John 17:1-18:1 | Matthew 26:30-46 | Mark 14:26-42 | Luke 22:39-46

John chapter 17 is one of the few prayers of Jesus that have been recorded for us, and in it He is praying to the Father for His disciples, as well as for all of those who will believer in Him as a consequence of their testimony (which includes us!).  One of the key wishes of Jesus in this prayer is for His disciples to be “one”, or in unity, just like the Father and the Son are in perfect accord.  This is a charge for us to fulfill also, where we need to unite on all we hold in common, and refuse to let non-essential differences of opinion drive wedges between believers.  It’s unfortunate that the church of Jesus is better known for the things we disagree on, rather than what and Who we hold in common!

After these things the Lord and His disciples go to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prays.  He prays three times to the Father, asking that the trial He was about to face be removed, if there was any other way to accomplish His plan.  This episode demonstrates vividly that there was no other way for men to be saved, except that Jesus be sacrificed to pay for the sin of the world, and that is how His prayer ends, when He says “nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done”.  Many people today say that there are many ways to get to God, but if that were true, then it would have never been necessary for Jesus to be crucified that night.