John 17:1-26

This prayer, the longest of Jesus’ prayers in the gospels can be viewed in four parts:

1. Jesus prays for himself vv1-5

2. Jesus prays for his disciples vv 6 -19

3. Jesus prays for all those who will believe vv 20-24

4. Conclusion vv 25-26

 ‘The hour has come’, after the events where John tells us that Jesus’ hour had not yet come, now it has arrived and Jesus knows it. His purpose has been to glorify his Father through his ministry and to show people the way to eternal life through knowing the Father and the Son. He asks to be returned to the place he once had with his Father.

Jesus prays for the disciple’s protection that they would remain as one, that they would be protected from the devil and set apart by God’s word (sanctified). Their decision to believe Jesus’ words has set them apart from the world, and for the church to be established they need to continue in that.

He extends this prayer for unity to all who will believe, to be one with the Father and the Son, which becomes a key to mission.

Finally, Jesus reiterates the unity between himself and the Father, the belief of the disciples and his intention that the love shared by the Godhead will be shared with the disciples.

Scripture tells us that Jesus continues to make intercession for us, and all that he prayed for his followers in this passage we still need. Let’s pray that we will continue in the faith in unity with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and our fellow believers.

Response: Choose a word, phrase, idea or action that strikes you as significant at this moment in your life and spend a few minutes reflecting on it.