Bullet Point Bible

Jesus Prays for His Glorification

¹ When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward to heaven and said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you-² just as you have given him authority over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him.³ Now this is eternal life -that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.⁴ I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.⁵ And now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory I had with you before the world was created.

This chapter contains the "High Priestly Prayer" of Jesus, offered just before his arrest and crucifixion.
Jesus addresses God intimately as "Father," highlighting their unique relationship.
The "time" or "hour" refers to the culmination of Jesus' earthly mission: his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension (John 12:23, John 13:1).
Glorification is mutual: the Son's glorification brings glory to the Father, and vice versa. This involves revealing God's character and power through Jesus' work.
Jesus claims universal authority ("over all humanity"), given by the Father, specifically to grant eternal life.
Eternal life is defined not merely as duration, but as a relational knowledge of the true God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3). This contrasts with polytheistic beliefs.
Jesus asserts the completion of his assigned work, which involved revealing the Father and obeying His will perfectly (John 4:34, John 5:36).
Jesus requests restoration to the pre-incarnate glory he shared with the Father "before the world was created," affirming his divinity and eternal existence (John 1:1-2, Philippians 2:6-7).

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

⁶ "I have revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word.⁷ Now they understand that everything you have given me comes from you,⁸ because I have given them the words you have given me. They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.⁹ I am praying on behalf of them. I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you.¹⁰ Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, and I have been glorified by them.¹¹ I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.

"Revealed your name" means more than just uttering the name; it signifies revealing God's character, nature, and saving purposes (Exodus 3:13-15, Exodus 34:5-7).
The disciples were chosen by the Father ("yours") and entrusted to the Son. Their obedience ("obeyed your word") is linked to receiving Jesus' teachings.
The disciples came to understand Jesus' divine origin and mission – that his words and works were from the Father.
Jesus emphasizes the disciples' reception of his words (the Father's message) and their resulting faith in his divine commission.
Jesus' prayer here focuses specifically on the disciples entrusted to him, distinct from "the world" (those who reject God). This isn't exclusion from salvation, but a focus on those who will carry on his mission.
Jesus highlights the complete unity and shared possession between the Father and the Son ("Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine").
Jesus is glorified "in them" as they believe in him, reflect his character, and carry out his mission.
Jesus anticipates his departure ("I am no longer in the world") and the disciples' remaining presence in a potentially hostile environment.

Jesus Prays for Their Protection

¹¹ I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.

Jesus entrusts the disciples' protection to the "Holy Father," appealing to God's character and the authority vested in Jesus' name.
The goal of protection is their unity ("that they may be one"), mirroring the perfect unity between the Father and the Son.
Jesus recounts his own guardianship over the disciples during his earthly ministry.
The exception, Judas Iscariot ("the one destined for destruction"), fulfilled scriptural prophecy (Psalm 41:9, John 13:18). His loss was not due to a failure in Jesus' protection but Judas' own choices aligned with prophecy.
Jesus prays that the disciples would possess his complete joy, even amidst future trials (John 15:11).
The disciples' adherence to God's word inevitably leads to conflict with "the world" (systems and people opposed to God).
Jesus does not pray for their removal from the world but for their preservation *within* it, specifically protection from Satan ("the evil one").
Their identity is distinct from the world, reflecting Jesus' own relationship to it. They are called to live in the world but not be defined by its values.

Jesus Prays for Their Sanctification

¹⁷ Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.¹⁸ Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.¹⁹ And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.

"Set them apart" (or sanctify them) means to consecrate them for God's holy purposes.
This sanctification occurs "in the truth," which Jesus identifies as God's word (the scriptures and Jesus' own teachings). Truth separates them from worldly falsehood and equips them for service.
Jesus draws a parallel between his own mission ("you sent me into the world") and the mission he gives his disciples ("I have sent them into the world"). Their sanctification is essential for this mission.
Jesus "sets himself apart" (sanctifies himself) for their sake. This refers to his consecration to the Father's will, culminating in his sacrificial death on the cross.
His self-sacrifice is the basis and means by which the disciples can be "truly set apart" (genuinely sanctified) for their mission. His holiness enables their holiness.
This section links truth, holiness, and mission as interconnected aspects of discipleship.

Jesus Prays for Future Believers

²⁰ "I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony,²¹ that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.²² The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one-²³ I in them and you in me-that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.²⁴ "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world .

Jesus extends his prayer beyond the immediate disciples to encompass all future generations of believers who come to faith through the apostolic witness ("their word").
The primary request for future believers is unity ("that they may all be one"), reflecting the divine unity of the Father and Son.
This unity is not merely organizational but relational ("in us"), grounded in the believers' relationship with the Father and Son.
The visible unity of believers serves as a powerful testimony to the world, validating Jesus' divine mission ("that the world may believe/know that you sent me"). See Ephesians 4:3-6.
Jesus has given believers the glory the Father gave him. This likely refers to the glory of God's presence, character, and love manifested in them through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Perfect unity ("completely one") demonstrates both Jesus' divine origin and the Father's love for believers, a love comparable to the Father's love for the Son.
Jesus expresses his desire for believers to ultimately be with him in his presence ("where I am") to behold his eternal glory.
This glory stems from the Father's eternal love for the Son, existing "before the creation of the world."

Conclusion of the Prayer

²⁵ Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men know that you sent me.²⁶ I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them."

Jesus addresses God as "Righteous Father," affirming God's perfect justice and character, especially in contrast to the world's ignorance.
He contrasts the world's lack of knowledge of God with his own perfect knowledge and the disciples' acquired knowledge of his divine mission.
Jesus reaffirms his central work: making the Father known ("I made known your name"). He promises the continuation of this revelation, likely through the Holy Spirit and the ongoing work of the disciples.
The ultimate goal of revealing the Father is that the Father's love for the Son ("the love you have loved me with") would dwell *in* believers.
The final phrase, "and I myself may be in them," emphasizes the intimate, indwelling presence of Christ within believers, which is the source of their life, unity, and participation in divine love (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 1:27).
This concluding statement encapsulates the purpose of Jesus' entire ministry: to bring humanity into a loving, knowing relationship with the Father through union with the Son.

Additional Content

¹² When I was with them I kept them safe and watched over them in your name that you have given me. Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled.¹³ But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience my joy completed in themselves.¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.¹⁵ I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.¹⁶ They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world.

The Bullet Point Bible

John 17