The Prayers of Jesus: Listening to and Learning from Our Savior

by Mark Jones

“If your soul is dry and your prayers are dead, here is living water to revive and refresh you.” — David Murray

Jesus’s ministry on earth as a human was marked by a devotion to prayer. Through his prayer life, we see what it means to truly depend on God. Examining all of Jesus’s prayers recorded in the New Testament, this book reflects on the content and structure of the Son of God’s words to his Father— helping us imitate his example as we commune with our heavenly Father as adopted sons and daughters in Christ.

Genres: Prayer, Theology, Christian, Nonfiction

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Rev. Dr. Mark Jones (PhD, Leiden Universiteit) has been the Minister at Faith Vancouver Church (PCA) since 2007. He is also Research Associate in the Faculty of Theology at University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. He lectures at various seminaries around the world and is currently writing a book titled, "Knowing Christ" (Banner of Truth, forthcoming).

He also blogs at Reformation21.org.

Reviews

[Becky Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

[mpsiple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid work from Mark Jones. I was expecting a book that would teach me about prayer, but it's really a book that teaches about Jesus. As Jones works through many of Jesus' prayers that are recorded in Scripture, each one provides the basis of a short chapter that shows some aspect of Christ's life on earth and what that means for us. Of course, there is plenty to learn about prayer from the book, too, but it's much broader than that.

I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about the life of Christ (and what we stand to gain from that life).

[Justin Dillehay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Jones keeps delivering solid, Scripture-saturated, experiential theology. Highly recommended!

[Stefanie Sugia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Experience is a great teacher for our prayers, and the more he experienced, the more his prayers would develop in light of those experiences, challenges, and struggles."

Just like the title suggests, this book examines Jesus's prayers that are recorded in the New Testament. The book is divided into 26 chapters, each one focusing on a specific topic of Jesus's prayers. At the start of this book, Mark Jones wrote an introduction to help us understand the prayers of Jesus. He said that understanding and appreciating our praying Lord require us knowing him through a good theology about Christ (Christology). I think this introduction is laying the groundwork before thoroughly going through the prayers that Jesus prayed in the Bible. Even though the introduction was a bit heavy for a start, I think it was necessary. And thankfully, I've taken a Christology class at church last year so I'm not completely clueless about it.

"The Father gave you to Christ, who kept God's Word and prayed to the Father for your ability to "hear" and "do" in a way that accomplishes God's purposes. All of our obedience (in the power of the Spirit) comes as an answer to the Son's prayer. What a humbling yet comforting reality!"

Each chapter starts with a title and a Bible verse of what Jesus prayed for. In this review I'm going to discuss a few chapters that I really liked and shared some things that I learned from them. The first one is titled Jesus Prayed the Lord's Prayer, which is probably one of the most popular prayers and I believe many of us have memorized by heart. In this chapter, I love how the writer really examines the prayer in detail through each word and petitions. I love the third petition in this prayer, which is "Your Will Be Done...". Jesus is the perfect example because he gave up his prerogatives and relied entirely upon the Holy Spirit to direct him in his obedience to God—which is why we should learn to pray in the same way.

The next chapter that I'd like to share is the one called Jesus Prayed Joyfully in the Spirit. This chapter talked about fruit of the spirit (singular in Galatians 5:22), which means we must and will be truly (though imperfectly) loving, joyful, faithful, and so on. We cannot claim that we have joy but I do not have self-control or patience (which I used to do). In the case of Jesus Christ, he was filled with the Spirit beyond measure, so he possessed the fruit of the Spirit, including joy, fully and perfectly. This explains why he could have joy even in the time of supreme suffering, when he was on the way to the cross. No matter how intense his suffering was, Jesus knew there was a purpose in that suffering that would lead to his glory and ours. I think Jesus is a great example for us in living our lives and possessing the fruit of the Spirit as a whole, not separately.

