In John 17 we hear Jesus speaking what we have come to call His “High Priestly Prayer”. It may be strange to say that Jesus, God in the flesh, prayed. Why does Jesus, of all people, need to pray? The really simple answer is this: Because we need it!
In the Old Testament, God appointed for His people a High Priest. The High Priest was adorned with fancy clothes, a turban, and a sash. He was adorned with such splendor not because he was better than everyone else (he has to sacrifice for his own sins, too!). Neither did he simply want to look fancy in front of his peers. No, the High Priest was dressed so magnificently in order to reflect the importance of his role as intercessor between God and God’s people. The High Priest was the go-between.
Now, however, the book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our High Priest. The God of the Universe adorned Himself in human flesh so that He might pray for humanity and be our intercessor. In John 17 Jesus prays for His disciples and He prays for the future Church, including all those who will believe in the Gospel on account of the testimony of those first disciples. That means, He was, and continues to be, praying for you.
Jesus is the God Who Prays and, as mysterious as that sounds, He prays for us. Jesus intercedes for us and for all our needs of body and soul. Jesus prays for us when we don’t know what we should be praying for or when we don’t know how we should be praying. Jesus prays for us when we can’t pray for ourselves. And because Jesus is our intercessor, our High Priest, our God Who Prays, we too can approach the throne of God in confidence that we will be heard. Our prayers, no matter how scattered, insufficient, rambling, short, long, or unsteady are heard by our Heavenly Father as a parent listens to his or her child.
So this lenten season join me, and our Lord, in prayer. What can we pray for? Here’s a list to get us started:
Our Congregation: That we would continue to pursue our mission of, “Connecting people to the vibrant love of Jesus”
Our Community: Especially Bishop Elementary School students, teachers, and staff.
Our Country: That those who lead would do so with honor and integrity.
All Creation: That all people around the world would come to know Jesus and His love.
Do you have your own prayer request? Send it to pastor_nick@stmarksunnyvale.org
In Christ,
Pastor Nick