THE PRAYER - JOHN 17

 

John 17

Having finished his last teaching (“these words”) of the disciples, Jesus prayed to the Father. This prayer is set out in this chapter. Some people call it the “High Priestly Prayer” because Jesus prays, or intercedes, for the disciples in addition to praying for himself.

But first, Jesus poured out his heart to God. And that makes this scripture just wonderful, for Jesus allowed the disciples into the intimate relationship between him and the Father. And since John wrote it down, we are allowed in as well. And this demonstration of the close relationship between the Father and the Son serves as an illustration of the relationship Believers will have with the Father through the Son. 

17:-5

Jesus Prays For Himself

Jesus began the prayer by saying “the hour has come”. All through John’s gospel, the “hour” meant the time when Jesus would be put to death, then raised, and ultimately ascended. Previously, though, he had said his hour had not come. 

Despite attempts to arrest Jesus or to kill him, no one had succeeded because the hour had not come. That hour was set by the Father in his sovereignty and it could not be changed by the will or actions of men or women. 

Now, however, the hour has come and no man or woman can stop it. And Jesus will not stop it because he is obedient to the Father, even to death.

The hour has come, not just for his death, but for his glorification. So, Jesus asks the Father to glorify him. He is, in effect, praying that the Father’s will be done. 

Jesus gave up his glory when he was sent by the Father to be born in the form of a man. Paul wrote about this in Philippians 2:

“…Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not county equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men”. Philippians 2:6-8.

We have seen that Jesus had glory. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”(Isaiah 6:1) John then tells us that the Lord Isaiah saw was the Lord Jesus. (John 12:41)

Despite the fact that he wants to recover his glory in heaven, Jesus’ ultimate goal here is not his own glory, but to glorify the Father. (1) Jesus wanted to glorify the Father because the Father had given him authority over all human beings (“all flesh”) so that he could give eternal life to those the Father gave him. (2)

That is what Paul referred to when he wrote that the Father chose us in Jesus before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:3) 

An additional point to note is that, since Jesus had authority over all human beings, and the sole authority to give eternal life, there is no other way to obtain eternal life. 

Jesus defined eternal life as knowing the Father and the Son. It is our having a permanent relationship with the Father, through the Son and with him. (3) That includes going to heaven when we die and living in the new earth. And it is the presence of the Father and the Son dwelling with us, and having a continuing relationship with us, that makes heaven, and the new earth, the place of delight and joy. All of this comes as we are reconciled to the Father because of the work of the Son. 

In verse 4, Jesus summarizes. He said he glorified the Father on earth by accomplishing the work the Father gave him to do. (4) That is what Jesus meant when he said, as he was dying, “it is finished”. All the work the Father gave him to do to accomplish salvation was done. And those who understand that God has accomplished his plan of redemption through Christ glorify the Father. 

Having glorified the Father on earth, and about to return to the Father in heaven, Jesus asked to be restored to the glory he had with the Father in heaven in eternity before the world existed. (5) 

We know that happened. Paul, in Philippians 2, wrote “Therefore God (the Father) has highly exalted him (the Son) and bestowed n him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

17:6-19

Jesus Prays for the Disciples

After praying for himself, Jesus prayed for his disciples. He called them the people whom you gave me out of the world. (6) They were the Father’s people (because he chose them) and the Father gave them to the Son. 

Jesus manifested the Father’s name to these people, meaning he revealed the Father’s character, his attributes, to them through his life and his teaching. (6) Jesus gave them the words the Father gave him. Remember he said only what the Father told him to say. They kept this word because they came to know that Jesus came from the Father and everything Jesus gave to them he received from the Father.  

So, Jesus was praying for these believing disciples. He prayed only for the disciples, the ones the Father gave to him, not for the world. (10) 

Jesus also said he is glorified in the disciples (10) He is glorified because they believe he is who he said he is, the Son of God. And he is further glorified as they tell others Jesus is the Son of God and relate the miracles he did and the truth he told. 

This is in contrast to “the world” which does not believe in Jesus.

The disciples certainly did not have full, mature, understanding. But they did believe in Jesus and committed themselves to him. When many so called disciples left Jesus after he said difficult things, the Twelve stayed and said “You have the words of eternal life. we believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. (John 6:68-69)

Since the disciples remain in the world after Jesus goes to the Father, Jesus asked the Father to keep them in his name.(11)  He wants the disciples to be one as the Father and the Son are one. 

Jesus guarded and protected the disciples while he was with them. Jesus did not lose any of them except Judas, whom he refers to as the son of destruction. This destruction will come at the final judgment. 

Jesus let Judas go so that Scripture would be fulfilled. This is probably Psalm 41:9, which says “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me”.

Jesus did not ask that the Father take the disciples out of the world. Disciples are to invade the world with the gospel. The Great Commission is to go. (Matthew 28:18-20) 

The image of David and Goliath came to mind. David did not cower. He “ran quickly” to meet Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:48) David charged the enemy. 

Consider also the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” which says “gates of hell can never against the church prevail”. The image is not of the church guarding itself, but of the church storming the gates of hell, which cannot stand against the charge.

So, Jesus asks the Father to keep the disciples, excluding Judas, from the evil one, to protect them as they are hated by the world as those who follow Jesus, who was hated by the world. (15) Jesus will not be there to guard the disciples, so he asks the Father to do it. 

The defeated devil constantly tries to inflict damage on the church. Believers in all ages experience this. God does not take us out of this world, so we remain in it and witness to Jesus while we are. This causes a constant spiritual war. 

Some branches of the church surrender, adopting the contrary beliefs of the world in an attempt to join it, at least to a degree that will provide safety. But surrender to the enemy is defeat. Those churches die as they become more like the world that those chosen out of the world. 

While Believers are not removed from the world, Jesus prays that the Father sanctify them, or set them apart from the world with his Word, which is the truth. (17) The Father will send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to teach the disciples God’s word and help them to understand it. 

By doing so, the disciples learn to think like God and conform their lives to God’s word. This happens for us as well. They do not conform to the world, but are transformed by the renewing of their minds by the Holy Spirit. Renewed, they can discern the will of God. (Romans 12:1-2) Sanctified, they are sent by Jesus into the world, not to conform, but to invade and conquer with the word of God.

Jesus consecrated himself, focusing on his service to the Father in redeeming those the Father gave him. (19) And because he did that, they can be sanctified in the truth and continue the mission to spread the glory of God over the face of the earth.

17:20-23

Jesus Prays For Those Who Will Believe

Jesus not only prayed for the disciples, but for all who would follow in their footsteps. He prayed that they would be unified, that they would be “one” and have the same union and unity as do God the Father and God the Son. In that unity they will show the lost that God loves them and sent the Son for their salvation. 

Jesus also prayed that believers would be allowed to be with Jesus in heaven, where he is. (24) He prayed that they would be able to see his glory that he had before the foundation of the world. That is our destiny as believers, to be with Jesus in heaven and to see his glory. It is part of our reward.

This will be wonderful for us, to see the one we have believed in and followed radiate with glory. His glory will be so magnificent that, in the new earth, there will be no need of sun or moon to shine, “for the glory of God gives it light and its lamp is the Lamb”. (Revelation 21:23)