Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.  Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.  

John 14:11-14

The passage above is from the long body of Jesus’ teaching during the Last Supper known as the Farewell Discourse.  John records the events surrounding the Last Supper in chapters 13-17, and as Jesus’ farewell, each statement is rich, dense and deep.  If we spend the rest of our lives mining their depths, we will never exhaust their offerings, but before diving into the depth, let’s step back for a moment and view it all from a distance.  Viewed in its totality, we see Jesus focus on His union with God the Father, the possibility of our union with the Father and the Holy Spirit through Christ Jesus, and the love, life, joy and power conveyed through our union with Him.

We find the passage set forth above embedded in the context of union with Christ Jesus.  He urges us to believe in Him and He explains that those who believe will do the works that He does.  Jesus states the principal as a certainty, like the law of gravity.  If we drop an object it will fall to the ground.  It is a certainty.  Absent some intervening force, falling and landing will happen.  Similarly, those who believe will do the works that Jesus does, they will continue working on His great mission here on earth.  It is a certainty.

Within the broad context of union with Christ Jesus, narrowed slightly by focusing on faith, acting to fulfill God’s mission on earth, and serving in accordance with God’s will, Jesus makes an amazing promise regarding prayer saying,

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If in my name you ask mefor anything, I will do it.  John 14:13-14

We tend to focus on expansive breadth of the promise.  Jesus promises to do “whatever you ask” and He urges His disciples to “ask me for anything.”  If we were to pull those words out of the whole message and focus on them exclusively, we might allow our minds to run wild with possibilities, and in our sinful human self-centeredness, we likely would imagine all sorts of wonderful possibilities of the elaborate wealth, power, and position He might bestow upon us for our personal pleasure.  But His promise is not for our pleasure in that worldly, sin-filled way.

God’s holy word urges us,

Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world – the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches – comes not from the Father but from the world.  And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.  1 John 2:15-17

His promise is ultimately for our joy, but to experience His joy we must first appreciate the limitations on the promise. He speaks about the rule that believers will serve, and He promises that He will help them in their service if they simply ask.  In essence He is saying, “While you are serving me, while you are doing the mission I am sending you to do, I will help you every step of the way.  Just ask and I will help.”

In the context of His union with God the Father and our union with Him, in the context of God’s great mission on earth, Jesus will do whatever we ask in His holy name “so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

The promise raises many questions.  Will our request bring glory to God in Jesus?  Can we know with certainty?  What does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name?

In the Book of Acts we see how the apostles used references to Jesus’ name.  At times they said “the name of our Lord” or “the name of Jesus Christ” or similar statements to refer to Jesus Himself, as if His name represented His entire being.  At other times they used words like that in reference to their agency with Him as they asserted their authority and power to act on His behalf, or more accurately, as they allowed Him to act through them.  The Book of Acts contains the word “name” 63 times.  Here are a few of the statements:

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Acts 2:21

Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38

But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”  Acts 3:6

And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.  Acts 3:16

They were convinced by him, and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.  As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.  Acts 5:39-41

They called on Jesus’ name, they asserted Jesus’ name as His power flowed through them, they professed faith in His name, they preached in His name and they suffered for the sake of His name.  Jesus’ name is synonymous with the person of Jesus.

Many people have the habit of concluding prayers by saying “in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”  There is nothing wrong with the practice and it is wonderful to always be cognizant of the fact that Jesus is the way to the Father, but is Jesus urging us to merely say the words?  No.  He promises to do what we ask in the context of serving in His great mission on earth, in the context of union with God through Him, and in the context of glorifying God.  In His name means being consistent with His will and character.  

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit and He urges His disciples to abide in Him in the same way that He abides in them.  Jesus abides in the Father and the Father abides in Him, and He urges His disciples to join in the melding of their Spirit.  Jesus and the Father are One, and we are invited to join Him, to receive His life, to be transformed by and through Him.  It is in this context that we see Jesus’ invitation to pray and His associated promise.

May you believe in a way that translates into action.  May your prayers glorify God in Christ Jesus.  May you truly abide in Him as He abides in you.  Amen.