Jesus’ “high priestly prayer” in John 17 is stunning. But the sheer number of petitions in such a short order can also be confusing.
It may help to break it down a bit, as follow:
| The Father Gave the Son… | John 17 |
|---|---|
| authority to give eternal life | v. 2 |
| people out of this world | vv. 2, 6, 9, 24 |
| work to accomplish | v. 4 |
| words | v. 8 |
| his name | vv. 11, 12 |
| glory | vv. 22, 24 |
| The Son Gives Believers… | John 17 |
|---|---|
| eternal life | v. 2 |
| Father’s word | vv. 8, 14 |
| manifestation of Father’s name | vv. 6, 22 |
| glory | v. 22 |
| The Son Asks the Father to… | John 17 |
|---|---|
| glorify him | vv. 1, 5 |
| keep believers in the Father’s name | v. 11 |
| keep believers from the evil one | v. 15 |
| sanctify believers in the truth | v. 17 |
| make believers one | v. 21 |
| Jesus’ Followers and the World | John 17 |
|---|---|
| they are sent into the world | v. 18 |
| they are in the world | v. 11 |
| they are not of the world | v. 16 |
| the world has hated them | v. 14 |
| their unity with each other and union with God may cause the world to believe that the Father sent the Son | v. 21 |
Another fascinating part of Jesus’ prayer is the various ways in which the theme of “indwelling” serves the cause of unity. Jesus teaches that:
- The Father is in the Son (vv. 21, 23)
- The Son is in the Father (v. 21)
- Believers are in the Father and the Son (v. 21)
- The Son is in believers (vv. 23, 26)
Of course, if we do not recognize that these are different sorts of “indwellings,” we’ll quick descend into heresy! But it still may be instructive to see this illustrated:
Jesus’ high priestly prayer is worthy of our greatest study, as we seek to learn from and imitate our great co-heir as he approaches our Father.
For more thoughts on this great prayer, listen to D. A. Carson’s talk on The Supremacy of Christ and Love in a Postmodern World, which is also a chapter in The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World.
