Joh 17 | MHM | STEP | Jesus Prays for Himself, His Disciples, and All Believers This chapter contains what is often called the “High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prays to God the Father for Himself, for His disciples, and for everyone who will believe in Him. Jesus asks that God would be glorified, that His followers would be protected, united, and sanctified, and that all believers would one day be with Him in glory. The prayer shows Jesus’ deep love, His mission, and His desire for the unity and holiness of His people. v. 1 : Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and prays, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you.” Jesus knows His time to suffer and die has arrived. He asks God to show His glory through what is about to happen, so that God Himself will be honored through the Son’s obedience and sacrifice (John 17:1 ).

‏ John 17

Jesus Prays for Himself, His Disciples, and All Believers

This chapter contains what is often called the “High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prays to God the Father for Himself, for His disciples, and for everyone who will believe in Him. Jesus asks that God would be glorified, that His followers would be protected, united, and sanctified, and that all believers would one day be with Him in glory. The prayer shows Jesus’ deep love, His mission, and His desire for the unity and holiness of His people.

v. 1: Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and prays, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you.” Jesus knows His time to suffer and die has arrived. He asks God to show His glory through what is about to happen, so that God Himself will be honored through the Son’s obedience and sacrifice (John 17:1 ^a).

v. 2: Jesus continues, “You have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him.” God has given Jesus authority over everyone. Jesus’ mission is to bring eternal life to those whom the Father has chosen (John 17:2 ^b).

v. 3: Jesus explains, “This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life is not just living forever; it is knowing God personally, through faith in Jesus (John 17:3 ^c).

v. 4: Jesus says, “I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” Jesus has completed the mission God gave Him—teaching, healing, showing God’s love, and now preparing to die for the sins of the world (John 17:4 ^d).

v. 5: Jesus prays, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed.” Jesus asks to return to the heavenly glory He shared with the Father before He came into the world (John 17:5 ^e).

v. 6: Jesus says, “I have made your name known to those you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” Jesus has revealed God’s character to His disciples, who now belong to Him and have obeyed God’s teachings. These followers belonged to God, and God gave them to Jesus. The disciples have obeyed God’s message and believed in Jesus (John 17:6 ^f).

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

After praying for Himself, Jesus now prays for the disciples whom the Father had given Him. He asks God to protect, sanctify, and unify them as they continue His work in the world. Jesus recognizes their faith and obedience, and prays that they may be kept from evil, grow in holiness, and be united in purpose and love. This prayer shows Jesus’ deep care for His followers and His desire that they will continue His mission after He leaves.

v. 7: Jesus continues, “Now they know that everything you have given me is from you.” The disciples now realize that Jesus’ words and works come from God, not from Himself. The disciples now understand that Jesus’ teachings, power, and mission all come from God. Everything Jesus has done is from the Father (John 17:7 ^g).

v. 8: Jesus says, “I have given them the words you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; they have believed that you sent me.” The disciples have accepted Jesus’ message as God’s truth and believe that He is the Savior sent from God. They have received it and are sure that Jesus is God’s Messenger and Savior (John 17:8 ^h).

v. 9: Jesus prays, “I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” Jesus’ special prayer is for His followers, not for the whole world, but for those who belong to God. He is speaking to God on behalf of His disciples, not for the world in general, but for those who truly belong to God and follow Him .

v. 10: “All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.” Jesus and the Father share all things, and Jesus is honored through the faith and lives of His followers. The disciples honor Jesus by their faith and lives, and their lives bring glory to Him (John 17:10 ⁱ).

v. 11: Jesus prays, “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…that they may be one, even as we are one.” Jesus asks God to protect His disciples and keep them united, just as He and the Father are united. He wants them to be united, just as He and the Father are perfectly united. Jesus recognizes the challenges His disciples will face in the world and prays for their protection from evil, their holiness, and their unity. He also expresses His love and care for them, and His desire for their joy and sanctification (John 17:11 ^j).

v. 12: “While I was with them, I kept them in your name…I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction (Judas), that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” Jesus has protected His disciples, except for Judas, who betrayed Him, as the Scriptures foretold. Jesus has guarded His disciples during His time on earth, except for Judas, who chose to betray Him, as the Scriptures had foretold (John 17:12 ^k).

v. 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.” Jesus wants His disciples to have His joy, even as He prepares to leave them. Jesus wants His followers to experience real joy through His words and promises, even as He prepares to leave them (John 17:13 ^l).

