That’s why he shared with them so much of his truth. We know that true joy comes from being connected with Jesus. He is the source of all joy. When we are in close relationship with him, even though we have trials, our joy is still full. We have the knowledge and assurance of eternity. Our troubles will end. That is reason for great joy!

John 17:1-5 – Jesus Prays for Himself

Read John 17:1-5

This will be a very interesting chapter as it is Jesus’ prayer. He starts by addressing himself to the Father. That is always a good place to start when we pray. We want to acknowledge the greatness of our God and all that he has done. I’ve often used an acronym A-C-T-S for my prayer time. Or for people who fear praying out loud in front of other people, this is always a good standby form.

A = Adoration – give glory and honor to God. C = Confess – time to tell God what you’ve done and are sorry for, asking for forgiveness and pardon. T = Thanksgiving. For me, this can go on for hours…thanking God for all of his blessings and even for the trials because he has been right there beside you. S = Supplication. You can ask God for stuff. Sometimes I just think of the “S” as “stuff” because supplication is such a big word. A word we don’t often use in everyday conversation. Google says its “the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.”

John 16:16-33 – Overcome

Read John 16:16-33

Details, details, details. How much is a “little while?” The disciples were stuck on the details. I probably would have been, too! What did Jesus mean anyway when he said he would be gone and then be back again? Where was he going?

What happens when we don’t understand something? We get frustrated. We ask questions. We seek to be free from confusion. Jesus sensed the disciples were a bit anxious about the whole message he was now giving them. I still don’t think they understood how their grief could be changed to joy.