"In Christ's prayers we cannot help but be aware of his deeply personal relationship with the Father, which breathes out frequent affirmations of love. If there is one controlling aspect of true spiritual life that should accompany prayer, it is the reality that we are loved. For if God does not love us, then why even pray? But because God loves us in the same way that he loves his Son, how can we not pray?"

And the last one that I'm going to share is about Jesus Prayed for His Enemies. This prayer is quite popular, in which he said: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Through this prayer, Jesus is living what he preached—because he instructed his followers to love their enemies and also pray for their prosecutors. It's a great display of love and forgiveness in action when Jesus Christ prayed on the cross for those who put him there. His attitude of mercy toward his oppressors provides a great example for us as his followers. Although it is difficult to do at times, I'd like to remind myself of this prayer of Jesus—teaching me to forgive others and extend mercy just like what Jesus Christ has done for me.

There are still a lot of great themes that are discussed in this book that I did not mention in this review, including the High Priestly Prayer from John 17:1-26. Overall, I enjoyed this book especially because each chapter is filled with supporting scripture and also context that will help us understand better the prayers of Jesus. However, since this book involves a lot of theology, some parts are quite hard for me to follow. I think I would've enjoyed it better if it's written in a more practical way. But nevertheless, it's still a great book about the prayers of Jesus, and I think a lot of people will be able to learn from it.

"We can be so thankful for the prayer life of Jesus. There is no hope without it, but every hope because of it."

Read the full review here:
http://www.thebookielooker.com/2019/0...

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

All true knowledge of God involves mutual loving discourse between God and the redeemed sinner. Love desires knowledge of the person loved. God knows us perfectly, and we must, with all the assistance he affords us, to aim to know him. If this were not supremely important, Christ would not have highlighted this so often in his ministry and in prayer.

With knowledge comes affection and with affection comes devotion. As I was reading this devotion on the prayers of Jesus, I came to a better understanding of why Jesus is the only way to the Father. The bible makes it clear that not one is righteousness and without Jesus we do not have the righteousness to the Father to enter his presence. In knowing God by his word, by prayer and the church, we come to understanding of his holiness and the Glory of God that is for our good. That is the understanding I came with in this devotional. The prayers of Jesus are centered on God's glory and the will of God.

Each chapter starts with a verse that Jesus prayed for. A prayer that focuses on our relationship with the Father. Each chapter is filled with supporting scripture and context. The most insightful and filled with contrasting insights between the Garden of Eden and Garden of Gethsemane. What Adam accomplished and what Jesus finished. These contrasting insights give you more of a grasp and understanding that salvation matters. What Jesus did matters for everyone. I highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muito bom!

[Mark Loughridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good rich theology, loved how he showed Christ as the fulfilment of the psalms, and brought out Jesus’ on going intercession—but I would have preferred something more devotional on Christ’s prayers.

It is less about prayer and more about Jesus, and points of theology raised in Christs prayers.

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an in depth look at the prayers of Jesus and why they were so important. I am conflicted over whether or not I liked this book. It is heady and complex, yet down to earth and readable(except the intro gets deep into the hypostatic union and its history). He rarely gives outright application, but I often found myself applying what I was learning to my prayer life. It is odd. I think he was spot on in His theology except for one thing in the intro that I will need to reread because it was a new concept on the working of the Holy Spirit in Jesus ministry and I don’t think I agree with His take on it, but it was new to me. Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend it to the average Christian, but I’m glad I read it because it gave me a deep understanding of Jesus' humanity and in turn depend my relationship with God.

