John 17:6-10 (2) • A Divine Gift

The John Project

A week ago, after playing my acoustic guitar to help lead worship at church, a man approached me to comment on the beautiful sound of my instrument. I don’t know what he thought of my playing. He didn’t say. But he was right about my guitar. It sounds great. It’s a blond, jumbo Guild I’ve had for fifty years. And like all well-made wooden instruments, it’s grown old very gracefully. As the wood has aged, it’s developed a wonderfully rich tone that I absolutely love. But I value that guitar for another and more important reason. I didn’t buy it. It was a gift. As a young man, I toured and recorded with one of the early Jesus Music bands. In those days, Christian music was not an industry like it is now, and artists barely survived financially. So, although my guitar desperately needed an upgrade, I just couldn’t afford it. But then one day, someone I’d never met who’d been blessed by our music and believed in our ministry walked up and handed me a case containing that beautiful Guild. It had belonged to him, but he said he believed the Lord wanted me to have it. And as I stood there trying to find the right words to express my gratitude, I was also overwhelmed by the realization that I held in my hands a divine gift. Before Jesus prayed FOR his disciples, he prayed ABOUT them. In John 17:6-10, he summarized the state of their spiritual preparedness while highlighting key elements of his disciple-making strategy. He began by praying, “I have manifested your name,” which referred to the ways he’d introduced the disciples to God as Father. And embracing the father-heart of God is foundational to a life of faith in part because understanding who he is makes it possible for us to comprehend who we are. I believe that’s why the Lord completed that sentence with a description of his disciples as, “the men you have GIVEN me.” They weren’t just a random assortment of misfits he got stuck with. He viewed each of them as a gift from his Father. And this recognition of their value was profound in its implications. It provided them with the basis for a whole new identity. But if they were anything like the rest of us, it would have been a steep challenge for them to believe that it was true. I’m sure they were as deeply aware of their flawed histories, shortcomings, and sinfulness as we are and just as prone to self-doubt. It’s my guess that it was exactly for that reason that Jesus went on to acknowledge several more times in his prayer that he considered THEM to have been divine GIFTS. The text makes clear that they could hear what he was saying. And although his words were addressed to the Father, it’s obvious that they were the intended audience as with each repetition of this stunning truth he pushed back against the lies of the Accuser and affirmed their worth. But this High Priestly Prayer is not recorded in John’s gospel for the sake of the disciples. They were on-scene and heard it live. It’s in the Bible so we can be changed by the impact of these powerful words from the mouth of Jesus describing how he sees US. So, let’s reject shame and humbly choose to live within the new identity this astounding truth makes possible: He considers each of us a divine gift.