John 17:9-12 (NIV)
“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.”
Jesus longed for the whole world to come into relationship with the Father through faith in Him. It was that love, that longing, that had brought him into the world in the first place (John 3:16). But now He was focused on the needs of His inner circle of disciples.
Jesus understood that, even though these eleven men had been faithful to Him, had obeyed Him consistently, and had thus brought glory to His name, things were going to become much more difficult for them after He was gone. Up to this point, Jesus Himself had acted as a buffer between the enemy and them, between the religious leaders and them. But once He was gone, the full force of all those enemies of the kingdom would be turned against them.
Jesus was not worried that these men would turn away and be lost. He knew the men He had chosen to follow Him. He also knew that once the Holy Spirit had fallen on them, they would be strong, even fearless in the face of opposition. (Incidentally, He also knew who Judas was when He had chosen Him to be one of the inner circle: that he would turn, betray Jesus, and be ultimately lost.)
These men would sometimes feel alone under the whip of persecution. But it was vital for them to know that they would be given the same power, the same inner strength, and even the same protection that Jesus had been living in this whole time. They were hearing Jesus pray for it right then, and they knew that Jesus always received whatever He prayed for.
Father, Jesus knew all that lay in the future for those followers of His, and His prayer was pertinent as well as powerful on their behalf. We often forget when times get difficult, and when our road runs uphill, that Jesus is still interceding for us at Your right hand (Hebrews 7:25). We are heirs to the same Holy Spirit that they had (Acts 2:38-39), and we are called to the same mission (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-48, John 17:23). So, we can expect to receive the same prayers for unity and protection that they received. Thank You, Lord, for all these things. Amen.
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