At the conclusion of the upper room discussion (John 13-16), Jesus prays. Our Bibles record His prayer in John 17. Instead of breaking it down verse by verse or thought by thought, we’re going to consider it as a whole. So I invite you to read that prayer in John 17:1-26 before we begin (provided below for your convenience).
As you read that prayer, you’ll notice that Jesus carries the same themes from the previous discussion. Jesus prayed about His unity with the Father and the desired unity with and between His followers. Jesus also prayed about the sanctification or set-apartness of that unity and its distinction from the world. Jesus not only prayed these themes for the disciples in the room but also for all who would follow. And lastly, Jesus prayed about love.
The prayer itself reads like a conversation. It doesn’t use poetic language like the Psalms, nor does it rely on religious-sounding language. It is Jesus’ speaking His heart to God. And in that sense, it is a model of prayer for us.
To consider the prayer’s content let’s focus on the final couple of verses. Jesus ended with, “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:25–26, NASB95) Those two verses summarize Jesus’ prayer and highlight what was utmost in His mind.
Jesus recognizes His unity with the Father and the separateness of the world from that unity. Those final verses also recognize how it is love that binds Christ, The Father, and His followers together. And in that love, there is a relationship of knowing, which begins with a name.
It is instructive that Jesus said, “I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known.” Jesus continues to make His name known to folks of all nations, tribes, and tongues. That relationship is the core of following Jesus. Not only does this knowing extend out, but it also extends deeper as His followers seek to know Him more fully. An expanding relationship with Christ is the true test of a growing faith.
We try to measure our faith in so many ways, but the real question is this – Do I trust, know, and love Jesus more and more each day? Do I expose my heart and innermost being to Him? Not only are we invited to know His name, but we are also welcomed and encouraged to know Him and His love for us. That love and relationship changes us in so many ways. It removes the desire for sin, it helps us focus on and love others, and it encourages us to continue loving others.
“After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me. “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”” (John 17:1–26, NLT)
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