Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them”. Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. Did you hear what Jesus does in our text for today? Jesus prays for you. The text for our sermon today was spoken by Jesus just a few hours before He was arrested. Jesus knows what is about to happen. He knows he is about to be beaten and bloodied, pierced with nails and killed, and so what does He pray for? For you and for your lives that you live here in this sinful world. Jesus prays, and you need his prayers.
Jesus prays for you because he knows what you will face in your lifetime, after all he lived a life here on Earth as well. Jesus knows you will face pain and suffering. He knows about illnesses and sicknesses. He knows about cancer and strokes and heart attacks. He knows the pain of loss as a loved one leaves behind this sinful life. He knows because his entire life he dealt with people in these situations. He knows because He is there with you in your situations.
Jesus prays for you because he knows that in this life you will face many temptations. He knows that you will question God’s word at times and wonder, “Did God really say?” He knows that you will be faced with temptations to steal, temptations to lie and swear, temptations to hurt those around you, and temptations to commit adultery or worse. Jesus knows you face these trials, and in our text He says he prays for you because of it.
Jesus prays for you because he knows that sometimes you just feel tired and weary, and you wonder how in the world you will make it another day, how you could possibly face another problem. Jesus prays for you because He knows the fatigue that comes from our sin, and how we need peace and rest and relaxation, but how we will never find that here in this world. He prays because he knows this place is not happy all the time, and he knows our struggles.
Jesus prays for you because he knows you cannot do it on your own, you cannot make it through this life into eternity by your own will or determination. He knows your sin is just too great, he knows the punishment is too much for you to bear. Jesus knows, and so he prays as he heads to Calvary.
Friends, Jesus prays for you. In this text, as He prepares to be humiliated and crucified, as He prepares to have his blood drained from countless wounds as he hangs on a cross, his worry is with you. He worries about your sin, and the price that it costs. For in your sin you deserve death, and Jesus does not want that for you. He doesn’t want it for you so much that sets his eyes on Jerusalem specifically so that he can take your place, so that by his death you might belong to your sin no longer, but instead belong to God.
And as Jesus prays for you, your heavenly Father listens. Jesus says to God, “do not hold this sin against, them ‘For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.’ And because they believe in me, I have taken their place.” Jesus prays, and asks God to count your sin against his account. Jesus prays that he might become the biggest sinner the world has ever know, and bear each of your sins, each of my sins, every sin that ever was committed in this world. And having born them, we now belong to Jesus, to God the Father, to eternity.
“All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.” Jesus says in our text. And Jesus is glorified in you, because the one who died on the cross has overcome your weariness. He has overcome your temptations and sent Satan packing. Jesus has overcome death and the grave and instead given life to all who believe in him. And Jesus is glorified in you, not because of good things you do, not because you are a nice person, but because of all the things he has done for you.
This past week we celebrated the ascension, where the resurrected Jesus rose into the heavens to the very right hand of God. Do you know what that means? Jesus still prays for you. Jesus sits next to God always with you in his mind, praying, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He pardons your sins before God, and will for all eternity. He is the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Lord of all things and all people.
Dear friends, Jesus has prayed for you today. He has asked for you to be forgiven, and he has paid the price so that it may be so. You are his, and he is yours. You belong to him, and he continues to care for you for all eternity. Amen.
