Jesus’ farewell words to his disciples in John’s Gospel conclude in chapter 17 with a prayer for them and for all believers. The "glory" Jesus speaks of is the fulfillment and manifestation of God’s work in the world. Thus, in doing God’s will, he does not merely give God glory, but that very action is God’s glory because it can be accomplished only by God’s power. Glory is the passage of Jesus through death to resurrection.

The faith of the disciples leads them to share in Jesus glory — God’s power enables them to follow Jesus in his death and so into his resurrection. This is the road to belonging to Christ and to the Father.

These few lines depict the interval between Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit as a time characterized by unity and prayer. The upper room appears to have been a sort of headquarters during this time, and the number one hundred and twenty gathering there (v 15) shows that there must have been a lot of coming and going. Their attitude seems to have been one of alert confidence rather than fear, as they had before (see Jn 20:19). Luke’s emphasis on Jerusalem as their gathering place and the spread of the word from there after Pentecost, seems to reflect the role of Jerusalem as the center of the restored universe in Isaiah 60 and Psalm 87. The prayer of the disciples is one of watchful and active searching for God’s will and saving power in the real events, rather than mere passive waiting for God to do something.

This psalm reflects the trustful seeking that would have been the prayer of the disciples before Pentecost. Response: "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living."

Persecution is the lot of anyone who makes Christ center of his or her life. As Christ suffered, we should expect the same. This type of suffering, however, is not punishment, but purification. "Fire" in Scripture usually conveys a purifying action — as the refiner’s fire separates the slag from the pure metal.

1. What does the word "glory" mean to you?

2. How can Jesus’ prayer be a model for your own prayer?