From: jodfishe@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (joseph dale fisher)
Subject: Re: Prayer in Jesus' Name
Organization: Indiana University
Lines: 42

In article <Apr.9.01.09.22.1993.16580@athos.rutgers.edu> munns@cae.wisc.edu (Scott Munns) writes:
>I am doing a dormitory bible "discussion" with my Christian roommate and
>in Jesus' name, what about the people before Jesus?  They prayed to God
>and he listened then, in spite of their sins.  Why can't it be the same
>way now?"
>

[insert huge deletion of all following material since it had little
relevance to what I've found]

OK.  The people before Jesus didn't have Jesus, right (so far, I've
announced that space is a vacuum)?  The people who lived during the time
Jesus lived (especially disciples) were taught this:  "I tell you the
truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He
will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the
Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may
bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and
I will do it." (John 14:12-14)
So, Jesus asked them to pray for things in his name.  Since that time,
the request has been the same, not to ask for intercession from other
beings, but from Jesus.  Remember that "there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as
a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time." (1
Timothy 2:5-6.  Also, "there have been many of those priests [talking
about priests among the Hebrews], since death prevented them from
continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a
permanent priesthood.  Therefore he is able to save completely those who
come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."
(Hebrews 7:23-25).  Hebrews is also full of areas talking about Jesus
being our mediator rather than any other man.

Joe Fisher

["The people before Jesus didn't have Jesus, right" may not be as
obvious as you think.  In what sense to you mean didn't have?
Christian thought has generally said that they had Jesus in the sense
that they were saved by his death.  God is not bound by our
chronology.  So in some real spiritual sense they did "have Jesus".
Even in terms of knowledge, while they surely didn't have the explicit
knowledge that we have, Christians have normally seen messianic
prophecy as knowledge of Jesus, even if knowledge from afar.
--clh]
