The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus is found in John 17 in the Bible. This prayer takes place after the Last Supper and before Jesus’ crucifixion. It is called the High Priestly Prayer because Jesus intercedes and prays for His disciples as the High Priest would pray for the people of Israel.
In this prayer, Jesus prays specifically for His disciples and for all future believers. He prays for their protection, their unity, and their sanctification. Jesus knows His death is imminent, so this prayer shows His love and concern for His followers.
There are several key themes and messages in the High Priestly Prayer:
Jesus Prays for Himself
First, Jesus prays for Himself and His relationship with the Father. He prays that the Father would glorify Him so that He can glorify the Father (John 17:1). Jesus looked past His impending suffering and death and desired for the Father’s will to be accomplished through Him.
Jesus also prayed that just as the Father had given Him authority over all people, that He would give eternal life to all those the Father had given Him (John 17:2). Even in His darkest hour, Jesus’ focus was on the spiritual well-being of His followers.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
Next, Jesus specifically prays for the disciples who had followed Him during His earthly ministry. These men had left everything behind to follow Jesus, and He prayed for them knowing they would soon be facing severe persecution.
First, Jesus prayed for the disciple’s protection from the evil one (John 17:11-12,15). Though they would still face troubles in this world, Jesus prayed their faith would not fail and for their safekeeping in God’s power. Jesus also prayed the disciples would have His joy within them (v. 13) and that they would be sanctified by the word of truth (v. 17).
Even more, Jesus prayed for the disciple’s unity modeled after the unity shared between the Father and the Son (John 17:11, 21-23). This unity would be a powerful witness to the reality of Jesus to the world. Jesus knew unity would empower and encourage these believers as they faced persecution for their faith in the years ahead.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
The third section of the High Priestly Prayer focuses on Jesus’ petitions for all future believers. Again, He focused on their protection, unity, and sanctification.
Jesus asked the Father to guard all believers in His name (John 17:11). He prayed they would also experience the full joy of Christ in their lives (v. 13). Knowing believers would face hatred from the world, Jesus prayed for their protection from the evil one (v. 15).
Jesus again focused on the unity among believers modeled after the unity of the Father and Son. This unity crosses social, economic, and racial boundaries. All believers are united through their common faith in Christ. Visible unity provides a powerful witness to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God (John 17:21-23).
Lastly, Jesus prayed that all believers would be sanctified and made holy through God’s Word (John 17:17-19). As believers grow in Christlike character, they will become powerful witnesses for the Gospel and effective ministers in God’s Kingdom.
Key Themes in the High Priestly Prayer
In summary, here are some of the key themes found in this profound prayer from Jesus:
- The intimacy between Father and Son that grounds Jesus’ authority and ministry
- Jesus’ unconditional love for His disciples past, present, and future
- Unity among believers across all barriers and backgrounds
- The believer’s protection from evil amidst persecution
- The sanctification of followers of Christ through God’s Word
- Jesus as the authoritative Messiah sent by the Father
As High Priest, Jesus interceded for His followers in their weaknesses. He knew the trials they would soon face. His prayer reveals His compassion and insight into the needs of His people.
Why the High Priestly Prayer is Important
There are several important reasons why the High Priestly Prayer is such an essential part of John’s Gospel and all of Scripture:
- It reveals Jesus’ heart for His people. This intimate prayer shows Jesus’ deep love for His followers. As High Priest, Jesus was devoted to the well-being of those who trusted in Him.
- It shows the humanity of Jesus. Jesus was fully divine but also fully human. The night before facing death on the cross, Jesus turned to His Father in Heaven in an intimate conversation. This reveals Jesus’ human emotions, compassion, and trust in the Father.
- It teaches about our relationship with God. Jesus modeled what our prayer life and relationship with God the Father should look like. He pursued intimacy with the Father and interceded on behalf of others.
- It highlights Jesus’ mission. Jesus focused on the spread of the Gospel and the building of God’s Kingdom here on earth. His prayers aligned with the Father’s will.
- It emphasizes the importance of unity. Jesus repeatedly prayed for unity among believers. This unity provides a powerful witness to Jesus’ identity and the truth of the Gospel.
As the eternal High Priest, Jesus continues to intercede for believers today at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. The High Priestly Prayer shows that even in His darkest hour, Jesus’ concern was for the well-being of His followers both present and future.
