This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Today in our reading, Jesus teaches us particularly about prayer. And once again, just like the previous two Sundays, our reading comes from that portion of the Gospel of John where Jesus is teaching his disciples on Maundy Thursday, the night when he was betrayed.
Now, there are a number of places where Jesus teaches about prayer. For example, in Matthew 6 and in Luke 11, we read about where Jesus teaches his disciples that wonderful prayer, which we call “The Lord’s Prayer” or sometimes it is called “The Our Father”. And then, all throughout the Gospels, we find all kinds of passages where Jesus teaches about prayer, how we should persevere in prayer and not give up, and all kinds of things like that.
But let’s have a look at our reading for today where Jesus says: In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
This passage starts in the middle of a longer passage where Jesus has been talking. At the beginning of our reading, we read where Jesus says: In that day you will ask nothing of me. What’s he talking about when he says: In that day? What’s the “day” that he’s talking about? The verses just before our reading are the reading we read a couple of weeks ago, where Jesus says: When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. And then, Jesus says: In that day you will ask nothing of me. So, Jesus is talking to his apostles here, and he is talking about that day, or we might say, that time, when Jesus will see them again after their time of sorrow. He is talking about the time after his resurrection, when he restores the joy of his disciples, and they realise that his death has not been in vain, but has been the wonderful sacrifice and atonement for sin, and that he has defeated and destroyed death for all those who believe in Jesus.
Now, why does Jesus say, that they will ask nothing of me? This seems very strange to us, because, of course, we pray to Jesus. Jesus says: Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Even in the Book of Acts, we read when Stephen died, for example, that he prayed: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And there are all kinds of examples where Christians were praying to Jesus. And of course, we should pray to Jesus. So, why does Jesus say, you will ask nothing of me?
Sometimes, when we read the Bible, and we hear the words of Scripture, we often immediately think that Jesus is speaking directly to us, and forget to take into account the situation which is being reported in the Gospel itself. For example, here in our reading, Jesus is actually speaking these words to his apostles, on a certain occasion, at a particular time and at a particular place. So, first of all, before we apply these words to ourselves, we should think about how they apply to his apostles first, and then think about how they apply to us. In their case, they had been walking around with Jesus on a daily basis, and could see him. They had been asking Jesus about things, they had been talking to him about things, they had been asking Jesus for help, for advice, for guidance, for teaching, for all kinds of things.
But all of this has been in full sight of Jesus who has been standing there in front of them. Now, Jesus is preparing them for a life of faith, where Jesus is going to be removed from their eyes, but still working with them. Even now, since the death of the apostles, Jesus has been working with his people and his church, and Christians trust in Jesus and look to him in faith.
So, Jesus says: In that day – at that time, after we see each other again, following that time when I have died and risen – you will ask nothing of me. Jesus then says: Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
So, Jesus is saying, I will not be standing in front of you, like I have been. Many times, you have seen me go to the top of the mountain and have seen me pray to the Father. And then I come back down, and you ask me about things. But there will come a time, when you will not see me anymore. I will be ascended into heaven, but then you and I together will pray to the Father. I will not be praying in such a way that I am by myself and then you come and ask me afterwards. But you will come and join in with my prayers, and together we will pray to the Father.
And so, we have many things in these verses, which give us wonderful encouragement in prayer. First of all: Jesus gives us a command to pray. He says: Ask.
Many people philosophise too much about prayer, and ask silly questions, like, “What really is prayer?” “What is the point of prayer if God already knows what we need?” and all that kind of thing. Put your philosophy to bed – nobody cares about it. When it comes to prayer, and why we should pray, the first reason is that Jesus tells us to. He says: Ask. He says: pray. Just do it, because Jesus says so. If you don’t do it, and you neglect it, it’s sin. So do it.
But then we say: But how do we do it? I’m not very good at it. Often when I pray, I feel as though I can never find the right words, and I stumble, and fumble around. I’ve heard some other Christians pray, and the words just seem to roll off their tongue, but with me, I never quite know what to say, and what to do.
Well, first of all, remember how many years it takes a baby to learn how to talk. But the most important thing in all of this is how we view prayer. Prayer is not some kind of performance, or even some kind of skill on your part. It is the simple task and the simple of joy of talking to your God.
But then, you need to know a very important thing. Why are you allowed to simply go up to God and pray to him? What gives you the right to knock on God’s door and present your requests to him? This is a very important question, and this is often the reason why people don’t pray, or are scared to pray.
Jesus says: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. The most important thing about praying is the name of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God, and he is equal with God, and is also true God himself. But he is also a true man, a true human being like you and me. And so he is our mediator. He has shed his own blood, in such a way that we are now pure and holy, and have also been adopted as God’s own children through his blood. When we were baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we were actually made children of God, just like Jesus is God’s Son. We share in Jesus’ status, if you like. He makes us his brothers and sisters. And so, because of Jesus, and because we pray to the Father in his name, we have full access to the Father, and to his throne room.
In the Book of Esther, we read about how there is a discussion about the fact that Esther put her life on the line when she went in to talk to the king about the Jewish people who were in danger. Nobody could just waltz up to the king and ask something – to do so would have put them in danger of death. Many people look to God like this. They think: I can’t just pray to God, and waltz up to him.
