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Brasilia, Brazil | Wellington Barbosa, Brazilian Publishing House

cThe gospels record several moments of Jesus' prayer, but none of them equal the depth and extent of John 17. This simple prayer for the disciples is a lesson from Christ's intercessory work on behalf of humanity.

Supposedly called, for the first time, “the priestly prayer of Jesus” by David Chytraeus in the 16th century, its content is divided into three parts: the Master prays for Himself (see vs. 1–5), His disciples (vs. 6–19), and all those who would come to believe in him (vs. 20–26). Every point presented by Him challenges us today to be the answer to His prayer.

In verse 15, Jesus intercedes for the disciples so they may be kept from evil. He does not ask the Father that His followers be taken out of the world, which would guarantee them absolute security, but to be protected from evil and, by inference, the evil one.

Next, in verse 17, Christ presents to the Father His desire for His disciples to be sanctified in truth. They must be transformed by the knowledge of Scripture.

Finally, in verse 21, Jesus expresses the desire for His disciples to be one, just as He and the Father are one. Such union in love highlights the power of God and the glory of Christ, resulting in the growth of the community of faith. It is noteworthy that the request for unity is the only one that is repeated in prayer (see v. 11), which demonstrates the seriousness of the theme from the Master's perspective.

In short, the Savior intercedes for protection, holiness, and union and thus outlines a picture of what He expects of the people who call themselves by His name, fulfill His mission, and await His coming.

Biblical Detachment

In confronting the requests for Jesus' prayer with some postures adopted by Christians, I conclude we are far from being the ideal answer. And, even worse, the people who watch us are coming to the same conclusion. Before, the world had access to our context only through close coexistence; nowadays, it is enough to access the internet to realize our weaknesses and defects.

The virtual environment has given people the opportunity to express themselves in any way on any subject. Thus, some brothers in the faith assimilated this characteristic and made social networks the pulpit for the dissemination of their ideas. And what do you see? Biting criticisms of Christian people and institutions, polemics regarding theological aspects, disrespectful judgments, mutual offenses—in short, a series of attitudes that diverge from what is expected of a community guarded from evil, sanctified in the Word, and united by the fraternal bonds of Christian love.

Thomas Brooks was precise in stating,“For wolves to worry the lambs is no wonder, but for one lamb to worry another, this is unnatural and monstrous”. I am not in favor of a passive stance in the face of questionable points of conduct or doctrine. However, the Bible does not endorse the public and virtual judgment that has become the practice of some Christians.

Problems concerning the community of faith should be solved in their circle. This was the instruction of Christ (see Matthew 18:15–20) and Paul (see 1 Corinthians 6:1).

Having condemned the judgment of spiritual issues in the secular sphere, what would Paul say about the practice of debating about the different views of the church in the public arena of the internet? I can't imagine your ordeal!

Author Ellen White seems to have portrayed what is currently seen on social media when she said, “Some are naturally combative. They do not care whether they harmonize with their brethren or not. They would like to enter into controversy, would like to fight for their particular ideas; but they should lay this aside, for it is not developing the Christian graces. Work with all your power to answer the prayer of Christ, that His disciples may be one, as He is one with the Father” (Mind, Character, and Personality, v. 1, p. 40).

With a pastor’s heart, I pray, “Lord, help this generation to be the answer to your prayer.”

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site

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