Tyndale Open Study NotesJohn 17

This chapter contains the longest prayer of Jesus. People often refer to it as the "high priestly prayer." The prayer shows the deepest concerns and purposes of Jesus.

This prayer concludes his last words that began at 13:31. Jesus expressed his own concerns to his Father (17:1–8). He then expressed concerns for the church and its future (17:9–26).

• Jesus looked up to heaven. This was the traditional Jewish way to pray (11:41; Psalm 123:1). He probably also raised his hands (Exodus 9:33; 17:11; Psalm 28:2). Jesus said prayers like this out loud so his followers could hear them (John 11:41–42; 12:27–30; also Matthew 11:25–30; Luke 10:21–22).

• Father was the usual way Jesus addressed God, which he did six times in this prayer (see also John 11:41; 12:27). This title, uncommon in the Jewish faith, showed the intimate relationship Jesus has with God.

• the hour: This hour included the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, his arrest, torture, death, and resurrection (see study note on 12:23).

• Glorify your Son: In the Gospel of John, the cross is a place of honor. The unity of Jesus with the Father means that if the Son receives glory, the Father will also receive glory.

All authority has been placed in Jesus’ hands (3:35); he can give eternal life as only God can (3:15; 5:21, 25–26).

• that they may know you: In the Hebrew language, "knowing" includes experience and intimacy. For Christians, this means loving God and obeying him.

• whom You have sent: Jesus came from heaven and was returning (John 17:5). So he has divine authority as God's agent.

The miracles of Jesus displayed God's glory to the world (1:14). This task was finished. The life and obedience of Jesus glorified God.

Jesus prayed to return to the position he had with God before the world began (1:1).

This verse summarizes what Jesus came to do. He revealed the true person of God to the world, gathered up God’s people into his flock, and instructed them in obedience. The result of this work is the church.

Jesus revealed himself to the world. Those who received his message became children of God (1:12; 11:52). He revealed God's word to them.

Jesus prayed for his disciples, who must continue his work after his departure.

Just as the Son brings glory to the Father (17:1, 4–5), the disciples bring the Son glory (17:22). The love and obedience that brought glory to God in the life of Jesus become features of his disciples’ lives.

The first concern Jesus had for his disciples was that they would remain united with each other in the same way he is one with the Father.

Until now, Jesus had guarded his followers. Now he was concerned for their strength and survival in his absence, because the world would be hostile toward them and their mission of challenging the world by preaching the truth (15:18–27; 16:8–11). After Jesus departed to heaven, the Holy Spirit would protect them and bring them joy (15:26).

God’s word, which Jesus had given his disciples, also provides a defense against the world. The Spirit would preserve and recall God’s word in the church (14:26), equipping the church for its encounter with the world.

Sanctify: This refers to purity gained by separation from the world, and living a life so aligned with God that it reflects Disciples are set apart by God, equipped by the Spirit, and prepared by God’s word to enter the world without being victimized by its darkness.

I sanctify Myself: Priests and prophets were similarly set apart for service to God (Leviticus 8:30; Jeremiah 1:5). Jesus again committed himself to God's mission. He recognized that he was set apart for the purpose of the cross. The disciples would benefit because his death would enable them to experience new holiness in a deep attachment to God.

Jesus was praying for other sheep who were not yet in his flock (10:16). These are the believers through the centuries who have come to faith through the witness of the disciples of Jesus.

• Be one: For believers, becoming one with one another is an outgrowth of the union they enjoy with Jesus himself, a union modeled on the oneness of the Father and the Son.

• May they also be in Us: Through the Holy Spirit's power, believers experience a profound and intimate union with the Father and the Son, leading to transformation (14:20, 23; 1 John 4:13).

• Disciples of Jesus represent him, so their right actions and relationships with each other reflect the credibility of Christ in the world. When there is disunity, infighting, and intolerance, their testimony to the world is unconvincing. When people observe the community of believers, they know that it represents Jesus; a unified, loving community convinces the world to believe (John 13:35; 1 John 3:11).

The community of believers should display the same glory that Jesus displayed from the Father.

so that the world may know: If the church lives in the Spirit, reflects God’s glory and love, and shows unity sustained by a shared knowledge of God, then its testimony will amaze the world.

I want those You have given Me to be with Me: Someday, all the followers of Jesus will see his true glory and the love that has existed in heaven before the beginning of time (17:5). Jesus was returning to heaven and deeply wanted to see his disciples there so that they might witness what words on earth cannot describe.

• All who accept the Son and embrace the Father will experience the kind of love known only between the Father and the Son.

• I in them: Jesus loves his followers and wants to fill them with glory and joy that compares to nothing in the world.