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John 17

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These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

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As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

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And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

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I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

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And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

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I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

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Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

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For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

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I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

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And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

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And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

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While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

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And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

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I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

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I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

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They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

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Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

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As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

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And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

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Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

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That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

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And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

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I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

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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.

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O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

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And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

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John 17

The High Priestly Prayer opens with Jesus lifting his eyes to heaven and praying, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you," establishing that Jesus' passion and resurrection constitute mutual glorification between Father and Son. Jesus defines eternal life (zoē aiōnios) not as mere duration but as the relational knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent—a definition that reframes eternity as intimate communion and true knowledge rather than temporal endlessness. Jesus prays for the disciples: "I am praying for those whom you have given me, for they are yours," claiming that all whom the Father has given to Jesus remain unalterably his, and asking the Father to protect them in the Father's name and to sanctify them in truth. The prayer extends beyond the immediate disciples to all believers: "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word," encompassing the entire future Church and revealing Jesus' intercessory concern for generations yet unborn. The climactic petition requests that all believers be one—"as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you, may they also be in us"—a unity that testifies to the world that the Father has sent Jesus, and that Jesus has loved them as the Father has loved Jesus. Jesus emphasizes that he has made the Father's name known to them and will continue to do so, so that the love with which the Father loves Jesus may be in them, and Jesus himself in them—establishing the deepest participation in the trinitarian life as the fruit of faith and the Father's will.

John 17:10

All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them — The mutual ownership of Father and Son ("all mine are yours, yours are mine") expresses the profound unity of the Godhead. The perfective "I have been glorified in them" (dedoxasmai en autois) suggests that the disciples' faith and witness constitute Jesus' ongoing glory in the world. This represents a revolutionary understanding: the Son's post-resurrection glory manifests through the community of believers.

John 17:1

Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you — Jesus addresses God as Father (pater), marking the intimacy of the High Priestly Prayer, while "the hour" (hōra) refers to his passion, the climactic moment toward which the entire Gospel has moved (2:4, 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1). The prayer for mutual glorification reflects the Johannine theme that Jesus' death and exaltation constitute his true glory, not despite the cross but through it. This opening invokes the eschatological "hour" when God's purposes reach their culmination in the Son's sacrificial death.

John 17:2

For you granted him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to all whom you have given him — The language of delegation ("granted authority," exousian) echoes Psalm 8 and Daniel 7:14, where the Son of Man receives dominion. "All flesh" (pasan sarka) encompasses all humanity, while "eternal life" (zōēn aiōnion) is not merely endless duration but the very life of God himself, communion with the Father and Son. The phrase "those you have given him" introduces the theme of divine election without negating human responsibility.

John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent — The definition of eternal life as knowledge (ginōskō) of God represents the heart of Johannine theology: not intellectual assent but intimate relational knowing, echoing OT covenantal knowledge (Exodus 33:12-13, Isaiah 53:11). The phrase "the only true God" (ton monon alēthinon theon) asserts radical monotheism while Jesus himself is identified as "whom you sent" (hon apesteilas), affirming his essential equality and the Son's divine mission. This is not knowledge about God but knowledge of God that transforms.

John 17:4

I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do — Jesus speaks of his earthly ministry as already complete, using the aorist tense (eplerōsa) to reflect his finished accomplishment. "Glorified you on earth" reverses typical human failure: instead of seeking his own glory (5:41, 7:18), Jesus has made God's character manifest. The "work" (ergon) encompasses the entire incarnation, from revelation to redemption, accomplished through obedience to the Father's assignment.

John 17:5

So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed — Jesus requests return to his pre-incarnate glory with the Father, an appeal grounded in pre-existence theology (1:1-2, 8:58). The "glory" (doxa) he possessed before time itself began belongs to his divine nature; the incarnation constituted a temporary humiliation. This petition reveals Jesus' understanding that exaltation through the cross restores rather than grants glory, affirming his identity as the eternal Logos.

John 17:6

I have revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world — Jesus' revelation of God's name (onoma) echoes the OT theme of name-revelation (Exodus 3:14-15, Isaiah 42:8), representing the disclosure of God's character and purposes. "Those you gave me" reiterates the election theme while "out of the world" (ek tou kosmou) suggests these disciples have been called from worldly allegiance. Name-revelation is the foundation of all that follows in the prayer.

John 17:7

Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you — The disciples' faith matures from external witnessing to internal understanding (ginōskō): they comprehend that Jesus' mission, authority, and teachings originate from the Father. This knowing is both a grace completed ("now they know") and foundational to their future faith. The verse emphasizes the Father's priority in the divine economy while affirming the Son's perfect obedience and transmission of all things.

John 17:8

For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have truly come to know that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me — Jesus mediates divine words (rhēmata) from Father to disciples, functioning as the perfect conduit of revelation (1:1, 14:10, 14:24). The progression from "received" to "truly come to know" (egnōsan alēthōs) to "have believed" charts spiritual development. The assertion "I came from you" (exēlthen para sou) echoes Jesus' pre-existence and mission, while "you sent me" emphasizes the Father's initiative.

John 17:9

I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, because they are yours — The pivot toward intercession for the disciples marks a transition in the prayer's focus. The statement "not for the world but for those you have given me" does not indicate lack of concern for the cosmos but rather distinction of purpose: the disciples become instruments through which salvation is offered to the world (17:20-23). Their election as those "yours" establishes divine ownership.

John 17:11

And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one — The imminent departure ("no longer in the world") and return to the Father create the disciples' vulnerable position. The invocation "Holy Father" (Pater hagie) appears only here, emphasizing divine transcendence and sanctity. The prayer for unity (hina hōsin hen) mirrors the Father-Son unity, establishing love and oneness as the disciples' essential witness to the world.

