John 17

John 17 is often referred to as the "High Priestly Prayer" of Jesus. It is a profound moment where Jesus, shortly before His arrest, prays for Himself, His disciples, and all believers. This prayer emphasizes His relationship with the Father, His mission, and His deep desire for unity among His followers. It reflects the heart of Jesus for those who believe in Him, highlighting His love, purpose, and ultimate sacrifice.

John 17:1 (NKJV)
1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

Jesus begins His prayer by acknowledging that "the hour"—the appointed time for His crucifixion—has come. He asks the Father to glorify Him so that He, in turn, can bring glory to the Father. This mutual glorification is central to Jesus' mission and highlights the unity and purpose He shares with the Father in the plan of redemption.

John 17:2 (NKJV)
2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.

Jesus speaks of the authority given to Him by the Father over all humanity. This authority enables Him to grant eternal life to those chosen by the Father. Jesus' mission is to provide eternal life, emphasizing His role as the way to salvation and His unique position as the mediator between God and humanity.

John 17:3 (NKJV)
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the true God and Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not merely intellectual but an intimate relationship with God through faith in Jesus. Eternal life, therefore, is rooted in a personal connection with God, cultivated through understanding and following Jesus.

John 17:4 (NKJV)
4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

Jesus reflects on His earthly ministry, affirming that He has glorified the Father by fulfilling His mission. His obedience and teaching, as well as the miracles and love He showed, reveal the character of God. This statement also foreshadows His ultimate act of obedience on the cross, completing the work God entrusted to Him.

John 17:5 (NKJV)
5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Jesus asks the Father to restore the divine glory He had before coming to earth. This request reveals His pre-existence and His divine nature. By seeking this glory, Jesus anticipates His return to the Father and the re-establishment of the eternal relationship they shared before His incarnation.

John 17:6-10 (NKJV)
6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.
8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

In these verses, Jesus reflects on His disciples, who were given to Him by the Father. He has revealed God's character and truth to them, and they have accepted His message. By praying specifically for His followers, Jesus shows His deep concern for their well-being and spiritual journey. His prayer underlines the unity between the Father and Son, as well as the disciples' role in continuing His work on earth.

John 17:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
12 While I was with them, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Jesus prays for the protection and unity of His disciples, knowing He will soon leave the world. He asks the Father to guard them, preserving them in faith and unity, similar to the oneness He shares with the Father. Jesus also acknowledges Judas’ betrayal, fulfilling prophecy and emphasizing that His followers remain under God’s sovereign care.

John 17:13-16 (NKJV)
13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Jesus prays for His disciples’ joy, rooted in the words He has given them. He acknowledges that the world opposes them because of their allegiance to God’s truth. Rather than removing them from the world, Jesus asks the Father to protect them from the evil one, underscoring the spiritual battle they will face.

John 17:17-19 (NKJV)
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus asks the Father to sanctify His disciples, setting them apart through God’s truth. By His own example of dedication, Jesus empowers them for their mission. This sanctification prepares them to continue His work, emphasizing that truth and mission are intertwined in the life of a believer.

John 17:20-23 (NKJV)
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Here, Jesus prays for future believers, extending His desire for unity beyond His immediate disciples. He desires that all who follow Him would be unified in love and purpose, reflecting the oneness He shares with the Father. This unity serves as a powerful testimony to the world, demonstrating God’s love and Jesus’ divine mission.

John 17:24-26 (NKJV)
24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

In closing, Jesus expresses His longing for believers to be with Him and to witness His glory, affirming His eternal relationship with the Father. He speaks of His followers’ unique knowledge of God through Him, culminating in the profound love that God has for His people. Jesus’ prayer reveals His heart’s desire for an intimate, loving relationship between God and all believers.