John 16 - 18

Jesus' Final Prayer

John chapter 17 records Jesus' final public prayer before His crucifixion. It is an intercessory prayer on behalf of His followers and not a prayer asking for anything for Himself, personally.  The opening statement, "Father, the hour has come." sets the tone for the rest of the prayer. At this point Jesus is totally resigned to the fact that He will be crucified for the sins of Mankind and be the perfect sacrifice the Law demands, thus "the hour has come" there will be no more delay.  Judas had already set the trap for Jesus' betrayal  (see 18:2).

In the prayer, Jesus prays to "Father" a familiar term, an intimate term. He speaks to God, His Father, and our Father, on behalf of those who were given to the Son by the Father (v.9).  He asks for seven things in His prayer:

1. Glorify the Son as He has glorified the Father (v. 1) This is to establish that Jesus came to do the will of the Father only and not His own will.
2. Restore the Son back to the Eternal glory He had with the Father before the world began (v. 5). This ties in with John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word and 1:14 - and the Word became flesh. Jesus was returning back to His place in the Heavens as the Son of God.
3. He prays for the protection of those who were given to Him (v. 9) - protection from the world and its influences (v. 11) and protection from Satan (v. 15).
4. He prays that the Father will make them holy, i.e. sanctify them (v. 17) so they can learn His Word and Truth.
5. He prays for the unity of the believers-both current and future (v. 20)- with Him, the Father, and each other (v. 21 and 22)  that they may experience the love of God (v. 23).
6. He prays for the world might believe the message of unity (v. 21) as a witness that the Father sent the Son.
7. He prays that ultimately all believers will be with Him in Heaven (v. 24) and eternally experience the glory and love of God.

Jesus closes by reiterating His knowledge of the Father and His desire that they continue to see Him manifest the Father.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.