{"id":1361,"date":"2016-02-25T11:11:44","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T17:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=1361"},"modified":"2016-02-25T11:11:44","modified_gmt":"2016-02-25T17:11:44","slug":"invitation-to-intimacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2016\/02\/invitation-to-intimacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Invitation to Intimacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jesus Draws Us into His Relationship with the Father
\nBy Ross Parsley
\nRecently, I took part in \u201cThe Thorn,\u201d which is a modern musical passion play that the church at which I serve as worship pastor puts on every year. With a cast of over 600, it is an extraordinary production that portrays Christ\u2019s final week on earth. My part was to sing in three different scenes in each of the nine shows.
\nThat meant I had time to go back to my office and get a little work done between songs during each performance. One particular night, I went back to my office after the opening song and ended up on the phone with a person who was working through some heavy issues. We were about to wrap up our conversation when I noticed that it was almost time for my next scene. As I hung up the phone, I realized with horror that the phone intercom system was already playing the song from the auditorium that I was supposed to be singing! I sat in stunned silence, not knowing whether to run to the auditorium or hide. Thankfully, the guy who sings with me was carrying it himself and doing a great job.
\nBut then . . . I realized I hadn\u2019t taken off my headset microphone from the last scene\u2014and all the headsets are programmed into the soundboard for the entire show. Was it possible that I had been broadcasting my discussion about an incredibly sensitive subject to 6,000 people?
\nIt\u2019s amazing the amount of adrenaline that runs through your body in a moment like that. When I finally ventured out of my office, I was assured that no one had been \u201clistening in.\u201d I also was assured that, except for the director and a few others, no one noticed that I did not show up for my song. So much for my search for significance!
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\nListening in on Jesus<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a very vulnerable feeling to realize that someone may be listening in on a personal conversation. The same is true with prayer. Imagine how it would feel, for instance, if someone overheard one of your conversations with the Lord about what\u2019s really going on with you!
\nYet in John 17, we get the opportunity to do just that with Jesus. We get to listen in on one of His personal conversations with God. This is not Jesus teaching us how to pray, as in Luke 11. This is Jesus allowing us to listen in on how He prays to the Father! We get to peer into Jesus\u2019 psyche.<\/strong> We hear His desires, priorities, and concerns. We witness His love, joy, and directives as He shares an intimate moment with the Father just hours before He goes to the cross. In this passage, Jesus shares more than just a prayer. He shares Himself.
\nWhen a person is going away and knows that this is the last opportunity he will have to pray with those he loves, he prays with conviction. His words have finality. They will be chosen carefully for greatest impact. The prayer will be memorable.
\nThis is the context for Jesus\u2019 words in John 17. He\u2019s not giving hurried, last-minute instructions to a rag-tag group of dysfunctional followers. He is speaking as one who wants desperately to see His friends again, who doesn\u2019t want to leave them helpless, who desires to stay connected with them as
\nHe embarks on the final leg of His mission. Jesus wants His friends to know that they are not alone. He has provided for them, and He is trying to include them in the most intimate relationship He has.
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\nConversation in Progress<\/strong>
\nJohn 17 opens with these words: \u201cAfter Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: \u2018Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.\u2019\u201d The unique feature of Jesus\u2019 prayer in John 17 is that we, and the disciples, are stepping into a conversation in progress. It\u2019s as if the conversation\u00a0 between Jesus and the Father has been going on for a while, and now Jesus just picks up where He left off. Many times, Jesus slipped away to a solitary place to pray (Mt. 14:13; Mk. 1:35; Lk. 4:42). But now, Jesus wants the disciples to be a part of the conversation. He loves them so deeply that He wants to include them in the communion with His Father. He wants them to experience that same intimacy that He so enjoys.
\nIf you\u2019ve ever heard WWII veterans talk with each other, you realize that there\u2019s a lot between them that just doesn\u2019t have to be said. They\u2019ve experienced so much in common that they just know. The bonds of brotherhood have been created by their commitment to each other through thick and thin. I wonder if this is how the disciples felt listening to Jesus and the Father.
\nJesus had had many conversations with the Father before this one. In His 33 years on earth, He\u2019d depended on God in ways He\u2019d never had to depend on Him when They were together in heaven from time eternal. No doubt, Jesus had talked to God about His friends many times before\u2014discussing their strengths and weaknesses, their joys and fears. He\u2019d lived with them, worked with them, eaten with them, and laughed and cried with them for three years. So when He prayed for them, He didn\u2019t have to give a lot of detail. He knew what He meant, the Father knew what He meant, and that\u2019s all that mattered. So as you read the follow- ing verses, imagine how the disciples must have felt when Jesus prayed these incredibly powerful petitions for them. Don\u2019t read too quickly\u2014although the phrases are short, they are all packed with extravagant love, generosity, and meaning.
\nHe wants them to . . .<\/p>\n