TEACHING NOTES Introduction Now that we have covered several prayers which were prayed by other people in the Bible, now we will turn our attention to the prayers of Jesus. So this week and next week we’re going learn from how Jesus prayed. Today we’re going to learn from “The High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus recorded in John 17. In this prayer, Jesus prays for the apostles and for us. This prayer reveals Jesus’ major desire and goal for His followers. ‌ John 17:1–3 1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” ‌ He lifted up his eyes to heaven = In reading the Gospels you will notice that Jesus usually lifts His head to heaven, rather than bowing His head to the ground when praying. We bow our heads out of respect and humility because we are sinful. Jesus has no sin and no reason to be ashamed. ‌ Father = Jesus taught us to refer to God as “our Father” (Matt. 6:9). In Exodus, God refers to Israel as “my son” (Ex. 4:22-23). Later in Malachi, God says that He has been trying to be a Father to His people all along (Mal. 1:6). ‌ The hour has come = In John’s Gospel, “the hour” refers to the time of the crucifixion. John 17 is Jesus’ final prayer in the presence of His disciples. Therefore, we should pay special attention to this prayer. ‌ You have given him authority over all = This is an important fact to remember when we are praying to King Jesus. He has authority over all and this should remind us that whatever situation we are in He can be trusted. ‌ To give eternal life = John’s Gospel begins with telling us that “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). Jesus came to give us life because we were enslaved to sin and death. To have eternal life is to be set free from death. ‌ This is eternal life = Here Jesus defines eternal life for us. Notice He says nothing about heaven and hell. Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the the only true God as our Father. Eternal life is a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father. ‌ John 17:4–5 “4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” ‌ Accomplished the work = The Greek word for “accomplished” here is teleiosas, which means “finished” and is the same root word as “It is finished” (Grk. tetelestai). Jesus did not come to simply be a teacher and give us better advice. Jesus came to accomplish a mission for the Father. Jesus came to give God what He has always wanted since the beginning: He wanted His children back. ‌ Glorify me in your presence = There is a long backstory to this idea. The prophet Daniel received a vision of the Son of Man (the human one) being presented at the throne of God and receiving glory, dominion, and an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14). Daniel was seeing the ascension of Christ centuries before Jesus came to earth. But Jesus is not the only one who is glorified in the presence of God. Jesus went first so He could bring us into God’s presence in a glorified body! Paul tells us, “we will be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17), “those he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30), at the resurrection we are “raised in glory” (1 Cor. 15:43). ‌ Jesus Prays for the Apostles (John 17:6-19) - ‌Keep them in you, from the evil one. ‌- Make them one as we are one. ‌- They are not of the world. ‌- Sanctify them in the truth. ‌- I am sending them into the world. ‌ John 17:20–21 “20 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” ‌ Those who will believe through their word = After praying for the apostles, Jesus begins to pray for all those who would believe their message. Therefore, Jesus is praying specifically for us in this passage. ‌ They may be all one = Of all the things that Jesus could have prayed for us, He chose to pray that we would be in unity. If we do not have unity in the family of God, we quickly become a dysfunctional, divided, and ineffective family. Unity is a major command that is continually repeated in the New Testament. Luke tells us in Acts that the early church was known for their unity (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-33). Unity is not about simply getting along, but is a deep level of oneness in the family of God. Unity is about the church being in “one mind” and “one spirit” while seeking the same goal. ‌ Just as we are one = Jesus prays that we would be one as the Father and Son are one. There is no greater unity than that of the Father and Jesus. In fact, this kind of unity between the Father and Jesus and the Spirit should define true unity for us. ‌ Also may be in us = Jesus prays that we will be so close to Him and the Father that we will be “in” them. Being in Christ and in the Father means that we have all become one. ‌ So that the world may believe = Jesus is clear that it will be our unity that leads the world to faith. Our doctrinal accuracy or theological arguments may help us reach others, but it will be our unity within the family of God that will draw people into the faith. Jesus also said in John 13:34–35 “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ‌ John 17:22–23 “22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 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.” ‌ The glory you gave me I gave to them = Glory (Grk. doxa) is the radiance of God or the light from God. John relates eternal life to light (John 1:4-5). Therefore, if we have received eternal life we also have the glory of God. ‌ I in them and you in me = If the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in us, then we have all of the Trinity dwelling in us. The presence of the Father, Son, and Spirit in us is our source of life and the source of power to rule over sin, endure this life, and remain faithful. Therefore, it would be accurate to say that “God with us” is the main goal of the Gospel. ‌ Perfectly one = Grk. teteleiomenoi hen - completely one. The kind of unity that Jesus is praying for is not some worldly idea of unity that is conditional on circumstances or feelings. Jesus wants us to be completely one as He and the Father are one. ‌ So that the world may know you love them = It’s easy to miss the depth of what Jesus is saying here. Earlier is verse 21 Jesus said, “that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Here Jesus adds that our unity with God and one another will show others that God also loves them. ‌ John 17:24 “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 because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” ‌ May be with me where I am = Jesus prays that we will be with Him in God’s perfect presence. This is our ultimate destination. Although we have the presence of God living in us through the Holy Spirit, this is a preview of our future when we are with God face to face. ‌ To see my glory = John also writes about this in 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” ‌ John 17:25–26 “25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 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.” ‌ I made known to them your name = In the ancient world, a name communicated character and purpose. The name of God is Yahweh, which means “He who brings into being” (Yahweh = Creator). Jesus is not saying that He came reveal the name of God that no one knew. Jesus is saying that He came to reveal God’s character plan. Why? Because people had been misled about the character of God by the religious leaders. ‌ I will continue to make it known = This statement makes clear that Jesus did not stop His work of revealing the Father when He ascended to the Father. Jesus is still revealing Himself, the Father, and the Spirit to His people. ‌ That your love may be in them = Jesus did not pray that our idea of love would be in us. Jesus prayed that the Father’s love would be in us. The love of the Father is revealed to us by the life, teaching, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. This kind of love is very different from our ideas about love. Jesus revealed that the Father loves His enemies and moves toward them “while we were still sinners” (Rom. 5:8). Paul described this kind of love in detail in 1 Cor. 13:4-7. Later, John writes the letter we refer to as 1 John and this letter is filled with explanations and descriptions of how God’s love operates in us. ‌ John 17 Reminds us… ‌- Jesus is King over all. ‌- Eternal life is a relationship. ‌- Seek unity in the Church. ‌- We have a glorious destiny. ‌- Show God’s love to the world. ‌ How to Respond ‌Prayer: Ask God to reveal what needs to change. ‌Repentance: Agree with God and repent of sin. ‌Worship: Thank God for what He is doing in you. ‌Communion: Take Christ in and renew faithfulness.