Before There Was Anything, There Was Relationship
What Jesus’ Prayer Reveals About the Heart of God
This coming Sunday, many churches will read Jesus’ extraordinary prayer in John 17.
It is one of the most profound passages in the New Testament, a deeply personal moment in which we overhear Jesus speaking to the Father.
Even if this is not part of your church tradition, it is a beautiful passage to go through slowly. Beneath its theological depth lies a simple and astonishing truth: at the heart of reality itself is relationship.
The opening of the Gospel of John 17 is one of those passages we might be tempted to skip over quickly.
There are no miracles in this chapter. No parables, confrontations with religious leaders, or crowds pressing in around Jesus.
There is only a prayer, and at first it can seem a puzzling one.
Jesus lifts his eyes to heaven and begins speaking to the Father. The disciples are still present, but they fade into the background. For a few moments, the reader overhears something that feels intensely personal, as though we are standing just within range of a conversation not meant for us.
At first, the scene raises an obvious question.
If Jesus is God, why does he pray at all?
It is a question that has puzzled Christians for centuries. Why would one who is fully divine need to speak to God? And, if he is speaking to the Father, does that mean he is somehow less than God?
If these are the kind of things you wonder about, then you are in good company. They occupied some of the greatest minds in Christian history, from Augustine of Hippo to Athanasius of Alexandria, and they remain a stumbling block for many readers today.
Yet when we listen carefully to Jesus’ words, the prayer does not actually diminish his divinity.
It reveals something extraordinary about the nature of God.