v. 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.” Jesus’ followers are different from the world, and that is why they are rejected by others. Because they believe in Jesus and obey His teaching, the world rejects them, just as it rejected Jesus (John 17:14 ^m).

v. 15: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” Jesus does not pray for the disciples to escape the world, but for God’s protection from evil. Jesus does not want His disciples to escape all difficulties, but to be protected from Satan and spiritual harm (John 17:15 ⁿ).

v. 16: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Jesus points out again that His followers have a new identity, separate from the world’s values. He emphasizes again that His followers belong to God, not to the world’s values and ways (John 17:16 ^o).

v. 17: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Jesus asks God to make His disciples holy by teaching them through His word. He prays that His disciples will be made holy and set apart for God’s service by learning and living according to God’s word. Sanctification is a continual process, and God is the one who does this work in us. The Bible, as God’s word, is the main tool the Holy Spirit uses to teach, correct, and transform us (John 17:17 ^p).

v. 18: “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” Jesus sends His disciples on a mission, just as the Father sent Him. He reminds the Father that just as he was sent on a mission from God, he is now sending his disciples on a mission. Their work is to continue what Jesus started—teaching, preaching, and living out the truth. This is why they need to be made holy and set apart, so they can be faithful and effective in their calling .

v. 19: “And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” Jesus dedicates Himself to God’s will, so that His followers can also be made holy. He is setting himself apart to do God’s will, especially as he prepares to die as a sacrifice for sin. His dedication and sacrifice make it possible for his followers to be made holy. The holiness of all Christians and the effectiveness of ministers come from Jesus’ work and the power of his death. He offered himself so that his followers could be truly set apart and accepted by God .

v. 20: Jesus prays, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” Jesus includes all future believers in His prayer. He is not just praying for His disciples, but for everyone in the future who will come to believe in Him because of the message the disciples share (John 17:20 ^q).

v. 21: “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you…that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Jesus asks for unity among all believers, so the world will know He is from God. Jesus wants all Christians to be united, just as He and the Father are united. This unity will show the world that Jesus truly came from God (John 17:21 ^r).

v. 22: “The glory you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” Jesus shares His glory with His followers, so they can be united. Jesus shares His glory with believers so that they can be united in love and purpose, just as He and the Father are one (John 17:22 ^s).

v. 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.” Jesus prays for perfect unity and love among all believers. When Christians are united in love, it will show the world that God loves them and sent Jesus (John 17:23 ^t).

v. 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.” Jesus wants His people to be with Him in heaven, to see His true glory. He asks this not only for the apostles, but for all believers. Earlier, Jesus prayed that God would protect, make holy, and unite his followers. Now, he asks for their final reward: to be glorified with him. This teaches us to pray first for God’s help in our daily lives, and then for our future in heaven. Jesus speaks with authority, saying, Father, I will, because he has the right to ask for what he has paid for with his own life. He is both King and Priest, and his prayers have power. Jesus wants all believers to be with him in heaven, to see his glory, and to enjoy his presence. Heaven means being with Jesus, seeing his glory, and sharing in his joy. The happiness of heaven comes from being close to Christ and seeing his greatness. Our hope for heaven is based not on our own deeds, but on Christ’s request and his work for us. Jesus does not want to be glorified alone; he wants his followers to share in his glory (John 17:24 ^u).

v. 25: “O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.” Jesus recognizes that the world does not understand God, but His followers do. He calls God righteous Father, reminding us that God is just in all he does. The world does not know God; people live in spiritual darkness. This shows why the disciples need God’s special help—they must bring God’s light to a world that does not know him. The disciples are different from the world because they know that God sent Jesus. Jesus also says, I have known you, showing that he understands the Father perfectly. Our relationship with God is based on what Jesus knows and has done for us, not on our own goodness (John 17:25 ^v).

v. 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.” Jesus ends His prayer by asking for God’s love to fill His followers, and for His presence to remain with them always. Jesus has taught his followers about God and will keep teaching them, especially after his resurrection and when he sends the Holy Spirit. All believers learn about God because Jesus reveals the Father to them. Knowing God is not just for learning facts, but so that God’s love can fill our hearts and change our lives. When we know God’s love, it makes us holy and brings us joy. We are also united with Jesus—I in them—which is the only way to have hope for the future. Jesus finishes his prayer by asking that he may always live in his people. This is the greatest blessing: to have Jesus living in us, giving us God’s love and bringing us into God’s family forever (John 17:26 ^w).