What Can Be Learned From John 17 (Part I)

For centuries, the prayer recorded in John 17 has been widely referred to as the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus Christ. In his book,  Reflections on the Gospel of John , author Leon Morris notes, “In the early fifth century, Clement of Alexandria said that in this prayer, Jesus was a high priest acting on behalf of his people.” 

It is interesting that this is the longest of all the prayers attributed to Jesus and an appropriate conclusion to what’s known as the upper room discourse (John 14–16). With this in mind, some also believe that Jesus intended his words to be overheard by the disciples in order to provide them further hope and comfort. Be that as it may, the prayer marks the passing of the baton to those, both then and now, who are tasked with the responsibility of carrying on the work begun by Christ, namely, of proclaiming eternal life to all men (John 17:2). 

In addition, remember that Jesus had just shared a final meal with His disciples. He had just washed their feet, reinterpreted the Passover, and dismissed Judas, who would betray Him. Therefore, it is an emotional and significant moment, the night before Jesus would die. 

The entire prayer can be divided into three sections. First, Jesus prays to the Father on his own behalf (John 17:1–5). Next, He prays to the Father on behalf of His disciples, that is, the eleven men left in the room with Him in that moment (John 17:6–19). And finally, He prays for “those also who believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20–23). Over the next two weeks, I want to break this down a bit and discuss each section with a view toward readers understanding just how Christ envisioned the multi-ethnic church. and why for Him it was essential for us all to be one.

Christ and His Father (John 17:1–5) 

In the first section of the prayer, again we note that Christ prays for Himself: “The hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as you gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life” (John 17:1–2). Here then, Jesus defines His mission and its scope. He had been given “authority over all mankind” and to all those the Father has given Him, He will, in turn, give eternal life (see also Ephesians 1:3–7). As John 17:3 makes clear, eternal life is to “know You [the Father], the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” And knowing God, in this sense, is a matter of faith. 

The term rendered “know” is a translation of the common Greek word ginosko meaning simply, “to know.”  To know, in the full sense of this term, however, means to learn or acquire knowledge through experience. In other words, Christ does not so much pray that these will come to know God intellectually (the term oida in the Greek) but rather that they will come to know God more fully in and through their own personal experience. In order to know God experientially, we must come to know His Son, by faith, that is, Jesus Christ who has been “sent” by the Father. The term sent  is a translation of the Greek word apostello, which translated means, “one who has been sent as another’s personal [and] authoritative representative.”

  

As He begins to pray, then, Jesus makes it clear that He has been sent to represent God on earth and to proclaim (in person, word, and deed) the message of eternal life to all mankind. Indeed, this was His mission, and it is the theme of this prayer. Yes, Christ desires that people everywhere will come to know the Father’s love, embrace him by faith, and receive the gift of eternal life. This remains today the passion of his heart. 

This article is reprinted in part from the book Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007) by Mark DeYmaz.