A Homiletical Treatment of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (John 17)

Abstract

Prepared for the Dakota-Montana District Conference, Jamestown, ND, April 12-14, 1983] Why a homiletical series on John, chapter seventeen? If you have ever preached from any of these pericope series: Saxon, Ranke, Nitsch, Owens, Swedish, Lenski, Synodical Conference, or the ILCW, then you have preached on a text from John 17 (see appendix A). Outwardly this chapter has the appearance of an easy text with its simple Greek of John's style. Inwardly however, this chapter rivals the mystery of the Trinity, the dual nature of the doctrine of Election, and the Law-Gospel antithesis in profundity and majesty. There is so much packed into so few words! This makes John, chapter seventeen, a challenge to treat homiletically. How can a preacher expound and apply such words to his people with the clarity in which Jesus first spoke the words? The more one prays over the text, studies, meditates and applies it to his own life, the more he realizes he is only scratching the surface of the wonderful truths contained here. Somewhere Luther is supposed to have written of this chapter: It is truly a fervent and sincere prayer in which he [Jesus] opens and pours out His soul to us and His heavenly Father. Put I fear that we can not properly estimate and describe the power, the characteristic quality, and the virtue of this prayer; for however simple and unadorned, it is nevertheless impossible to fathom its profound significance, its wealth and its compass. (This humble homiletician agrees wholeheartedly.) This prayer of Jesus is the longest continual prayer found in the Gospels. It allows man to drop in on a conversation between the persons of the Godhead concerning our wellbeing and future. Melanchthon wrote, "No worthier, no holier, no more blessed or exalted voice has ever been heard in heaven or on earth than this petition of the Son of God himself." Jesus, nearing the final depths of his humiliation and shame, opens and pours out his soul to his heavenly Father, and to his eleven disciples who listened to Jesus pray this out loud -no doubt for their benefit and by means of the miracle of inspiration for our benefit. This prayer is the climax of Jesus, final discourse to his disciples and the Church. It is a summary and a cover over his entire redemptive work on earth, much like the fine embroidered veil placed over the communion ware on our altars. Jesus makes it known that he enters his "defeat" on the cross as a victor. He the final outcome of his work as successfully completed, thereby giving the faithful disciple the certainty of eternal life through Christ. This prayer helps the lonely sinner to know that he has a personal Savior who prays for him, and that sinner is comforted to know that the prayer is answered. Jesus becomes real and personal to the one who contemplates the meaning of these words. Jesus is our great High Priest who knows by experience our worst problems and sorrows and therefore earnestly intercedes for our most dire needs: forgiveness, life, reconciliation to God, unity with one another and final glorification with himself in heaven. No mere man could have uttered such a powerful prayer. "Its serenity, its majesty, its authority befit only the heart and lips of him who is the Son." 1 The fact that 10 of 15 pericope series include portions of John 17 in their sermon texts indicates that this is a worthy portion of Scripture for a parish pastor to wrestle with, to expound and to apply to himself and his people. The task is not easy, as I have found, but the rewards to himself and to his people will be great. Let us, therefore, apply ourselves to the task and search for ways to proclaim the mighty truths of John 17 to God's precious saints under our care. I hope that what follows will excite and incite some of you to consider a series of sermons on Jesus' Sacerdotal Prayer.