Opening Thought
How you view God is how you will pray to him?
John 17 is Jesus' longest recorded prayer. It comes after the upper-room teaching and before the arrest, trial, and cross. The hour has come. The pressure is real. The disciples are confused. The world is hostile. And Jesus prays.
Jesus Prays to the Father
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you."
John 17:1 NIVJesus does not begin with panic. He does not begin with distance. He does not begin with vague religious language. He begins with Father.
The repeated address matters: Father in John 17:1 and 17:5, Holy Father in John 17:11, Father in John 17:21 and 17:24, and Righteous Father in John 17:25. This is the most in any single chapter in all the Bible.
Before we run to all the other passages about prayer, we need to notice the doorway John 17 gives us: Jesus invites us to overhear the way the Son speaks to the Father. John 17 is not only a lesson on intercession, unity, mission, or sanctification. It is also a lesson on how Jesus views God in prayer.
The Way We View God Matters
Jesus prays to God as Father. That is not a throwaway detail. It is the atmosphere of the whole prayer.
In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working." For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
John 5:17-18 NIVThis was Jesus' emphasis in his earthly ministry. When the opportunity came to validate his ministry, Jesus revealed God to the religious leaders as Father. The reaction shows that this was not taken lightly. It was serious business to call God your Father.
Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray to the Father
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come."
Luke 11:1-2 NIVWhen Jesus taught his disciples how to approach God in prayer, he did not start with technique, eloquence, or a long list of rules. He started with relationship.
"So far from teaching the multitudes that God is Father of all, there is a general agreement from all sources that Jesus spoke of the subject only to his disciples."
Bruce Metzger, The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and ContentJesus Reveals the Father
Father-language is one of Jesus' dominant ways of speaking about God in the Gospels. The contrast with the Old Testament is striking: the Old Testament is much larger, but direct God-as-Father language is comparatively rare.
Jesus uses Father-language more than 180 times in the Gospels.
The Gospel of John alone uses Father-language around 120 times.
The Old Testament is much larger, yet has only about 15-20 references to God as Father.
Only about two Old Testament references connect God as Father directly to prayer.
The Old Testament has 929 chapters and about 622,700 words. The New Testament has 260 chapters and about 184,600 words, yet Father-language becomes far more prominent through Jesus.
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Luke 10:22 NIV"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world."
John 17:6 NIVJesus comes to God as Father and brings his disciples into the family circle. Fatherhood means closeness. It does not mean distance.
Praying to the Father is Special
Jesus repeatedly addresses God as Father in prayer. John 17 gathers that pattern into one concentrated moment.
The Only Exception
And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Mark 15:34 NIVIt is no coincidence that, even though Jesus' prayer life is saturated with Father-language, he does not address God as Father here. I believe it is due to separation.
Jesus Uses Abba in Gethsemane
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Mark 14:35-36 NIVAbba is the Aramaic form of Father. Mark preserves the original language Jesus spoke. It comes at one of the most vulnerable times in Jesus' life. In the most stressful moment in his life, Jesus uses one of the most intimate family names for Father.
The Significance is Access
Abba is a familial term that is often incorrectly explained as "Daddy." That is not necessarily the best explanation. It is more like an endearing family name, a name that belongs inside the circle of relationship.
There are certain names only family uses. It would feel strange for someone outside the family to use that name as if they had the same access. In the same way, Abba carries the feel of family access. Not childishness. Not casual disrespect. Close relationship.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
Romans 8:15 NIVBecause you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
Galatians 4:6 NIVWhat This Means for Us
As Christians, we need to recognize this special connection with God as Father when we pray. We are in the inner circle as his children. When we read about God as Father in Scripture, it should matter to us as it did to Jesus and the disciples.
"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Matthew 7:9-11 NIVJesus reveals God as the thoughtful Father who responds to his children. Even flawed earthly parents know how to give good gifts. How much more your Father in heaven?
Practicals
- Try praying to God with a reverent family term you have not used before, such as Abba, Father, Dad, or another address that helps you approach God with trust.
- Find a God-as-Father Scripture to anchor your prayer.
- Let John 17 shape the way you pray.
Conclusion
Jesus came to reveal the Father and bring people into the family. I encourage you to study the Bible and find out what it means to be part of God's family, part of his inner circle, and one of his children.
Never take for granted the relationship with God as our Father. The way we view God matters, especially when we approach him. Seeing God as our Father deepens our connection to him.
John 17 shows us the heart of it: Jesus prays to the Father, reveals the Father, and brings his disciples into the Father's name, truth, mission, unity, love, and presence.