John 17: The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus

JOHN 17: THE HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER OF JESUS

John 17 contains what is often called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. This profound and intimate prayer, often considered the most important prayer in the Bible, offered just before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion, provides deep insights into Jesus' relationship with the Father and His desires for His followers.

Structure of the Prayer

The prayer can be divided into three main sections:

Jesus prays for Himself (verses 1-5)
Jesus prays for His disciples (verses 6-19)
Jesus prays for all believers (verses 20-26)

Jesus Prays for Himself (verses 1-5)

Jesus begins by acknowledging that His hour has come:

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: (John 17:1)

This "hour" refers to His impending crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus sees these events not as defeat, but as the means of glorifying both Himself and the Father. Jesus then defines eternal life:

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)

This verse emphasizes that eternal life is not just about duration, but about relationship and knowledge of God.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples (verses 6-19)

Jesus acknowledges that He has revealed the Father to His disciples:

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. (John 17:6)

He prays for their protection and unity:

Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11b)

He prays for their preservation from (not the removal from, as offered by pre-Tribulational rapture theorists) the world and its evil.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:15-16)

Jesus also prays for their sanctification:

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

This sanctification is not just for their benefit, but for their mission:

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. (John 17:18)

Jesus Prays for All Believers (verses 20-26)

Jesus extends His prayer to include all future believers:

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (John 17:20)

He prays for unity among all believers, mirroring the unity within the Godhead:

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. (John 17:21)

This unity is not just for unity's sake, but as a testimony to the world.

Theological Significance

1. Trinity: The prayer provides insights into the relationship between the Father and the Son, supporting the doctrine of the Trinity.
2. Salvation: Jesus emphasizes that salvation comes through knowing God and Himself, not just intellectual assent but intimate relationship.
3. Sanctification: Jesus prays for the sanctification of believers through God's truth, emphasizing the role of God's Word in spiritual growth.
4. Unity: The repeated emphasis on unity shows its crucial importance in the life of the church and its witness to the world.
5. Mission: Jesus connects the disciples' sanctification and unity with their mission to the world, showing that holiness and unity are not ends in themselves but serve the purpose of evangelism.

Conclusion

The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus provides a unique window into Jesus' heart and mind just before His crucifixion. It reveals His deep love for His disciples and all future believers, His desire for their unity and sanctification, and His commitment to glorifying the Father through His sacrificial death. This prayer continues to serve as a model for believers, guiding our own prayers and reminding us of Jesus' ongoing intercession for us at the right hand of the Father.

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

Text by Zach Anderson (zmanderson@gmail.com). Placed in public domain at ultrafree.org. KJV text is used. Feel free to copy and share, free of charge.