Scripture, from beginning to end, is woven with imagery to help us connect all its events and teachings to God’s ultimate purpose and plan: that of redeeming us to Himself.
Here’s a great example. We read about Moses’ brother, Aaron, being appointed and anointed as the first high priest (Exodus 28:1). His job, as well as every high priest that followed him, was to intercede for the Israelites before God – to offer prayers, sacrifices, and offerings on the people’s behalf so that their sin would be atoned for, so that God would redeem them and remain in their presence. The High Priest also managed all the other priests who oversaw the operations of the tabernacle (which later became the temple).
Throughout the first five books of the Old Testament we get stories, laws, and instructions that not only give us very specific descriptions of the priests and the running of God’s tabernacle but also the required sacrificial system that would bring cleansing and forgiveness to God’s people. Throughout the rest of the Bible, including the Gospels, we’re given glimpses of priests carrying out thousands of years of tradition in the temple, continually offering up prayers and sacrifices.
Later in the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews explains in his letter to the Jews, who lived in the days of the early Church, something they would have known to be true, “Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God” (5:1). The priest would have to “offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people” (v.3). The author was setting up the connection between the ancient priesthood and Jesus, as well as laying the foundation for what set Jesus apart as the Redeemer.
Described as the Great High Priest (4:14), Jesus fulfilled the same role and purposes – prayers and petitions and sacrifice on behalf of the people – but His greatness surpassed those under the old covenant. His very presence ushered in God’s kingdom. His sinlessness made Him the only possible once-and-for-all atonement. His body became the final sacrifice for all who believe in Him. His resurrection guaranteed eternal salvation. His ascension installed Him as our forever intercessor (Romans 8:34).
Here’s the kicker: Jesus was always the Great High Priest. The system on earth instituted by God for His people was a mere shadow of what always existed in heaven. But we didn’t know that until Jesus left the actual throne room in the heavenlies to come to earth.
So. On the night our Great High Priest would surrender to His role as the final sacrificial Lamb, He gathered His flock. He fed them. He rehearsed the ancient rituals of Passover. He initiated a new tradition of remembrance. And He prayed the most glorious, comprehensive prayer over those in the room and for those who would “believe in [Him] through their message” (John 17:20).
The ninth and final Jesus Prayer is rightly called the High Priestly Prayer.
All the Prayers
At twenty-six verses (John 17:1-26), this Jesus Prayer is longer than all the preceding eight prayers added together. Chronologically, it may seem out of order to be called the final prayer of Jesus. However, if we take it for its purpose – a prayer for all believers – its words guide all who follow Jesus into the future. In other words, this prayer is for post-resurrection people who will take our Great High Priest’s words and receive them with the heart they were given:
Prayers of glory (vv.1,4–5,10,22,24).
Prayers of protection (vv.11-12,15).
Prayers of provision of joy, sanctification, and glory (vv.13,16-19,22).
Prayers for the Word and words (vv.6-8,14,16).
Prayers of unity with God and each other (vv.11,21-23).
Prayers of love and the knowledge of God (vv.23-26).
This singular prayer is packed with multiple petitions. It’s the final download of everything Jesus wanted to be sure His disciples would know after He was gone. And He spoke the words aloud so they’d be documented – for the Eleven, for the new Church, for all believers of all time.
Knowing God
Perhaps of all the petitions that flowed from Jesus’ heart that fateful night, the one that grabs me most in this season is that of knowing God. In fact, Jesus goes so far as to define ‘eternal life’ as knowing God and His Son (v.3). In Greek, the word for ‘eternal’ denotes the opposite of fleeting. Fleeting – like those hundreds of thousands of bleating lambs that had to be sacrificed each Passover under the old covenant. Eternal – like Jesus’ one sacrifice to end all sacrifices, forever.
By defining eternal life as knowing God and Himself, Jesus lays out all that is required to live forever as God’s chosen people. And, quite brilliantly, He also ascribes the timeless and unending quality of such knowing.
And by pairing the Greek word for ‘eternal’ with zoe – the Greek word for ‘life’ – Jesus emphasizes the absolute fullness of life that is found only in Him, both spiritually and physically. He’s talking about life with God forever and about the abundant life that comes with a relationship with God while we’re on earth.1
“The Lord intimately shares His gift of life with people, creating each in His image which gives all the capacity to know His eternal life.”1
Years ago, I devoured Jennie Allen’s book, Anything.2 Every Friday, I perched myself at a table in my favorite coffee shop and read. I’d underline, annotate, and journal. Her words, paired with God’s Word, awakened something in me – purpose.
You see, I was at a moment in my life where I stood at a precipice of something new, and I longed to do it well, to do it for God. But I struggled with selfish motivations and fears of stepping into this call for all the wrong reasons.
So when I read Jennie’s words that we’re all called to know God and make Him known, I knew I’d found my purpose in the simplest, most concise of terms. Know God. Make Him known. And my writing ‘career’ began.
For eleven years, “know God and make Him known” have been my guiding principles as I blog and write for Devoted Collective.3 And in those eleven years, my life has changed in more ways than I could have imagined when I first journaled those words at the coffee shop. I’ve moved twice to two different states. I’ve watched my three sons launch into life on their own. I’ve laid down busyness for a quiet life as I’ve continued to come back to the words that launched me.
So imagine my utter surprise and awe of our kind, good, transcendent God when at our new church in Georgia I heard those exact words flow out of a guest preacher: “Our purpose as believers is to know God and make Him known.” It was as though God was nodding His head with approval for where we sat, for what I’ve been doing – as if to say, keep going. The purpose would never change despite the fact my surroundings and the people around me had.
