Jesus is leaving the disciples, and they feel trapped and nauseous. Bad news is here, and they are frozen as they wait to see what happens next. But before Jesus departs, he prays out loud, on purpose, so they know how he is taking care of them. His prayer further confirms they are in the presence of God. Jesus has everything God has, and vice versa. He and the Father are one. His disciples have just argued about who was the greatest, and they’re about to deny Jesus and run for their lives. But Jesus sees underneath their failures, and knows their faith is true. He presents them to the Father like a shepherd bringing his flock home: they’re all here. Except Judas, and he’s accounted for, too. Everything that Jesus received for his mission—his words, his name, his truth—he now gives to the disciples for their mission. He’s hours away from suffocating to death on the cross, and he’s letting them overhear the divine conversation. Jesus is giving the gift of unrivaled intimacy with himself and his Holy Father (a name only used here). As the disciples heard Jesus vouch for them before God, joy settled in beneath their fear. In the Old Testament, before you sacrifice an animal, you sanctify it. Jesus says, “I sanctify myself for them.” Then, alarmingly, he sanctifies the disciples, too. Jesus isn’t avoiding the cross, nor shielding his disciples from martyrdom. God’s protection doesn’t keep us from suffering and death, but eternal destruction and the evil one. No longer is our purpose to fit in with the world, but to participate in God’s mission. Jesus didn’t pray for safe travels. He sent his disciples into a hostile world, knowing they would safely die. So the disciples went, and generations of disciples after them followed in their footsteps. Eventually, my friend from West Philly met Christians who introduced him to Jesus. Now, he’s organizing his retirement around sharing the gospel with strangers on the other side of the world.