JOHN 17
If you knew you were about to die, what would be on your mind?
It’s a scary thought, but most people would probably become consumed with the oncoming pain, curiosity about the afterlife, and regrets of things they failed to accomplish.
In John 17, we get to listen to one of Jesus’s prayers. With a sinking weight on His chest, Jesus prays, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (17:20-21). Jesus is about to be arrested and executed, but He takes the time to pray for His friends and followers. With a mind full of distractions, Jesus took the intentional time to pray for comfort for the people He loved.
Notice for whom else He prayed. He mentioned “those who will believe.” Two millennia ago, Jesus, processing His oncoming pain while praying in a garden, prayed for you. Let that sink in. Jesus prayed for YOU on His course to the cross. We will never be able to understand God’s heart for us, but this should give you a little glimpse. Even with His murder around the corner, you were on His mind.