John 17:1-26

John tells the Good News about Jesus

Gospel of John

Marion Adams

Chapter 17

Jesus prays on his own behalf 17:1-5

v1 After Jesus said all these things, he looked up towards heaven. He prayed:

‘*Father, the time has come. Bring *glory to your Son, so that your Son can give *glory back to you. v2 You gave authority over all people to your Son. So your Son will be able to give *eternal life to everybody that you give to him. v3 To have *eternal life means to know you, the only real God. And to have *eternal life means also to know me, Jesus *Christ. You sent me to the earth. v4 I did everything that you told me to do here on the earth. In this way, I brought *glory to you. v5 I shared *glory with you before the world began. Now, *Father, as I return to you, I ask you to bring me back into that same *glory.’

The whole of chapter 17 records Jesus’ prayer. In his prayer, Jesus prayed on his own behalf. Then he prayed on behalf of his *disciples. Finally, he prayed on behalf of everyone who would become *Christians in the future. This includes us. Jesus prayed often. We know this because the authors of the *Gospels recorded this. But we have the words of only a few of his prayers. This is the longest of Jesus’ prayers that we have.

Verses 1-3 Already Jesus had made reference to his ‘time’ (for example, John 2:4; John 12:23). That time had come, because that night, soldiers would arrest him. And a few hours afterwards, he would die on a *cross. This had to happen. It was the only way to save people from the results of their *sins. And when he became alive again, he defeated death. Then all who *believe in him will have new *life. This new *life continues after death, too.

There is only one way to receive this new *life that continues after death. In verse 3, Jesus explains it clearly. We must know God. It is not enough just to know that God exists. Even the devil knows this! We must know God as our *Father and our friend. We can know God in this way by means of his Son, Jesus *Christ. Then, we ask God to forgive us because of all the bad things that we have done. We tell God that we want to obey his rules. And we do not want to *sin. And he will forgive us, because his Son Jesus died on behalf of us. Jesus is our *Lord and our *Saviour. When we *believe in him, the *Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. We receive this new *life that goes on *forever. We become God’s friends instead of God’s enemies.

Verses 4-5 Jesus, God’s Son, has always existed. Before he came to the earth, he was in heaven with the *Father and the *Holy Spirit. So Jesus is God. And the *Father is God. And the *Spirit is God. But there are not three Gods. There is only one God.

Jesus did not remain in heaven. Instead, he was born on the earth as a man. He came to *save us. He obeyed God always. He did everything that God asked him to do. His life, death and *resurrection all brought *glory to God. Here, Jesus asked God to give to him again the *glory that they had shared in heaven. God granted this request. When Jesus returned to heaven, he took a position of honour and authority, next to God the *Father (Acts 7:55-56).

Jesus prays on behalf of his *disciples 17:6-19

v6 ‘You have given to me some *disciples from this world. And I have shown to them what you are like. They belonged to you, but you gave them to me. They have obeyed you. v7 You have given to me everything that I have. They know this. They know that it all comes from you. v8 I told my *disciples what you wanted me to say. They believed your words. They know that I came from you. And they *believe that you sent me.

v9 I am praying on behalf of these *disciples. I am not praying on behalf of the people who belong to the world. My *disciples belong to you. And you have given them to me. So I am praying on their behalf. v10 All that I have is yours. And all that you have is mine. And my *disciples have brought *glory to me.

v11 *Holy *Father, I am leaving the world. I am coming to you. But my *disciples are still in this world. Protect them by means of your name’s power. This is the name that you have given to me [see note on John 14:13-14]. *Father, cause them to be united, even as we are one God. v12 I protected them while I was with them. I kept them safe by means of the power that you gave to me. I protected them. I did not lose any of them, except for one man. His character is to destroy. The *scriptures said that this would happen.

v13 Now I am coming to you. But I am saying these things while I am still in the world. Then, my *disciples will have the complete joy that I have. v14 I have told to them what you wanted me to tell them. And the people in this world hate them, because, like me, they do not belong to this world. v15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world. But I am asking you to keep them safe from the devil. v16 They do not belong to this world. And I do not belong to this world. v17 Your words are true. Teach my *disciples the truth so that they will be holy. v18 You sent me into the world. And I am sending them into the world. v19 I give myself completely to you. This is so that they can be completely yours.’

Verses 6-12 In John’s *Gospel, the ‘world’ refers to everybody and everything that opposes God. It does not mean just the physical earth. Of course, Jesus’ *disciples lived on the earth. They had physical bodies. But they did not belong to the ‘world’, because they had new *spiritual *life. Jesus had shown to them what God is really like. And they *believed in Jesus. So they belonged to God.

