Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-09-16
JESUS INTERCEDING.
DR.. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

Never was a prayer like this offered on
earth. No wonder that the committee select
ing the lessons could not divide this chapter.
Jesus had instructed the disciples as they
could understand him. His hour was at hand.
He set them an example by calling upon God
in trouble He sets all of us an example by
making his prayers so scriptural. There is
not a petition in it that has not its elements
in foregoing Scripture. To show this we have
taken all the Scripture readings from the Old
Testament, and we ask study for them. We
can thus employ New and Old. The prayer
is exactly fitted to the circumstances, and
while addressed to the Father, like all other
true seriptural prayer, it taught the disciples
and teaches US.
No teacher can put all the truth in it into
lesson. We can only take the outstanding
points and set them in the light of other
Scripture and of the situation. His attitude
is not stated. 1t is a small matter. His look
is described, "eyes to heaven" His appeal is
to his sFather." So 'our Father" is for us, in
his name.
L Jesus prays for himself ". 10 on the
eve of his agony and death John xviii, y. "The
hour is come" (See John xii, 81, 2S. The
glorifying of the Son by sustaining, vindicat-
ing, raising him from the dead is in order to
the Fathers being glorified by an innumer-
able saved multitude knowing God and serv-
ing him. Christ's eye is on his great mission.
Matt. xvii, 51-54 is the best illustration of
this. God is owned as sending the Son with
power over all flesh" (See John iii, 14-16).
Daniel wi, 40 says this. Christ says it in
Matt. ri, q. The great interest is in mems sal
walton. (See John vi, 37-40.)
God IS sovereign in this matter, "as many
as Thou hast given him."
The way to eternal life is by knowing God,
and this through the sent One Paul taught
that Rom. X, 14, and to the Corinthians
III Cor. iv, g.. Jesus taught it John xiv, 90.
Education, civilization, humanity, are all
good, but they are not eternal life"
Mans chief end is to glorify God. So twas
with the Son Of man ". A.. His meat John
iv, 80, was to do the Fathers will. The way
to glorify Him was to finish the work He
gave to be done" 1t is so with us also. CSee
John xix, 30)
V. ). Jesus speaks as mediator to the Father,
and asks the glory he had before creation.
Can this be understood if he was a creaturel
"The second man is the Lord from heaven"
q Cor. XIV, AZ. To read Heb. i, 3-10 is the
best way to set forth the meaning of this.
GSee John i, L.
So far-the shortest part of the prayer
Jesus speaks for himself, but as mediator and
Gods righteous servant" lisa. xiii, y. Now
his view widena The intercessory prayer
proper begins He prays for the disciples.
How they must have remembered this in
later daysl We now come to the second sec
ton.
II. Jesus prays for the disciples Tvs. 900.
The description of the disciples is, "the men
thou gavest me out of the world" (See V. 2.)
Soft is with all disciples. They are God
given and taken out of the world. He often
points this out John x, 29. Paul explains it in
Eph /, 4, 5. They had learned from him that
he was, all through, doing Gods will, speaking
Gods words, executing plans Tvs. z, s.. From
V. to V. the imperfect tense is better than
the perfect The shave" is left out. How He
taught this we saw in John xii, 40; xiv, 10. For
them He now prays ". 81, not for the world.
They now needed his intercession. At later
time His prayer becomes more comprehen-
sive, as on the cross luke xiii, 34 now He
is thinking of those whom God had given
Him. "They are thine;" they are mine; they
are an interest common to the Father and
the Son, and they are the means of glorify-
ing the Son. They showed by following
Him how worthy they thought Him, and
would show it later, as his apostles. Can Jesus
say this of us? Paul did this phil. i, 20.
Titus and his associates did this III Cor viii,
23. (See II Thess. j. 10).
Their position, as He had often told them,
would now be changed. He was not to be
longer in the world in visible form, but they
were to be in it, with all its dangers, tempta-
tions, opposition. He appeals again by name
to the Father to keep them, in His name mot
through, as His own, SO that no enemy could
seize them So Jesus had kept them by teach
ing, influencing, directing and leading ". 12,
and all are there, and so far safe, "but the
son of perdition," Judas, and this was ac-
cording to Scripture. (See for fuller state
ment of this Acts i, 1917; ii, 23.) The Scrip
ture seems to be Ps xxx, 9. He desires
that they may be one in aim, object and feel
ing, as He and the Father were. Whatever
may be said of "brotherly love" and catho-
licity among churches and denominations
land too much cannot be said, this relates
30 the immediate band of fellow workers,
and should be studied by all such. 1t is easy
90 feel kindly to the saints in Asia or Europe,
Of whom we know only by books. 1t is
different thing to bear with the infirmitieS of
brethren in the same schools, committees,
congregations, with us. Many profess wide
catholicity who are lacking in this oneness.
Jesus recalls that He is going to the Father
". 13), and says that this audible prayer is
uttered thus by Him that the disciples, by and
by, realizing all it means, might have His
joy. e., the strength and comfort He had
from trusting God-fulfilled in them. He
wished them to rely on the Father as He did.
One cause of their needing divine keeping (see
1 Pet. i, 8 is that they, having received the
word He gave them and followed Him, had
the hatred of the world. So all will have.
When we say to the world, "We obey the
word, not you," the world dislikes us. They
were to be preachers of the word and would
be hated. CSee Acts iv, 29.) They would be
treated in degree as he was But he does
not ask their removal by TRANSPORTATION, or
seclusion, or death, but protection from the
evil in it-from doing it, or from suffering
from it. Satan, who tempted Jesus and en-
ployed Judas, represents the evn, and so the
revision reads 'from the evil one." Like
Him, they are not of the world; all Chris
tians should remember this To be His wit
nesses, they needed to be made holy. So He
asks for this ". ~. To make men holy, the
first step is to teach them the word. Science
is good, but it cannot fill this place. (See
Pet, i, 22-23; 1 Tim, iii, 16) They go to
represent Him among men as He repre-
sented the Father ". y. He is the "sent of
God.n They are the sent of Jesus Christ
That they were so much to Jesus Christ is an
argument he can urge on their behalf. "For
their sakes 1 sanctify"-that is, set apart,
eonsecrate- chat they also might be
consecrated through the truth, or Tin truth"
Heb. tx: 49, IA will give the explanation of
this in full. (See also Titus ii, 14) Jesus
meant his prophetic work to be continued in
the world, and these men were to be teachers
of men in his name. So are all true minis
ters. They have the Masters spirit.
Ill Jesus prays for the church universal
Tvs 20-26. We now come to a wider view
still-all the church to the end of time Not
for "these alone" but for all who should be-
lieve, etc. ". 20. Men naturally are selfish.
Jesus unites them by overpowering this
selfishness and teaching love. He desires all
believers to be one in aim, character and
purpose, as the Father mentioned here a
third time) and He are one This would
prove the reality of His work. the power of
His spirit, the efficiency of His word. "The
glory" ". 2D is first, the knowing God, the
likeness to him, and at length presence with
him in resurrection body. This was given
in the covenant to Christ; it is given by
Christ to all his people. (See in proof, II Cor.