John 17 contains Jesus' high priestly prayer, offered on the night before His crucifixion. In this deeply intimate conversation with the Father, Jesus prays for His disciples, for all future believers, and ultimately for the glory of God's name. The prayer moves from Jesus' completed work and His own glorification, to intercession for His followers' protection and sanctification, to His longing for the ultimate unity and perfection of all believers. This chapter reveals both the depth of Jesus' love for His people and the Father's commitment to preserving them until glory.
Jesus begins by acknowledging that "the hour is come"—the appointed time of His passion and resurrection. He asks the Father to glorify Him so that He might glorify the Father in return. This mutual glorification is not selfish; it reflects the perfect communion between Father and Son. Jesus states that the Father has given Him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to those the Father has given Him (verse 2). Notice the theme of divine election here: believers are those whom the Father has given to the Son. In verse 5, Jesus asks to be restored to the glory He possessed before creation. He is not praying for something new but for the restoration of His rightful place at the Father's side.
Application: Jesus' willingness to glorify the Father even at the cost of the cross teaches us that true greatness lies in honoring God rather than self-advancement.
Jesus emphasizes that He has revealed God's character and name to the disciples whom the Father gave Him. These men belonged to the world, but the Father separated them and gave them to Jesus. The disciples have kept God's word and have come to understand that everything Jesus has received comes from the Father. By giving them the Father's words and seeing them believe, Jesus has accomplished His earthly mission. The disciples' faith is not based on signs alone but on the sure knowledge that Jesus came from God.
Application: Our role as believers is similarly to receive God's Word and testify to others about Jesus' true identity and origin.
Jesus now intercedes specifically for His disciples. He prays not for the world (those who reject Him) but for those given to Him. All that belongs to Jesus belongs to the Father and vice versa—a statement of the perfect unity and shared authority between them. Jesus has protected the disciples while with them and kept them in the Father's name. The tragic exception is Judas, the "son of perdition," whose loss fulfilled Scripture (see Psalm 41:9). This does not mean Judas was arbitrary; rather, his betrayal was foreknown and foretold.
Application: Jesus' vigilant care over His own assures us that our salvation is secure in His hands, guarded by His power.
Jesus speaks these things in the world so His disciples might experience His complete joy. He acknowledges that the world will hate them because they no longer belong to the world—they have been separated unto God. Rather than praying for their removal from the world, Jesus asks the Father to keep them from evil while they remain in it. In verse 17, Jesus asks the Father to sanctify (set apart) the disciples through truth, defining truth as God's Word. Sanctification is not self-improvement but consecration through God's Word.
Application: God calls us to holiness not by removing us from difficult circumstances but by strengthening us through His Word.
Jesus sends His disciples into the world as the Father sent Him. He sanctifies Himself (sets Himself apart for His redemptive purpose) so they might be sanctified through that truth. The prayer expands to include all future believers. Jesus prays for absolute unity—that all believers might be one as the Father and Son are one. This organic unity in Christ will be the world's greatest testimony to Jesus' mission. Jesus has given believers the glory the Father gave Him, and His presence within them and the Father's presence within Him create the bond of perfect unity. Finally, Jesus expresses His ultimate will: that believers be with Him in heaven, beholding His glory. This glory was given because the Father loved Jesus before the world existed.
Application for Today: As modern believers, we are included in Jesus' intercession and prayer. His concern for our sanctification, protection, and ultimate glory continues. May we live conscious of our sent-ness into the world, our unity in Christ with all true believers, and our hope of seeing Jesus face-to-face in glory.
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