Content of the Prayer
Here is an outline of the major sections and themes covered in this profound prayer from Jesus:
Jesus Prays for Himself (John 17:1-5)
- Jesus prays the Father would glorify Him so He can glorify the Father (v. 1)
- Jesus prays for authority over all people to give eternal life (v. 2)
- Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the Father and Son (v. 3)
- Jesus says He has brought glory to the Father on earth (v. 4)
- Jesus asks to be returned to the glory He had with the Father before the world began (v. 5)
Jesus Prays for His Disciples (John 17:6-19)
- Jesus prays for the disciple’s protection and unity (v. 11-12)
- Jesus prays they would have joy (v. 13)
- Jesus prays for their protection from the evil one (v. 15)
- Jesus prays for their sanctification by the Word of truth (v. 17)
- Jesus sends them into the world just as He was sent (v. 18)
- Jesus consecrates Himself so they can be consecrated (v. 19)
Jesus Prays for All Believers (John 17:20-26)
- Jesus prays for all who will believe in Him through the disciples’ message (v. 20)
- He prays for their unity modeled after the Father and Son (v. 21-23)
- Jesus prays they may be with Him and see His glory (v. 24)
- Jesus asks the Father to love believers just as He loves Jesus (v. 23, 26)
Interpreting the Prayer
There are a few important things to keep in mind when interpreting and applying this prayer of Jesus:
- Read it slowly and meditatively. The prayer provides deep insight into Jesus’ character and mission.
- Pay attention to repeated words and themes such as glory, love, sanctification, and unity.
- Remember that Jesus is both fully divine but also acting as High Priest and intercessor.
- Allow Jesus’ petitions for His followers to shape your own prayer life.
- Look for how this prayer summarizes major themes from the Gospel of John.
- See how it aligns with Jesus’ mission and focus throughout His earthly ministry.
The prayer is intensely intimate and reveals that Jesus’ deepest priority was the glory of the Father and the care of His beloved people – both the disciples then and all believers who would follow. As disciples today, we must also make God’s glory and the unity of Christ’s body our greatest priorities.
Implications for Believers Today
This powerful prayer from Jesus has several key implications and applications for modern day followers of Christ:
- Pursue intimate fellowship with God. Jesus modeled passionate pursuit of God the Father. Believers today have the gift of the Holy Spirit living within and enabling intimacy with God.
- Intercede for others. Following Christ’s example, believers should regularly intercede for other Christians, especially those facing difficulty or persecution.
- Strive for unity. Jesus emphasized unity. Though believers have diversity, true unity comes from the Holy Spirit centering our lives around Jesus.
- Seek sanctification. Believers grow in Christlike character through study and meditation on God’s Word. The Spirit uses Scripture to shape believers into the image of Jesus.
- Fulfill the mission. Before ascending to Heaven, Jesus commissioned all believers to make disciples of all nations. The High Priestly Prayer aligns with this mission.
Jesus cared deeply for the well-being of His followers about to face severe persecution. He interceded for them in their weakness. As believers today, we can cling to the hope that Jesus actively intercedes for His people as our eternal High Priest.
Q&A on the Prayer
Here are some common questions about the High Priestly Prayer in John 17:
Why is it called the High Priestly Prayer?
It is called the High Priestly Prayer because Jesus intercedes and prays for His disciples as a High Priest would pray for the people of Israel. He knows His death is imminent so He prays for their protection and sanctification.
What is the context of this prayer?
It takes place the night before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion after celebrating the Last Supper with His disciples. Chapters 13-16 contain Jesus’ final teachings to His disciples before being crucified.
How does this prayer relate to John’s overall Gospel message?
It reveals Jesus’ divine authority and glory as the eternal Son of God. It also relates to John’s themes of belief, eternal life, love, unity, and Jesus as the Word made flesh.
How does Jesus refer to Himself and the Father in this prayer?
Jesus refers to Himself as the Son who seeks to glorify the Father. He shares glory, authority, and love with the Father. This reveals Jesus’ divine identity.
What does Jesus emphasize in His prayers for believers?
He focuses on their protection, unity, sanctification, and that they would see His glory. This shows Jesus’ love for His followers who will face persecution.
How should this prayer shape the lives of modern believers?
It should encourage intimacy with God, intercessory prayer for others, pursuit of unity, growth in sanctification through Scripture, and fulfilling Jesus’ mission on earth.
Conclusion
The High Priestly Prayer stands out as one of the most profound passages in all of Scripture. Here Jesus intercedes for His disciples and all future believers. It provides deep insight into Christ’s character, mission, and passions. Key themes include intimacy with the Father, unity of believers, protection from evil, sanctification by the Word, and love.
Jesus prayed these words on the night before laying down His life on the cross for the sins of the world. Following the example of Christ, believers today can cling to this prayer for assurance of Jesus’ care and intercession as our eternal High Priest. By staying focused on God’s glory and the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom, believers can fulfill the sacred mission entrusted to them as the people of God.