“A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF JOHN” ST. JOHN 17: 1-5

The Remarkable High Priestly Prayer of Christ

This remarkable High Priestly Prayer of our blessed Saviour was uttered after the following events: the washing of the disciples’ feet (St. John 13:1-30) and the tender instructions given to His eleven disciples in view of the departure from them (St. John 14-16).  Prior to the remarkable prayer for His own, Jesus had warned His disciples of the things which they would face in view of His departure to go home with His Father.  Now, we find our Lord praying mostly for His own, always having the welfare of His own in mind rather than being preoccupied with His own interests.

This prayer begins with our Lord praying for Himself, a prayer He could pray because of the Father-Son unusual relationship (v. 1).  Jesus addressed this warm prayer to His Father, denoting the tender relationship that He had with His Father.  Jesus also referenced that the hour had arrived, wherein He would offer Himself as the Paschal Lamb for mankind (Mark 10:45).  In the prayer further, Jesus requested that the Father would be glorified by the Son.  Ultimately, Jesus was glorified by the Father through His marvelous resurrection and ascension, for now He is seated at the right hand of His Father (Hebrews 1:3).  Jesus’ ultimate concern was that He glorify the Father, and our aim as believers should be to glorify God (I Corinthians 10:31).

In verse 2, Christ’s request included the fact that the Father had given Him authority over the earth – a prayer that was uttered in complete compliance with the Father’s plan.  It is a marvel of this prayer that all believers are a gift given to Christ from the Father.  In verse 3, our Lord defined eternal life as an act of knowing the only true God through His Son.

No one can know the Father at the expense of not knowing the Son (St. John 8:19).  Eternal life is an intimate relationship of knowing the true God through His Son, which results ultimately in a life of spending eternity with God!  It is a wonderful experience to know that eternal life is a gift offered to all; however, to gain eternal life, one needs to believe in God’s Son.  You can only gain eternal life through God’s blessed Son, for Jesus said:  “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  Jesus Christ came to rescue mankind from eternal doom, and is God’s missionary offering to mankind, for Mark 10:45 says –“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Yes, the God of the ages came now through the peerless person of Christ, seeking the apex of His creation, man.  Moreover, He came on a rescue mission, for Luke 19:10 says – “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Salvation is definitely a free gift to mankind from God; however, mankind must respond to God by faith, in that Romans 10:9 says – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

In verses 4-5, our Lord continued His prayer for Himself, acknowledging that He would glorify the Father because of His finished work on Calvary.  Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the Father was truly glorified! (St. John 4:34)  Our blessed Lord brought glory to the Father because He was obedient to death, dying on a cross of shame and degradation for us, in that, Philippians 2:8 says – “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  May God Bless!