While they remained in the world, they would have trouble. People opposed Jesus, so they would oppose his *disciples, too. The *disciples would be in much danger, just because they followed Jesus. When Jesus was on earth with them, he looked after them. For example, the *Jewish leaders said that they (the *disciples) were not obeying the *Law. But Jesus spoke on their behalf (Matthew 12:1-8). Also he protected them *spiritually. He taught them to love and to obey God. He showed to them the truth about God. They belonged to God. So, when he left the earth, Jesus trusted God to protect them. He asked that they should be in complete unity with each other. He wanted them to love each other. Then they would be strong together, although the world hated them.

‘And my *disciples have brought *glory to me’ (verse 10). Jesus’ *disciples brought *glory to him because they showed his character. They had his qualities. They behaved like he did. They loved people like he did. People knew what Jesus was like because of his *disciples. All *Christians should bring *glory to Jesus.

‘This is the name that you have given to me’ (verse 11). Jesus, God’s Son, had the power and authority of God. The *Father had given this power and authority to Jesus. This is because the *Father, the Son and the *Holy Spirit are in complete unity with each other.

‘I did not lose any of them, except for one man’ (verse 12). Jesus’ *disciples belonged to him, as sheep belong to a *shepherd (see John 10:14-16). Sheep can wander and they can become missing. But Jesus kept all his *disciples safe. However, Judas Iscariot *betrayed Jesus. Judas had every opportunity to be a good *disciple. However, Judas chose to leave Jesus, in order to hand Jesus over to his enemies. There was a *prophecy about this (Psalms 41:9). And bad things happened to Judas (Matthew 27:3-10).

Verse 13 Although Jesus knew that his death was very near, still he talked about the complete joy that he had. And he wanted his *disciples to have this joy also. Jesus had this complete joy always, because he was always in complete unity with his *Father. It did not matter to Jesus that bad things would happen to him. Jesus knew that his *Father loved him. Jesus knew that his *Father would defeat death and the devil by means of Jesus’ own death and *resurrection.

We can have this joy, too. People may hate us. But we can be sure that God loves us. We know that we are very precious to him. Bad things may happen. But we can be sure that God will look after us. He will never allow the devil to defeat us. When we depend on God in all circumstances, this joy will become real to us. We will feel it in our hearts and minds.

Verses 14-16 In John’s *Gospel, the ‘world’ refers to everything and everybody that opposes God. And people who oppose God cannot belong to him. They belong to the devil, whether they realise this or not. The devil is God’s enemy. Therefore, people who belong to the devil hate Jesus. And they hate those people who belong to Jesus. That is why many people hate *Christians.

But Jesus did not ask his *Father to remove his *disciples from the world. Instead, he asked God to protect them from the devil. Jesus’ *disciples had to remain in the world, so that they could tell people about Jesus. They would spread the good news that Jesus *saves people. Some people would *believe in Jesus. They would accept him as their *Lord and *Saviour. But other people would *reject him. People needed to hear about Jesus, or they could not make a decision about him. Of course, the devil would attack Jesus’ *disciples *spiritually. But God would keep them safe.

Verses 17-19 The word ‘holy’ referred to something or somebody who was separate from other things or people. This was so that God could use the thing or the person for his special purposes. Jesus asked God to make his *disciples become holy because they belonged to him.

We cannot become holy by our own efforts. We can only become holy because of what God has done on our behalf: by Jesus’ death on the *cross. Holiness (a holy state) is God’s gift to us when we *believe in him.

Jesus prays on behalf of all *Christians 17:20-26

v20 ‘I am not praying on behalf of these *disciples only. Other people will *believe in me because of what my *disciples say about me. I am praying on behalf of all these people, too. v21 My prayer is that they will love each other. *Father, I belong to you. You belong to me. I ask that they will give themselves to us completely. Then the people in this world will believe that you have sent me.

v22 You have given these people to me. And I have given to them the same *glory that you gave to me. This is so that they will love each other as one family. *Father, you and I are one God. v23 They belong to me. And I belong to you. So cause them to be content together and to love each other. Then the people in this world will know that you have sent me. You love my people as much as you love me. The people in this world will realise this, too.

v24 *Father, you have given these people to me. I want all of them to be with me, where I am. Then they will see my *glory. You gave this *glory to me because you loved me. You loved me even before you created the world. v25 *Holy *Father! The people in this world do not know you. But I know you. And my *disciples know that you sent me. v26 I showed to them what you are like. I will continue to show to them what you are like. Then the love that you have for me will be in them, too. And they will belong to me completely.’

Verses 20-26 After Jesus’ death and *resurrection, his *disciples told many people about him. They spoke in public about *salvation. They used Jesus’ name (see note on John 14:13-14) to do *miracles. The good news about Jesus spread quickly.

