John 17: 5-11, 17 Jesus' High Priest Prayer

Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

Jesus' High Priest prayer is a high point in manifesting Jesus' mission. He was sent to save and restore the lost from Israel and among the gentiles. All who were going to be saved for all time were know by name in advance. These are the elect, not because of their goodness, but because they were chosen by God. Jesus prayer climaxes when he says do not take them out of the world, but keep them from the Evil One. He wants his earthly mission to continue through his disciples, but urges protection for them from spiritual warfare led by Satan and his demons.

Daily Prayer: Holy Father, it is true that I am in the world and under attack by powers of darkness. Thank God for Jesus Christ who has already won the war and has only asked his disciples to hold the ground he has already won. Help me to do my part for the sake of Jesus Christ my Lord Amen.

John 16: 7 - 14 Jesus sends the Spirit

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.

The Helper is another name for the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived in his earthly ministry for three years. Now he prepares to return to the Father. He will send them the Spirit who in another of the same kind of Helper Jesus was and is to his believers. Instead of being in their company, He indwells all believers. The Spirit's purpose is to guide us into all truth and to intercede for us when our utterances are but groaning. The Spirit imparts the New Life Jesus spoke of. That which is born of flesh is flesh, but that which is born of spirit is spirit. The Spirit of God seals the Christian until they are in the company of Jesus in heaven.

Daily Prayer: Giver of Life, lead me in such a way that I do not quench Your will in my life. Convince and convict me of my sin and forgive me my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me. Make me holy, as my Father in heaven is holy. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

John 13: 21-27 Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

Satan's part in the betrayal of Jesus does not remove any of the responsibility from Judas. Disillusioned because Jesus was talking about dying rather than setting up his kingdom, Judas may have been trying to force Jesus' hand and make him use his power to prove he was the Messiah. Or perhaps Judas, not understanding Jesus' mission, no longer believed Jesus was God's chosen one. Whatever Judas thought. Satan assumed that Jesus' death would end his mission and thward God's plan. Like Judas, Satan did not know that Jesus' death was the most important part of God's plan all along.

Daily Prayer: Father, you give wisdom to the foolish and the cleverness of the clever you set aside. Your strength is shown through other's weaknesses and whatever you propose you accomplish. Thank you for saving my soul on the cross and sending me as an ambassador into the world. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

John 11: 47 - 54 Conspiracy to Kill Jesus

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

The leaders in the Temple could not see the Son of God in Jesus. They were so preoccupied with their Roman occupation that they made plans to slay their deliverer. Jesus said it rightly when he said that if a man came to them presenting only himself, they would receive him. But when the Son of God comes to them presenting the work of God they reject him and in turn the one who sent him. But these things had to come to pass. Jesus came into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it. And only through the blood of the anointed of God will bring salvation to his people and the world.

Daily Prayer: Father, you know the end from the beginning. Nobody can deliver out of your hand. Just when the earthly powers of Satan have feel that they have their way by putting to death the Son of God, he will show that the Son of God has everlasting life by rising from the dead. He offers this resurrection to all who have spiritual eyes and believe. In your holy name I pray Amen.

John 11 31-44 the Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus wept. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

This event was a turning point that occurred just prior to Jesus going to the cross to be put to death and physically raise from the dead after three days. This was a sign to the Israelites that Jesus has both the power to give and take life. There was nothing comparable done in Jesus ministry this far. He healed, but now he has shown that he carries the power to bring the dead to life.

Daily Prayer: Father if anyone has eyes, then let him see. You have proven your divine nature through Jesus Christ Your Son. At the cross, he freely laid down his life to pay the penalty of my sins, and freely took it up to claim the victory over death and the devil. I worship you for your awesome work and deeds and trust you with my soul to preserve it with you forever. Amen.

John 10:11-18: Jesus is the Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I⁾lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I ay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

This is the best portrayal of Jesus' earthly ministry. Shepherding was a main-line profession in his day. He declares that he is the Good Shepherd which means that his simple flock come to him, because they recognize his voice. The Good Shepherd put the interests of others ahead of his own. Here, he puts the interests of Father-God ahead of his own and obeys him. Also, he takes the sheep of the House of Israel and tends to their needs. Finally, the other pen of sheep is a reference to the gentiles who he came into the world to save. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever trusts in him will have eternal life.

Daily Prayer: Father, you have summoned me through the Good Shepherd. In the same way, I go into the world professing his gospel and sharing the good news of salvation found in him. Through me, draw those who are your own unto yourself so that they may find the new life and inherit the promises you have for each of them. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

John 9: 1-5, 17-21 Healing the man who was born blind.

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.”

Jesus' miracles became progressively more astonishing. It is clear that no ordinary man could give sight to a man born blind from birth. The blind man believed in Jesus, knowing that evil forces would never give him sight and the people believed in him as a man sent from God. It was the Pharisees who were the leaders in the temple who could not believe. Worse yet, they posed a threat even to the blind man's parents by questioning them after they identify the man as their son. It seems that if they were to speak up, they would be banned from temple life.

Daily Prayer: Father, we were placed here in this place so that we may glorify you with our lives. Too often people in authority forget that they are under your authority, and rebel just as Satan did. It is clear that there is no salvation on those who do not rest in you and the care you give to those who trust you. In your holy name I pray Amen.