My friends, our purpose has been and always will be to know God and make Him known. The particulars, aka: ‘the assignments’, may change as the seasons do, but our reason for being on this earth never waivers. In all that we do, we make knowing God our number one priority – not just head knowledge or information about God, but HIM. Intimately. Personally. Corporately.
Then we take all that knowing and we share it with others. We make Jesus known by stepping into our roles as His priests and ambassadors on this planet – whatever our assignments might be.
Oh, that we would highlight these twenty-six verses of John’s seventeenth chapter and mark their page with the largest tab we can find so that we can return to it again and again, allowing Christ’s words to pour over us with the anointing He intended. May we memorize the final two verses and allow them to become our beacon of purpose as we live this eternal life here and now – just as Jesus did:
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
John 17:25-26
Our Great High Priest gave His absolute all while He was here, leaving behind a blueprint for His new tabernacle: Us. His people. His Church. So, may we continue to turn to these Jesus Prayers throughout this time on earth, giving Christ’s words space to do a work in us – shaping us to be more and more like our Savior in action and attitude, in works of the heart and hands, forever and ever amen.
Lord, teach us to pray.
Father God, Lord Most High, how we absolutely marvel at You and your ways. That You would institute a process of redemption through the shedding of innocent blood for thousands of years so that your people could be cleansed enough to remain near the tabernacle, near your presence, astounds us! That You would send your Son to earth full of the love You have for Him and for us causes us to fall on our knees, repentant and humble. That You would allow Him to die for us defies all logic, yet that was always the plan. The sinless man’s death was always the intention to redeem humanity. How we thank You! Lord Jesus, the words You prayed while on earth are shaping us. And this final prayer You offered on that last night displays your hope for us. Your words give us insight into your heart and into God’s plans. Your prayer anoints us to continue on as your priests of love and truth and grace in this world. Your anointed truths teach us that just as God loves You, You love us, which shows us how we’re meant to love. Your benediction demonstrates to us the way You lived – knowing God and making Him known. So we ask that with You in us and us in You that You would continue to teach, encourage, and guide us in our call and purpose – to know God and make Him known. In your holy name we pray, amen.
(inspired by the full of Scripture and the final Jesus Prayer, John 17:1-26).
Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.
- 1 – Here are the Greek references for ‘eternal’ and ‘life’ as found in Strong’s.
- 2 – Jennie Allen’s book, Anything,^ has (as my friend would say) become a mile marker in my life. It was the just-right book for me at that time. I read it at least two more times, sharing it with friends and my Bible study group. But nothing tops those Fridays I sat with God at that coffee shop. It was in those days of relishing every phrase and internalizing every truth with the Lord that I was shaped. And prepared. And equipped. All the things for all that would come. Thank You, Jesus. XOXO
- 3 – The Devoted Collective is a resource ministry for women who desire to go deeper in their faith journeys. We’re now 100% on Substack where we share free daily resources in the form of meaty devotions, as well as several paid-subscriber resources – like deep dive Bible Studies and Book Clubs. I’ve grown so much working with and alongside these sisters in Christ and have been blessed beyond measure getting to be a small part of all the BIG things God is doing through this ministry. Thank You, Jesus. XOXO
- I feel like so much of what flowed out of me in this post is a product of so many books and teachings I’ve been blessed to learn from over the last twenty-five years. The first Beth Moore Bible study I participated in was A Woman’s Heart, God’s Dwelling Place, and it was the first time anyone ever showed me how the Old and New Testament were so interconnected and intentional. Decades later when I read Sandra Richter’s Epic of Eden, the connections deepened and my mind was blown open even wider. But there were more…so many more…studies and books and people that have poured into me. I’m so grateful!
- I very intentionally chose We the Kingdom’s song, “Tabernacle,” as the final song of our playlist, Embrace Prayer, because it makes the connection from the old covenant to the new, from the old Tabernacle to the new — US!! We aren’t here on earth only to survive till Jesus comes again. We aren’t here to keep ourselves entertained and fed till we die. We’re here with a purpose — know God. And make Him know, however that looks in each of our contexts.
I am the tabernacle of the Most High God
His Holy Spirit dwells inside of me
And I will live my life to glorify my King
I am a vessel for His Majesty - Each Wednesday I upload a “Teacup” teaching video that carries on the topic here. You can find all the videos on my Facebook Author Page, Instagram, and YouTube.
- Many of you have already found me on Substack! Thank you so much! While you’re on Substack, check out the ministry I’m blessed to be part of, the Devoted Collective.
AND…don’t forget if you’d rather listen to these weekly posts, you can now do so on Substack — it’s easy to see and use the audio bar across the top of each post. - My monthly newsletter, The Abiding Life, goes to email inboxes of those who have subscribed on my website, and I post them on Substack — usually within the first week of the month. My most recent edition can be found there, and you can subscribe for future newsletters on Substack, here.
Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike. This Lent, we’ve put our focus on the rhythm of prayer.
- Today we turn in our Prayer Bibles to John 17:1-26 to highlight the passage and add our tabs so that we can find it easily. Now we have all NINE Jesus Prayers we can pray straight out of the Bible!
In this post I focused on but ONE theme of this prayer. If you wanted to really dig into it, color code your highlights based on the repeated topics — glory, love, unity, etc… This is a prayer we can pull out all the time because it contains so much. In fact, we could spend a week moving through its layers, focusing on a line or two each day — that would be us soaking in the Word and giving it space to shape us. Yes, please! - We’re all called to share the truths about the work of Jesus. One way you can do that is by sharing this site and telling others your own stories of faith experiences. Maybe, just maybe, God will even give us opportunities to pray for people He puts in our paths. I’d love to hear about it when He does!
Featured Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash. “All the Bits and Pieces” photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash.
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