Later, the authors of the *Gospels recorded Jesus’ words and acts. The *church has continued to grow during the last 2000 years. *Christians have continued to teach each other about Jesus. People have translated the Bible into many different languages. We know about Jesus because of all this.

So this last part of Jesus’ prayer is on our behalf particularly. He prayed that all *Christians would love each other as one family. This can happen only when we are in a close relationship with God. Like Jesus’ *symbol of the *vine (John 15:1-17), we must remain in a close relationship with him. And we must love other *Christians. We are all God’s children. It does not mean that we must agree about everything. It does not mean that we must all *worship God in *exactly the same way. But we must *believe in Jesus *Christ. We must believe that the Bible is true. And we must love and respect each other.

It does not matter if we are old or young. It does not matter which country we live in. It does not matter if we have had a good education or not. It does not matter if we are rich or poor. We belong to Jesus. And we belong to each other. So we must help each other. We must pray on behalf of each other. We must encourage each other. This is a powerful way to show to non-*Christians that our *faith is real and genuine. (Non-*Christians are people who are not real *Christians.)

And the *Father loves us all as much as he loves his own Son! When we know Jesus personally, we can remain united with God all the time. And we can even share his *glory (verse 22).

In the original language of this book, Jesus used simple words to emphasise this close relationship with God. But it is difficult to translate the complete meaning of these words into EasyEnglish. For example, in the *Greek language, verse 23 begins, ‘I am in them. And you (the *Father) are in me.’ So Jesus lives in us by means of the *Holy Spirit (see John 14:23). We belong to Jesus. He leads us. He guides us. He provides for us. He cares for us. And he is always with us.

Father ~ God. Jesus taught us to call God ‘Father’. All Christians are God’s children.
father ~ someone whom a person respects and follows; an ancestor. The Jewish leaders said that Abraham was their father. But Jesus said that the devil was their father, instead!
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
ancestor ~ person in the past from whom one’s parents came.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
glory ~ everything that makes God great and beautiful. A bright light that comes from God or Jesus to show that they are beautiful and holy.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah.
Greek ~ a person from Greece; the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ name for the special servant of God. It means the person whom God sent to save people from the results of their sins. Jesus is the Messiah.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
disciple ~ a person who wants to do the same things as another person and to learn from them. Jesus had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples, too.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people.

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; it is to show that the person wants to obey God. Christians receive baptism as a sign that they want to follow Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Gospel ~ one of the 4 books at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They record Jesus’ life.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together. Roman soldiers fixed people to crosses in order to kill those people as a punishment. Jesus died on a cross. The cross is now the sign of the Christian church.
Roman ~ a person from Rome. Rome was an important city. The Emperor and the government lived in Rome. Roman describes everything that belonged to Rome.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Emperor ~ the chief Roman ruler.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
life ~ the quality that a person has, because that person is alive. In John’s Gospel, it means to be completely alive in our spirits. When we *believe in Jesus, we receive this life as a special gift. When we have this life, we can live to please God. It is the best way to live.
Gospel ~ one of the 4 books at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They record Jesus’ life.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
forever ~ always.
Spirit ~ see Holy Spirit.
spirit ~ there are good spirits called angels. There are also evil spirits who work for the devil. They are alive but we cannot see them. Also, the spirit means the part of a person that continues to live after the death of the body.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
angel ~ God’s servant who takes messages from God to people on the earth. Angels live with God in heaven.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
save ~ to rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
resurrection ~ to come back to life after death.
spiritual ~ something that belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
shepherd ~ a person who looks after sheep as his job.
betray ~ to give information about a friend to their enemy.'prophecy/prophecies ~ the words that a prophet speaks or writes by God’s power. Often, they tell about events before they happen.
prophet ~ a person who hears God’s words and tells them to other people. Some prophets wrote books in the Old Testament. Sometimes, they told about events before they happened.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the Jewish *scriptures. The writers wrote this before the birth of Jesus.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
reject ~ not to accept or not to believe in someone or something.
salvation ~ when God rescues us from the power and the results of our sins.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
miracle ~ wonderful works that only God can do by his power. A wonderful event that shows that a person’s message is from God.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.

'symbol/symbolic ~ a thing that reminds us of something else, especially an idea or a quality. So we may use the symbol in order to describe that other thing. Something that is a symbol is called ‘symbolic’.
vine ~ the plant that produces fruit called grapes. People make wine from grapes.
worship ~ to give thanks and honour to God and Jesus. To show to him that we love him very much.
exactly ~ completely right; completely the same; without any difference.
faith ~ to *believe in someone or something; to be really sure about the things of God and Jesus.
Greek ~ a person from Greece; the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.