John 17: The High-Priestly Prayer
On the night before he dies, Jesus prays for himself, for his disciples, and for all who will believe, asking that they be kept, sanctified, and made one.
John 17 (WEB)
1 Jesus said these things, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you;
2 even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
4 I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do.
5 Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.
6 I revealed your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept your word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatever you have given me are from you,
8 for the words which you have given me I have given to them, and they received them, and knew for sure that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.
9 I pray for them. I don’t pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11 I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.
14 I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.
19 For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20 Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one; even 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 The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one;
23 I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.
24 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 Righteous Father, the world hasn’t known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me.
26 I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17 (KJV)
1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
John 17 (ASV)
1 These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee:
2 even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life.
3 And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, [even] Jesus Christ.
4 I glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they know that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are from thee:
8 for the words which thou gavest me I have given unto them; and they received [them], and knew of a truth that I came forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me; for they are thine:
10 and all things that are mine are thine, and thine are mine: and I am glorified in them.
11 And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we [are].
12 While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one].
16 They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou didst send me into the world, even so sent I them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20 Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word;
21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me.
22 And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we [are] one;
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me.
24 Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew thee; and these knew that thou didst send me;
26 and I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them.
Summary
Lifting his eyes to heaven, Jesus prays as the hour of his glory arrives. He prays first for himself, that the Father would glorify the Son so the Son may glorify the Father, having finished the work given him and revealed the Father's name. Eternal life, he says, is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. He then prays for his disciples, asking the Father to keep them in his name and guard them from the evil one, since they are in the world but not of it. He asks that they be sanctified in the truth of God's word. Finally he prays for all who will believe through their message, that they may be one as the Father and Son are one, so the world may know the Father sent him. He longs for them to be with him and to behold his glory, and to know the love with which the Father has loved him.
Main Characters
- Jesus — The Son who prays to be glorified and intercedes for his disciples and all future believers.
- The Father — The one Jesus addresses, who gave him authority and the people he prays for.
- The disciples — Those given to Jesus out of the world, for whom he asks protection and sanctification.
- Future believers — All who will believe through the disciples' word, for whom Jesus prays unity.
Key Verse
John 17:3 (WEB)
This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
Lessons Learned
- Eternal life is, at its heart, knowing the true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent.
- Jesus prays not only for his first disciples but for everyone who will ever believe in him.
- God's people are kept in the world yet set apart by the truth of his word.
- The unity of believers is meant to display God's love and confirm that Jesus was sent.
- Eternal life is knowing God through Jesus Christ. Jesus prays, 'This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ' (John 17:3, WEB).
- Jesus finished the work the Father gave him. He prays, 'I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do' (John 17:4, WEB).
- Jesus prays for his people to be kept and guarded. He asks, 'Holy Father, keep them through your name... that they may be one, even as we are' (John 17:11, WEB).
- God's truth sanctifies and sets us apart. Jesus prays, 'Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth' (John 17:17, WEB), for disciples sent into the world.
- The oneness of believers testifies to the world. He prays 'that they may all be one... that the world may believe that you sent me' (John 17:21, WEB).
- What does Jesus ask for himself in the first part of the prayer, and how does he define eternal life?
- What specific things does Jesus pray for his disciples as he prepares to leave them?
- Why does Jesus pray for those who are not yet believers, and what does he ask for them?
- How is the unity Jesus prays for connected to the world coming to believe in him?
- Where in your own life do you most need to be 'kept' or 'sanctified,' and how might you ask the Father for it?
- Jesus asks the Father to glorify him so he may glorify the Father, having finished his work (John 17:1-4). He defines eternal life not as mere endless existence but as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent (17:3).
- He asks the Father to keep them in his name, guard them from the evil one, give them his joy, and sanctify them in the truth (John 17:11-17). He does not ask that they be taken out of the world but protected within it.
- Jesus prays for all who will believe through the disciples' word (John 17:20). He asks that they be one and that they be with him to see his glory, so future generations are gathered into his care (17:21-24).
- Jesus prays that believers may be one as he and the Father are one, 'that the world may believe that you sent me' (John 17:21). Visible love and unity among his people become evidence to the watching world that Jesus is from God.
- This is a personal application question. Invite members to name where they need God's keeping and setting apart, and to bring it to him in prayer. As leader, encourage honest sharing and avoid pressing anyone to share more than they wish.