“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” (John 17:15)
This is part of what is known as the high priestly prayer that Jesus prayed. It’s after the Last Supper and before He takes His disciples to the garden. He is about to be sacrificed and offers up a prayer of intercession for His followers, those at that present time and those who will believe on Him through them. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” (John 17:20).
In the Old Testament, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and make a sacrifice that would cover the people’s sin temporarily for a year. (Hebrews 9:7) But now, Jesus would offer Himself up as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of everyone, Jew and non-Jew, past, present and future once and for all. This sacrifice would be sufficient once. It was better than the sacrifice of animals. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:11-14)
How wonderful it would have been to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and go directly to heaven into glory and not have to deal with our flesh and this world anymore. We would have said, “Goodbye,” to all this world and would have enjoyed the perfection of heaven instantly. But Jesus prays to the Father, “I don’t ask You to take them out of this world...” If He would have, the Father would have granted Him that petition. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the parable of the Lost Sheep. “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” (Luke 15:4-6) We also find this parable in Matthew 18:12-14. But Matthew records a little more of what Jesus said, “And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:13-14)
We see Jesus’ concern. He is concerned about those who are lost. Matthew writes the words that Jesus said before He spoke the parable which Luke did not. “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” (Matthew 18:11) He is concerned that when He leaves and if all his followers are gone, there will be no one to share the Good News. People, we are the ninety-nine that the shepherd left to go after that one lost sheep. This parable to us is two-fold. We are the lost sheep that Jesus went after. After we are brought to the fold, we become part of the ninety-nine as He goes in search for another lost sheep. He has left us here in this world so that He, through us can go after the lost sheep.
Jesus further gives us examples of being His ambassadors. “For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee? Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?” (Matthew 25:35-39) We are to be the feet and hands of Jesus.
When Peter saw that the Gentiles also could believe on Jesus as their Lord and receive the Holy Spirit when Cornelius, an Italian centurion and his family were saved, He said, “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." (Acts 10:36-38) There are two things in that Scripture that relate to our study. First, the Good News about Jesus which began in Galilee was spread "throughout all Judea.” Then Peter goes on to say that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power to do good and to heal those oppressed of the devil. And just as Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit, we are anointed by the Holy Spirit and given power to do good and to heal those oppressed of the devil. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
When Jesus sent the twelve to preach, He told them, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8) And when the seventy returned from preaching and healing, Jesus said to them, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19) Jesus has commanded us to go. (Matthew 10:7; Mark 16:15) This is known as the Great Commission. He doesn’t send us empty handed, but with the Word of the Good News and power and authority in His Name to do as He did.
Why did Jesus pray for us to stay here in this world? So that as His hands, feet and lips, we could go after that one lost sheep.
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