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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part XXI, John 14:13,14 - Lesson 129
Read Verses John 14:12 for review: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:13,14, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Jesus had just told his disciples that greater works than he has done shall his disciples do because he is going to his Father.
Their Master is going home to his Father but he is leaving his own to represent him in the world.
He is leaving his own in a foreign land as he goes to be with the Father.
He is leaving ambassadors to represent him and to promote the program of God and he desires that they be given all that they need to properly represent him.
He will not leave them without the wherewithal to do the task before them.
So he tells them to ask the Father in his name that the Father may be glorified.
The glory of God ought to be the ultimate result of any asking that takes place.
If that is not the ultimate result of the asking then the asking was not a proper asking, the asking was not done in Jesus' name.
The asking must be done as Jesus would have asked the Father.
The asking must be done instead of Jesus asking because he is going to the Father.
But he gives authority to his ambassadors to ask for anything that they need in order to properly represent him.
The asking must be done in Jesus' name.
How deep that is but how shallow we apply it.
Christians may think that reciting the words "in Jesus name" at the end of our asking fulfulls this requirement.
Christians may think that the words "in Jesus name" at the end of our askings, at the end of our prayers is some magic formula for getting the attention of God.
And the more glorious these words are pronounced the better God will be pleased and the more quickly he will respond.
Its right to include "in Jesus name" with our praying.
But isn't it an affirmation that the prayer we have just uttered is in accord with God's word?
Uttering "in Jesus name" at the end of our prayer should remind us that that is how we must come to God if we expect an answer.
But just saying those words gives you no status with God.
Saying those words can even be a superstition.
There is no magic in reciting words.
That is not what Jesus Christ is talking about, reciting words.
Jesus Christ did not say to ask by simply reciting words
Jesus Christ is telling his ambassadors to get in his name when they ask.
Getting in something indicates that there are boundaries to what you are getting into.
This is not unconditional authority to ask the Father.
There are boundaries to asking and those boundaries are defined by Jesus' name.
It is as if his name was represented by an area surrounded by walls and we are required to get inside the area of those walls.
And only the asking that takes place inside the walls will be honored by the Father.
He is talking about asking in a way that is bounded by the boundaries of his name.
And I believe that the boundaries of his name are well defined when you consider his name as the Word of God.
That is the name of Jesus that asking must be bounded by in order to be honored by the Father.
Asking must be done within the boundaries of the Word of God.
This kind of asking always results in the Father being glorified in the Son.
This kind of asking is always aimed at advancing the program of God.
Isn't the program of God expressed in the prayer that Jesus taught to his disciples?
Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven!
If this was fully understood there would be a lot less praying going on because most praying is asking outside of the name of Jesus Christ.
Most praying cares little for the glory of God and the advancement of God's program for his creation.
Most asking is for personal advancement instead of the advancement of God's kingdom, instead of the advancement of the cause of Christ.
If people were honest they would say at the end of most prayers, "I pray this outside of the name of Jesus Christ." |