Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

What was Jesus thinking about as his hour drew nearer and nearer? While his disciples couldn’t read his mind, they were given a glimpse of what he was thinking in his prayers. In the so-called high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus prays for himself, his disciples, and the church. Let’s see how our high priest interceded for us as the cross drew ever nearer with comments on this passage from the New Bible Commentary.

The Intercession of Jesus (John 17:1–26)

Jesus’ Prayer for Himself (17:1–5)

The opening words of v 1 make clear that there is a close connection between the prayer and the preceding discourse. The main theme of this part of the prayer is glory. The time is the passion and resurrection, which is the pathway to glory. The process of glorification is assumed and not stated. Many times in this gospel the cross is linked with glory. But here the chief thrust is the mutual glorification of Father and Son. Earlier in the gospel the authority vested in the Son by the Father is mentioned, and it is repeated here (2). The purpose is said to be the bestowing of eternal life to those given to him. There is a sense here that the outcome of the mission cannot fail because it is in the Father’s hands. The implication of eternal life is that God and Christ may be known (3).

The title the only true God is not found elsewhere in John and is here intended to contrast with the many contemporary false gods. This is the only occasion when Jesus is recorded to have used the title Jesus Christ. Vs 4–5 resume the glory theme. When Jesus said I have brought you glory the question arises whether in his mind he was including the glory which would come through the cross, even though this had not yet happened. Since the appropriate time was very much in his mind, all that that involved must have been included in the present statement. The work was completed only after the passion had occurred. The words the glory which I had with you before the world began (5) must point to the pre-existence of the Son and to the reality of the incarnation. Jesus was returning to the Father where he belonged.

Jesus’ Prayer for His Disciples (17:6–19)

The first theme of this part of the prayer is Jesus’ revelation to the disciples. The words I have revealed sum up the whole of Jesus’ ministry. The subject of the revelation in the Greek is ‘your name’, which has been summarized by the NIV as you. In view of the repetition of the ‘name’ in v 12, it is better to retain the notion of name, although recognizing that the name involves the nature. It is most probable that here the name in mind is that of the Father. V 6 suggests that the disciples already belonged to the Father before Jesus chose them. Note the stress on obedience here as a characteristic of those chosen.

V 7 is strangely worded (everything you have given me comes from you), but it underlines the sovereign purpose of God. A further development is found in v 8, where knowledge leads to faith. Of course, that faith was as yet in its infancy but Jesus looked ahead to its development. When Jesus stated I am not praying for the world (9), he based this on the fact that the Father had not given the world to him. This antithesis between his own people and the world is a dominant theme in this gospel. The idea of gift and possession is further stressed in v 10, as is the glory theme carried forward from the opening section of the prayer. It must be admitted that Jesus had received very little glory from the disciples as yet, but again he seems to have been projecting his thought into the future.

Protection

Next follows a specific prayer for the protection of the disciples (11–12). Jesus’ address to God as Holy Father is unique to this context. The prayer for protection by the power of your name is an attempt to express the force of the Greek which reads ‘in [en] your name’. Although the rendering is legitimate, the more natural understanding of en here is ‘in’, in the sense of the disciples being ‘in you’, i.e. in accordance with the character of God.

Unity

The prayer for unity sets a high standard, no less than the unity between God and Jesus. It is important to note that true unity is possible only in the name, i.e. in alignment with the purpose of God in Christ. Having prayed to the Father to protect the disciples, Jesus declared that he had protected them (12). It is as if he was handing back the task to God. The exception was Judas, here called the one doomed to destruction (lit. ‘the son of perdition’). The expression occurs again in 2 Thes. 2:3 of the ‘man of lawlessness’. In the Greek there is a play on words between ‘lost’ (apōleto) and ‘perdition’ (apōleias), bringing out the contrast between Judas and the other disciples. The reference to Scripture in v 12 is possibly an allusion to Ps. 41:9.

Joy

In the expression the full measure of my joy, the possessive ‘my’ is emphatic. No greater prospect could be conceived. In these verses (13–18) there is another strong contrast between the disciples and the world. There is a further contrast between being not of the world (14, 16) and the words out of the world (15). The burden of the prayer is for protection from the evil one. Twice Jesus mentions your word (14, 17) as a powerful agency. First, as the means of stirring up the hatred of the world; secondly, as the means of sanctification. The word here sums up the whole message of God in the teaching of Jesus, which the disciples were to proclaim to the world. V 19 speaks of Jesus’ dedication to his task in order to attain the sanctification of the disciples. They would derive strength through his example.

Jesus’ Prayer for the Church (17:20–26)

So far Jesus had concentrated on those whom he had taught, but he then switched to those who would believe through the disciples’ testimony (20). He made no distinction between those who had heard him personally and those who had heard through others. For both the prayer is for unity. Again the pattern for unity is the relationship between the Father and the Son (21), the basis is abiding in the Father and the Son, and the purpose is evangelistic (21, 23). The cycle here is faith leading to unity which leads others to faith.

Glory

Another aspect of the unity theme is glory, a theme which is echoed from the opening words of this prayer. The suggestion is that the glory of Christ engenders unity. Not only must the unity be complete, but it must be shown to the world. If we pause to reflect on the church’s record of disunity, we can easily see how far we have fallen short of Jesus’ requirements.

Jesus developed the glory theme (24), linking it with the Father’s love towards him before the creation of the world, an echo of the pre-existence theme already met with in v 5. The concluding verses (24–26) follow on from v 24 but also form a fitting climax to the whole prayer. The address to God as Righteous Father emphasizes the justness of his view of the world. Again we meet with the strong contrast between the world and the disciples. That the love you have for me may be in them means that they may reflect the Father’s love by their love for Jesus and for others. The prayer thus ends with the request for the indwelling Christ in believers.

Get the New Bible Commentary for the Olive Tree App

For a one-volume commentary on the whole Bible, the New Bible Commentary is about as good as they come. Written by a team of international contributors and edited by respected scholars D.A. Carson, R.T. France, J.A. Motyer, and G.J. Wenham, the New Bible Commentary is an eminently readable and faithful commentary on God’s Word. Get your copy for the Olive Tree App today!