John 17 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

John 17

The High Priestly Prayer

17:1 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, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming 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 ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.¹ 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them² in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself,³ that they also may be sanctified⁴ in truth.

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that 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 become perfectly one, so 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, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 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.”

Footnotes

[1] 17:15 Or from evil
[2] 17:17 Greek Set them apart (for holy service to God)
[3] 17:19 Or I sanctify myself; or I set myself apart (for holy service to God)
[4] 17:19 Greek may be set apart (for holy service to God)

Commentary

v1: Jesus begins His prayer. Even a godly man could not say these words, only the Son of God. The only right thing is that Father and Son are glorified together, and only the eternal Son of God could pray, Father...glorify your Son." It particular this would happen as He died and was raised again, for the time had come.

v2-3: There is unity in Father and Son in giving eternal life. That eternal life begins in this life, and is found in knowing the Father and the Son. Having trusted Christ, we have already passed from death into life (John 5.24).

v4: The Son's total and perfect obedience to the Father; we too may glorify Him by our obedience.

v5: The Son's eternal glory from before the world began. He would return to Heaven, and return to the glory of the Father's presence.

v6-8: Referring to the eleven disciples; the power of Christ's truth is revealed in their lives;

they have obeyed your word;
they know that everything you have given me comes from you;
they accepted the words you gave me;
they know with certainty that I came from you;
they believed that you sent me.

The disciples had faith; they believed who Jesus Christ was and is, and they obeyed what He said. Similarly, we are called to trust Him, and to follow Him.

v9: "I pray for them;" for those who believed in Christ were a distinct group of people, known to Him. The Lord knows those that are His.

v10-11: The disciples belong to both Father and Son;

this actually puts a responsibility upon the Father and the Son to protect them, since they remain in the world;
this is the context of the prayer, "that they may be one;"
the disciples have the privilege of bringing glory to the Father and to the Son.

v12: Whilst Christ was in the world, He kept them. The continuing prayer is that they will still be kept; this is also the work of the Holy Spirit.

The testimony of Christ about His disciples is significant; there were real disciples, kept by God, and displaying the unity of God.

The presence of Judas Iscariot among the Twelve was fulfilling prophecy. The Lord Jesus knew all along that Judas would betray Him.

v13: These words are recorded for us. The Lord could have waited until He was with the Father, but His concern for the disciples was such that His words were recorded for our blessing.

v14: Since we belong to Christ, having accepted His word, we will meet the opposition of the world; we suffer the rejection that he bore (15.21). Our Heavenly citizenship means that we are rejected by the world. But we still need His protection whilst in the world (1 Cor 5.10).

v15: Christ's prayer for His disciples, that they would be protected.

v16: The reason for His prayer, since the disciples no longer belonged to the world.

v17: Whilst in the world, we need God to sanctify us by His word; to set us apart, to keep us apart, and to protect our minds from bad influences.

v18: We are sent by God, even as Christ was sent into the world. This is the means by which the world will hear of God.

v19: We share in His sanctification.

v20-24: Jesus looked beyond those around Him, to multitudes who would believe in Him.

v20: The assurance that others would be converted to Christ; they too would believe, for that remains the way of salvation.

v21: Unity amongst believers. There is no intention here to bring unity between followers of Christ and those of other beliefs. It is through succeeding generations of believers that "the world may believe."

v22: We bear the very glory of Christ; the call to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is a very high and holy call.

v23: The testimony of united believers; that the world knows that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah, and that we are loved by Him. See Eph 3.9.

v24: To behold His glory; the wonderful promise for each Christian. Jesus' prayer deals much with how we are to live in this world, but here at the end is a longer term view, that we shall see and share His glory in eternity.

v25-26: Just as Jesus Christ was a foreigner in the world, so those who believed in Him would also be foreigners. His work in their lives would continue by His Spirit.