Having already asked that they be preserved in their understanding of the fatherhood of God and that in their relationships with each other they would display the unity of his family, John 17:13-16 continues the record of the Lord’s petitions on behalf of his disciples.
He prayed, “I come to you…that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” And with those beautiful words, he invited his Father to bless them with the gift of joy. But he wasn’t referring to the shallow and superficial variety the world offers. He specifically requested that they experience HIS joy, the kind that fulfills or satisfies completely, a joy so totally unaffected by and independent of circumstances he could continue his request with this startling statement: “I do NOT pray that you should take them out of the world.”
This is so profound and contrary to our lived experience it’s hard to describe in a way that conveys its weightiness and elicits anything approaching an appropriate response because he was describing a joy that can STAND up to whatever life SERVES up. In other words, living within its blessing doesn’t require exiting the world’s realities. They can be faced without flinching when secure in the joy described in 1 Peter 1:8 as, “inexpressible and full of glory.”
The disciples didn’t deserve such a gift, and we certainly don’t either. Yet, within hours of being nailed to a cross, Jesus amplified his loving grace by expressing this desire for us and asking his Father to fulfill it.
But hold on a minute. There’s even more here to fuel our gratitude. As if the requests he’d made up to this point weren’t already awe-producing, there was more to come, including this: Jesus prayed, “Keep them from the evil one.”
1 Peter 5:8 describes this evil one, the devil, “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” And anyone who chooses to become a follower of Christ will be pursued by an enemy probing for vulnerabilities and weaknesses in a relentless attempt to undermine God’s good plans for their life. But there’s no need to fear. Our redeemer has already covered us with his prayer that the Father would enable us to be undevourable.
And it’s his joy that makes that possible. The two requests from Jesus in this section of his prayer go hand in hand. It’s when our hearts are filled with joy that we have the power to withstand the devil’s attempts to devour. That’s why we’re told in Nehemiah 8:10 that, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
I’ve heard experts say that when communicators tell their audiences how to feel about what they’ve presented, they haven’t done their job very well. The response should be obvious. But just in case it’s not, this is me admitting my communication failure by saying I think the fact God the Son interceded before God the Father on our behalf that we might be joy-filled and undevourable should stir our hearts to sustained worship. It should evoke humble but unbridled praise filled with reverent amazement for the goodness of our Savior.