When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
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O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:1-26)
Background:
In the 13th chapter of his Gospel, John begins what is known as the Upper Room Discourse. This is the Passover Seder which Jesus celebrated with his disciples on the night he was betrayed. This was the last Passover he observed with them, and it was also the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the covenant meal of the new covenant.
During this time together, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He gave them the new commandment to love one another, and he told Peter that he would deny him in chapter 13. In chapter 14 taught them that he was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and he promised the Holy Spirit when he was gone. Chapter 15 contains his teaching of the vine and the branches, and the fact that the world would hate them, because it hated him. In chapter 16 Jesus comforts the disciples by telling them of the work of the Holy Spirit and the fact that he has overcome the world. In chapter 17, we have the prayer before us. Many commentators remark that it appears, from John, that Jesus prayed this prayer before leaving the upper room and going to the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Prayer:
when Jesus had spoken these words (v. 1): While in the upper room, Jesus had just comforted his disciples with the words, “But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). It was after speaking these words that he prayed the following prayer.
the hour has come (v. 1): Jesus knew that the Father was in sovereign control of all things, and he knew that the redeeming event for which he came to earth had arrived. Earlier in his ministry Jesus had spoken of the hour of his death, but always to say that the time had not arrived. Now, he acknowledges that the hour has come. Unlike the prayer in the Garden later, he does not pray here that the cup of suffering might pass from him.
glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you (v. 1): The writer to the Hebrews writes that for the joy that was set before him, Jesus endured the cross and despised its shame (Hebrews 12:2). That is his prayer here, that in his death he might be glorified as the obedient Son of Philippians 2:8 who did what the Father sent him for. In so doing, he would be glorified and also bring glory to the Father at the same time.
to give eternal life to all whom you have given him (v. 2): The coming death of Jesus on the cross would be the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of his people. In accepting that sacrifice, the Father would grant eternal life to all those for whom Christ died. And, as the Father had given him the authority over all flesh, those whom he would save would come “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
and this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (v. 3): This is not a definition of eternal life, but shows how eternal life makes itself known. It is more than just a basic abstract knowledge of God the Father and his Son. James writes that “Even the demons believe – and shudder” (James 2:19). To know God and Jesus Christ as he mentions here is to know the Father as the sovereign creator and ruler of the universe, and to know the Son as the only savior of God’s people. It is an intimate relationship with God which is in view.
I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world (v. 6): In this section, Jesus turns from speaking about himself to praying about, and for, his disciples. They are the ones whom God the Father has given him out of the world. They followed him to this point, and he has taught them about God the Father and the kingdom at every turn. He has thus manifested the Father’s name to them at all times. For Jesus said that he taught only that which the Father had given him to teach (John 8:28 & 38).
yours they were (v. 6): Jesus acknowledges that the disciples (and all God’s people) are the elect. They are the ones whom the Father ahs chosen from all mankind to bring into his kingdom. He chose them before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), and he has now given them to Jesus the Son (John 10:29).
they have kept your word (v. 6): Interestingly, Jesus had earlier referred to the disciples as men of little faith, and he knew that they would desert him when the time of crisis came. Yet, here, as he prays to the Father, he calls them those who have kept the word of God – the faithful ones. This high-priestly prayer casts no dispersion upon the followers of Christ.
everything that you have given me is from you (v. 7): Jesus Christ did and taught only what he had received from the Father (John 8:28 & 38). And, those whom the Father had chosen were given to him.
I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world (v. 9): This is a difficult saying for many. In our human nature, we want to see Jesus praying for the whole world, but he prays only for those whom the Father has given him. We see here the idea that Christ died only for those whom the Father had chosen. The saving benefits of Christ’s sacrifice are not universal.
they are in the world, and I am coming to you (v. 11): A difficult teaching for the disciples to receive was the fact that Jesus was going to be going away. He was going to return to the Father. Earlier he had told them that the world hated him, and now he was going to be leaving this world. They, on the other hand, were staying behind in the world, to carry on Jesus’ work of telling others about the kingdom. Now the world would hate them, just as it had hated Jesus. But, his prayer is that the Father will keep them in the power of his name. As strong as the wicked power of the world is, the power of God’s name is stronger. The people of God are in his hands, and no one can snatch them away (10:29).
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one (v. 15): We are told that “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, God took him” (Genesis 5:24). For reasons known only to God, he removed him from the evil prevalent in the world at that time. And, God can do that. However, he can also leave his people in the world to accomplish his plan for mankind. In those cases, he keeps them and protects them from the ravishes of the wicked world around them.
sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (v. 17): The word translated sanctify in this verse is the Greek word hagiazo. It means to set apart, and it’s sister words are translated holy and saints. Jesus is asking the Father to set his people apart in the world for holy service to God. And, the way the saints are set apart is through the word of God, which is truth itself.
I do not ask for these only (v. 20): Here Jesus makes another change, as he begins praying for the church universal.
those who will believe in me through their word (v. 20): When Thomas saw the scars in Jesus’ hands and side, he cried, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus replied, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). There, as here, he spoke of those believers who would come after his ascension to the right hand of the Father. Indeed, those who saw him on earth and believed were blessed, but Jesus said that we, who believe because of the words of the apostles, were more blessed, for we believe with our hearts; not because our eyes have seen. And here, in the prayer just before he was crucified, Jesus prayed for all of us who would one day believe the word of God and trust Jesus as our Savior.
that they may all be one (v. 21): Here we see Jesus’ reference to what is known as the church universal. There is only one church – one body of Christ in the world. Many have used this verse to condemn the idea of denominations, but that is not what appears to be in Christ’s mind. What he is praying for is that the church will be set apart from the world as the one true body of Christ to carry on the work of the kingdom until his return.
Relevance:
This last prayer of our study, unlike the others, is not necessarily an example of how we ought to pray. Rather, it is a glimpse into the interaction of the Father and the Son. Through it we learn that Jesus Christ sought to glorify the Father through his atoning death on the cross, even as he was glorified in his obedience. We see that he was truly concerned for his disciples, even on the night before he was to be crucified. Rather than spending the night praying for himself and the easing of his suffering, he prayed for his followers, asking that God would protect and sustain them in a fallen world. And, to the wonder of many, he prayed for us, also. Knowing that future generations would believe in him as Savior from the teaching and writing of the apostles, Jesus prayed that we also would be kept by God as we strive to live as obedient servants and children of God.
