“A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF JOHN” ST. JOHN 17: 20 – 26

The Remarkable High Priestly Prayer of Christ

Part IV

We come to the close of Christ’s marvelous intercessory prayer for His own.  Throughout Christ’s prayer, one can sense His tender concern for the spiritual welfare of His own.  It is indeed a blessing to know that our Lord is praying for us – displaying His great and undying love for us as we travel among so much evil.

Prior to verse 20, Christ had been praying for His own glorification (17:1-5), the preservation and sanctification of the eleven disciples (St. John 17:6-19), but now, in verse 20, we find Him praying even for all Christians.  What a marvelous prayer that Christ prays, praying for us before we came into being!  Every born again believer can utter – “Christ prayed for me and is praying for me.”

In verse 21, Christ prayed for the unity of believers to the end that the believers’ lives would reflect the Father’s will.  Such a unity will result in those in the world believing that the Father sent the Son.  In verses 22-23, our Lord continues to pray for the unification of the believers, for the exhibition of unity in the world between believers and with God, will result in: (a) the world knowing that Christ was commissioned by the Father (v. 23) and (b) that the world might sense God’s awesome love for believers – a love that truly is unique (v. 26).

As Christ continues to unfold this marvelous prayer, it is wonderful to even contemplate that God’s Son is praying for our association with Him in verse 24, for He said: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am:  that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:  for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

In verse 25-26, our Lord’s prayer concludes by Jesus addressing the Father reverently as “O Righteous Father.”  Christ states that He had made known the Father to believers.  Christ is the great revealer of the Father, because He came down to reveal the Father more perfectly to man.  In addition, the love that existed between the Father and the Son was climatically demonstrated on a cross of shame, resulting in Christ’s triumphant victory over sin, death and the grave.  Christ glorified the Father in His death on the cross; and the Father glorified the Son in His resurrection from the dead.

The Paschal discourse began with a mention of love in St. John 13:1 and it ends with a mention of love in St. John 17:26.  The great romance of love will culminate in eternity where it will be beautifully displayed!  May God Bless!