But Jesus can, and you are with Jesus. And so, although when we pray, we don’t pray as we should, we mess up the words, we sometimes don’t ask for the right things, we stumble and stutter, and all that kind of thing, when we pray in the name of Jesus, our prayer is completely perfect. To pray in the name of Jesus, is simply to join in with his prayers. You know, when we’re at school and we do a test, and then the teacher gets out a red pen, and marks our test. When we get the test back, we see what’s right, and what’s wrong and what the correct answer is. Things are a bit like this with Jesus, when we pray. When we pray in his name, he gets out his own red pen, and he puts his blood all over our prayers and cleans them up, and tidies them up, in such a way that they are completely perfect. It’s almost like there is some kind of fax machine or photocopier where you feed a piece of paper into it. You put you prayer in, and then when it comes out, you see that everything is clean. When you use a photocopier, often the copy that comes out isn’t as clean as the original. But with prayer, it’s the opposite, we make our prayers with all of our problems mixed into it, with all of our imperfections, with all of our sin even, and then when it goes through Jesus and is covered with his blood, it comes out all clean, and perfect.
So often the reason why people don’t prayer, is that they think that their prayer must be perfect. But it’s not going to be perfect if it comes from you! Let Jesus make it perfect! And so, when you pray, are you prepared to actually show God who you really are? To be in his presence, and to feel weak, and stumble and stutter? He already knows who you are – and he already knows you better than you know yourself. But it is a wonderful joy to God when you ask him for things, because he is your Father, and he cares for you.
So Jesus says: Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Of course, sometimes, we say: I’ve asked many things in the name of Jesus, and God hasn’t given them to me. Am I doing something wrong? Well, when we pray in the name of Jesus, remember that this means that we are always together with Jesus, and in accordance with his will. Even Jesus, when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, said: Abba, Father, if it be possible, take this cup away from me. But not as I will, but as you will. In actual fact, it wasn’t possible – Jesus’ suffering and death was needed, necessary. What a terrible thing it would be for us if Jesus hadn’t offered himself as our sacrifice and as our atonement, and as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It would be a truly terrible thing! And yet, of course, it was a real sacrifice and struggle for Jesus, one that he really felt in his inmost being. It was a sacrifice that he willingly and gladly made for us, but also the suffering that it entailed was difficult for him, as we know.
And so, Jesus is not saying here: If you ask for a brand-new Mercedes Benz, or something, you will just immediately magically find one waiting in your driveway with a gold ribbon on it. Sometimes, we will go to God and pray like this, and God is happy to receive these prayers too. But our prayers are in the name of Jesus, and so they go the Father through the blood of Jesus, and cleansed by Jesus. And so, we often God ask what we want, but Jesus cleans up our prayers in such a way that we receive what we truly need. And so, we should always come to God in prayer, trusting that He knows in all situations what is best for us.
And so, even in Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he says: But not as I will, but as you will, there is a wonderful joy in this. Jesus truly receives a wonderful answer to this prayer, in such a way that he goes through death to the joy of the resurrection and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God at his ascension. There is a tremendous joy in the answer to Jesus’ prayer.
Another example of this is in the book of Acts, where Stephen is martyred, and while they are stoning him to death, he says: Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Well, who was there at Stephen’s death? The man who later became St Paul. And so, the Lord really didn’t hold his sin against him. He met and converted Saul on the road to Damascus, who then took on the name Paul, and was baptised, and then wrote all the most wonderful books that we have in the bible about the Lord not holding our sin against us. Paul, of all the writers in the New Testament, teaches most clearly about the forgiveness of sins, and about justification by faith, and the way in which because of Jesus’ blood and his sacrifice, the Lord does not hold our sin against us, because Jesus has paid the price which we owed to him.
And so, in our reading, Jesus says: Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. Don’t ask, and then sulk, when things don’t turn out your way. Ask, and then keep asking. Ask Jesus to teach you to pray, stay close to him, ask him for the Holy Spirit to guide you and teach you. Ask Jesus to show you how he has given you an answer to your prayer when you haven’t even noticed it. But when you see the answer to your prayer, then thank God for it, and rejoice in it.
The Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus has taught his disciples, of course, is a wonderful prayer, where Jesus not only gives us the words, but also gives us so much instruction about what we should pray for, and how we should think about it. Even a child can say the Lord’s Prayer, and it takes a lifetime even just to begin to plummet it depths. In the meantime, we should always remind ourselves that we are God’s baptised children, and that he continually feeds his people with his Holy Supper, and speaks the forgiveness of sins for us so that we can actually hear it and believe it in the church. God gives us these wonderful means of grace. When we pray, we are simply receiving the wonderful gifts that God has given to us.
So, let’s commend ourselves to our heavenly Father today, in the name of Jesus. Jesus has come to this earth, he has become a true human being, a true man, and has sacrificed himself for us, and risen from the dead, and has now been enthroned in glory at the right hand of God the Father. And Jesus has now given us full access to the Father, through his sacrifice and through his blood. We are now able to enter into God’s throne room together with Jesus and present our needs and requests to him. This is a wonderful privilege, and a wonderful joy. Let Jesus take the burden of your prayers, let all of that rest upon him. He will lead you and guide you, and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Let the weakness of our prayers be completely compensated by his strength. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. Amen.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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