[Perpetual Felicities Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an in depth look at the prayers of Jesus and why they were so important. I am conflicted over whether or not I liked this book. It is heady and complex, yet down to earth and readable(except the intro gets deep into the hypostatic union and its history). He rarely gives outright application, but I often found myself applying what I was learning to my prayer life. It is odd. I think he was spot on in His theology except for one thing in the intro that I will need to reread because it was a new concept on the working of the Holy Spirit in Jesus ministry and I don’t think I agree with His take on it, but it was new to me. Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend it to the average Christian, but I’m glad I read it because it gave me a deep understanding of Jesus' humanity and in turn deepened my relationship with God.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is superb. It uses the prayers of Jesus found in the Gospels to get at who he was as a man. One of the best treatments of the humanity of Christ that I've seen in a long time. Jones wrestles with what it means for God to "talk to himself," which is how one could view Jesus' prayers. But the divine essence wasn't talking to itself; Jesus the God-Man was speaking to his Heavenly Father. By eavesdropping on these conversations, we gain great insight to our Lord's heart for his Father, for his mission, and for his people. In doing so, our love and appreciation for Christ ought to grow. Jones briefly applies these lessons to our own prayer life, but the burden of the book is to deepen our awe and affection for our Savior.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A succinct book that reads somewhat like an expository sermon wherein a verse or two is focused on in each of the 26 chapters. Jones spends considerable (and understandably so) amounts of time on the High Priestly prayer in John 17, the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayers uttered from the cross.

The focal point of much of these chapters is on the Christological implications of what Jesus prayed. Thus the scope is not so much a general theology of prayer but an extrapolation of what Jesus was saying through His petitions to the Father. A strength of the book is how it links Jesus' prayers to Old Testament foundations. Consequently, the reader is enabled to better place these lofty conversations between the Father and the Son in their context.

[P.J. Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Dr. Jones does not disappoint. The introduction alone was worth the price of purchase for this book. If you are looking for a good book that is theologically sound on the subject of prayer, then I would definitely recomend adding this to your list. There is no one better to learn from on the subject matter of prayer than our Lord himself. I loved this closing quote and thought it summed up the book well: "The King of glory prayed on his way to glory, where he ever lives to pray for the saints. We can be so thankful for the prayer life of Jesus. There is no hope without it, but every hope because of it."

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Prayers of Jesus looks the different kinds of prayers the Bible records Jesus as saying. Mark Jones goes in depth with other Biblical references and points but stays overall simplistic of Jesus' message. For example, The Lord's Prayer is just as short as the rest of the passages even though it is much more densely packed than other short prayers
Personally, I didn't get anything out of this book. But that doesn't mean others won't.

I received an ARC from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

[Heather Persing · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** I received this book from Crossway through Netgalley. All opinions are my own. ***

This book studies the prayer life of Jesus through the Lord’s Prayer (briefly) and the High Priestly prayer of John 17. I enjoyed the focus on the trinity’s role in prayer and thinking more deeply about how and why Jesus prayed (not just what He prayed).

This isn’t the first book I’d recommend on prayer, but I did find some good takeaways.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Insights Into Prayer

In this short book Mark Jones covers a lot of territory. In short and insightful chapters he covers how Jesus prayed, what Jesus prayed, and the impact those prayers still have

[Theunis Snyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the prayers of Jesus are explained the book is very good and stimulating. But the first part is very high theology. Sometimes very difficult.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some assertions made without showing how gets there, but other than that I really enjoyed much of this one.

[Liza Tabita · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple book that highlights how Jesus impacted others life though His prayers. The book did not bring anything new, but it highlights all the truths we know through the lens of prayer.

[DMaddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Jesus needed prayer, how much more do we? Jesus prayers to the Father were part of his obedient and dependent life and necessary for his communion with the Father. Jesus prayed not because of any sin in his life, but simply because of his love for the Father. Jesus showed us how to pray – in joy and reverence – to request for our needs, for others needs, and in thanksgiving for all the blessings we have already received. In the Lord’s Prayer, he gave us patterns and words to help us in our prayers to God. This is not a book that can be read quickly. It needs to be digested in small pieces and reflected upon.

[Ashley Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting, but was a little hard for me to follow. There was great depth to the writing which might be hard for some to grasp. But overall I felt like it was a good book.