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Reach — Pray Before Study
Prayer: Father, You are holy and near. As I open Your Word, open my heart. Jesus,
reveal Your love to me. Holy Spirit, guide me into all truth (John 16:13). Let me not
merely study Your Word but be transformed by it. In Jesus name, amen.

Read — Scripture
John 17:20–26 (Read slowly, aloud if possible)
As you read, listen for Jesus’ heart—what He desires, what He prays, what He
promises.

Reflect — Seeing with Holy Spirit-Opened Eyes

1. What This Text Reveals About God

Jesus is a praying Savior.
He prays not only for His disciples, but for all who will believe through
their word—λόγος (logos)—God’s revealed, authoritative truth (v.20). Christianity is not
a man-made idea; it is a revealed message passed down.

Jesus desires unity grounded in truth.
He prays that believers “may all be one” (v.21). This unity is rooted in God’s truth, not
personal preference.

Jesus reveals glory through love and sacrifice.
He speaks of δόξα (doxa)—glory (vv.22, 24). In Scripture, glory is God’s revealed
worth, His visible majesty. Behind this Greek word stands the Hebrew כָּבוֹד
(kābōd)—meaning weight, substance, heaviness. God’s glory is His undeniable reality
made known.

In John’s Gospel, the cross is glory.
God’s love, justice, mercy, and faithfulness shine brightest in sacrifice.

Jesus gives glory and unity as gifts.
“I have given (δίδωμι, didōmi) them the glory” (v.22). This verb means to grant freely,
not earned. Unity and spiritual life are grace-gifts, not human achievements.

Jesus longs for His people.
“Father, I desire (θέλω, thelō) that they also… may be with Me” (v.24). This is a word of
deep affection, not obligation. Jesus does not merely tolerate believers—He longs for
them.

2. What This Text Reveals About Others

Believers are called into relational unity modeled after the Trinity—not uniformity, but
shared life, shared love, shared mission.

The world is watching. Jesus ties the world’s faith to the church’s unity: “So that the
world may believe (πιστεύω, pisteuō)” (v.21). πιστεύω means to trust, rely upon, rest
one’s weight on. When believers love one another, the world finds Jesus believable.

3. What This Text Reveals About Me

I am not forgotten in heaven. I am carried in the heart of Christ.

Like Israel’s names on the High Priest’s breastplate, I am borne into God’s presence by
Jesus—yet not on linen and stones, but through His wounds and blood.

My destiny is not vague heaven—it is being with Jesus and seeing His glory.
Christian hope is not clouds and harps; it is face-to-face glory.

4. What This Text Reveals About Culture

Our culture negotiates truth. Jesus grounds unity in λόγος (logos)—revealed truth.
Our culture celebrates division. Jesus prays for unity. Our culture seeks self-glory. Jesus
reveals glory through sacrificial love. The church is called to live as a counter-culture of
truth, love, and unity.

Respond — Living as One Held by Christ
     - Rest in Christ’s love instead of striving for worth.
     - Pursue unity with other believers.
     - Anchor beliefs in Scripture, not opinion.

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