John 17:12

While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled — Jesus' past protection of the disciples reflects his shepherding role (10:27-30), while the reference to "the one destined to be lost" (ho huios tēs apōleias, the son of perdition) names Judas. The citation of scripture (likely Psalm 41:9, "my own familiar friend... lifted his heel against me") demonstrates how even betrayal serves God's redemptive purposes, though without absolving Judas of moral responsibility.

John 17:13

But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in them — Jesus' imminent departure does not leave the disciples orphaned; instead, his joy (chara) becomes their possession through the Spirit's indwelling. The verb "I speak these things in the world" emphasizes that this intercessory prayer itself becomes a gift to the disciples, assuring them of Jesus' love and the Father's protection. Complete joy (chara plērōmenos) represents eschatological fulfillment anticipated in the present.

John 17:14

I have given them your word, and the world hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world — The disciples' reception of God's word (logos) produces inevitable conflict with "the world" (kosmos), the realm opposed to God's purposes. The mutual rejection—disciples hated by the world because they are "not of the world" (ek tou kosmou), just as Jesus is alien to worldly values—establishes the disciples' true identity. This hatred fulfills the pattern established by Jesus' own rejection (1:11, 7:7).

John 17:15

I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one — Rather than escape (rapture), Jesus prays for spiritual protection within the world's sphere, establishing the disciples' missionary calling to remain engaged with secular society. "The evil one" (ek tou ponērou) refers to Satan or evil personified (1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, 5:18-19), the source of worldly opposition. This prayer balances Christian distinction from worldly values with Christian presence in the world for mission.

John 17:16

They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world — This reiteration of verse 14 emphasizes the disciples' ontological status: their true allegiance and origin belong to the Father's kingdom, not to worldly systems. The parallel comparison ("just as I do not belong to the world") identifies the disciples with Jesus' own alienation from kosmos, a costly discipleship. Yet non-belonging paradoxically equips them for prophetic witness within the world.

John 17:17

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth — "Sanctify" (hagiazō) means to set apart for God's purposes, a moral and spiritual consecration distinct from mere separation. "The truth" (alētheia) is identified with God's word (logos), embodied supremely in Jesus (14:6) and mediated through Scripture. Sanctification through truth represents growth in conformity to God's character and reality, as disciples internalize and live out the word they have received.

John 17:18

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world — The disciples' mission mirrors Jesus' incarnational mission with the same grammatical parallelism (apostellō, "to send"). Just as the Father sent the Son into the world not to condemn but to save (3:17), so the disciples are sent as witnesses and agents of redemption. This apostolic commission emerges from their election and sanctification, establishing the Church's post-resurrection vocation.

John 17:19

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth — Jesus' self-sanctification refers to his consecration to sacrificial death, the ultimate act of setting himself apart for God's purposes. The disciples' sanctification flows from Jesus' sacrificial sanctification, a cause-and-effect relationship grounded in the efficacy of his passion. This verse anticipates the crucifixion as the means by which believers are made holy, connecting sanctification to atonement.

John 17:20

I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word — The prayer's scope expands beyond the Twelve to encompass all future believers, including the Johannine community and beyond. "Through their word" (dia tou logou autōn, through their message) establishes the disciples as instrumental in transmitting faith, emphasizing the role of apostolic witness. This verse envisions the Church's missionary expansion as the fruit of the disciples' faithful testimony.

John 17:21

May they all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me — The petition for unity (hina pantes hen, that all may be one) reaches its fullest expression, grounding Church unity in the Father-Son relationship itself. The concentric structure (Father in Son, Son in Father, believers in both) reflects Johannine perichoresis (mutual indwelling). Unity becomes the Church's chief apologetic: the world's belief follows from witnessing organic oneness rooted in divine communion.

John 17:22

The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one — Jesus transfers his own glory (doxa) to the disciples, a radical statement of identification and solidarity. This glorification of believers—anticipated in the resurrection and realized eschatologically—establishes their exalted status and empowers their witness. The causal link between received glory and achieved unity suggests that participation in Christ's exaltation creates the spiritual basis for authentic community.

John 17:23

I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me — The recursive indwelling (I in them, you in me) expresses the mystical union central to Johannine soteriology: believers participate in the divine life through the Son. The world's knowledge of Christ's mission depends on witnessing this internal unity and God's love manifested toward disciples with the same intensity reserved for the Son. This represents the apotheosis of mission theology: love becomes testimony.

John 17:24

Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world — This final petition expresses Jesus' longing for the disciples' eschatological presence and vision of his glory. "Where I am" refers to the Father's presence into which Jesus enters through exaltation. The phrase "before the foundation of the world" (pro katabolēs kosmou) reaches back to cosmic pre-existence, grounding the disciples' salvation in the eternal love between Father and Son.

John 17:25

Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me — The invocation "Righteous Father" (Pater dikaia) emphasizes God's justice and faithfulness. The stark contrast—the world's ignorance versus Jesus' intimate knowledge (oida) and the disciples' awakening faith—underscores the exclusive particularity of salvation knowledge. Yet within this particularity lies the universal gospel: the disciples' knowledge becomes the means through which the world may come to know.

John 17:26

I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I myself may be in them — The name-revelation that began the prayer (17:6) reaches completion in this final declaration, with the promise of ongoing revelation ("I will make it known") through the Spirit. The ultimate purpose transcends information: that believers experience God's love poured into them with the intensity of the Father's love for the Son. Indwelling love becomes the prayer's culminating vision—the Trinity's intimacy extended to believers.