Jesus looked up to the sky and said, “Father, the time has arrived! Praise your Son so that your Son can praise you, just like you have given him power over people so he would give them never-ending life. This is what never-ending life is; them knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ who you sent. I have praised you on earth by finishing the work you gave me, and now, Father, praise me next to you with the praise I had next to you before the world existed. I’ve told your name to the people who you gave me from the world. They were yours and you’ve given them to me, and they have followed your message. They now understand that everything you gave me is from you because I gave them the words you gave me. They heard the message and honestly know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me. I am asking for them. I’m not asking for the world, but for the people you have given me, because they’re yours, and everything I have is yours. Everything you have is mine, and I have been made great in them.

I’m not in the world anymore and they are. I’m coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me so they can be united just like we are. I kept them in your name which you gave me, when I was with them and I kept them safe. None of them died except for the son of destruction so the writings would come true.

I’m coming to you now and saying this in the world so they can have my joy finished in themselves. I’ve given them your teachings and the world has hated them because they are not about the world, just like I’m not about the world. I’m not asking you to remove them from the world but to protect them from the evil one. They don’t belong to the world, just like I don’t belong to the world.

Dedicate them to the truth. Your word is truth. I’ve sent your message into the world just like you sent me into the world. I dedicate myself to them so they can also be dedicated to the truth. I don’t ask just for these people, but also for the people who believe in me through their message so that they are all united just like you, Father, are in me and I’m in you, so they can also be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.

I have given them the greatness you have given so that they can be united just like we are. I’m in them and you’re in me so that they can be completely united, so the world will know you sent me, and you love them just like you love me.

Father, I want the ones you have given me to be where I am so they can see the amazingness you have given me because you loved me before the world was created. Good Father, even though the world doesn’t know you, I know you and these people have learned that you sent me. I’ve taught them your name and will make it famous so that the love you give me can be for them, and I can be in them.

John Chapter 17 Summary

John 17 is Jesus’s prayer to God just before he is arrested. He asks God to lift him higher, so that he can lift God higher in return. Jesus speaks about the never-ending life he gives and explains that He has completed the work God gave Him to do on earth. Jesus then prays for his disciples, saying they belong to God and have accepted his message. He asks God to protect them, to keep them united, and to keep them safe from evil. Lastly, Jesus prays for all future believers who will come to faith through the disciples’ teaching. He asks that all believers be united as one, just like he and God are. He wants all believers to be with him, sharing in the love of God.

John Chapter 17 Bible Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Jesus pray for his disciples instead of the world?
Answer: Jesus prays for his disciples because they have accepted God’s message and are committed to following Him. He knows the world does not yet understand the truth, but his followers are living it out. This shows the value God places on those who choose to believe and obey Him.

2. What does it mean to “not belong to the world”?
Answer: As Christians, we live in the world but our values, goals, and identity come from God, not from worldly things. We follow Jesus’s ways, which often go against what the world teaches. It’s a call to live differently, with love, faith, and truth at the centre.

3. How can we be “united” just like Jesus and God are united?
Answer: Being united like Jesus and God means sharing a deep love, purpose, and commitment to each other. For believers, it means supporting one another, living in peace, and working together to share God’s love. Unity helps the world see God is living and working in us.

4. Why is God’s truth important for Christian living?
Answer: Jesus says that God’s message is true and asks for his followers to be dedicated to it. Knowing the truth helps Christians make right choices, stay strong in their faith, and understand God’s plan. It shapes how we live, love, and serve others.

5. How does Jesus’ prayer show his love for us?
Answer: Jesus prays not only for his disciples but for everyone who will believe in him later – including us today. He wants us to be close to him, to experience God’s love, and to share in his glory. This prayer is full of care, hope, and deep love.

John Chapter 17 Explained

John 17 is a deeply personal prayer from Jesus to God , spoken just before his arrest and death. The prayer begins with Jesus asking to be praised (some translations have ‘glorified’) so he can also lift up and praise the Father. He speaks of the power God has given him to offer eternal life – which he describes not just as life after death, but as truly knowing God and Jesus. This shows us that eternal life begins with a relationship now, not just a future promise.

Jesus then discusses his mission: He has completed the work God gave Him, shared God’s message, and revealed who God is to his disciples. He prays for their protection and unity. He understands that his followers will face hatred from the world, just as he did. But rather than asking for them to be taken out of the world, he asks God to protect them within it. This shows that Christian living is about being in the world but not shaped by it.

He also prays for their unity. Jesus wants his followers to have the perfect unity of love between him and God. This unity is not just for our sake, but so that the world will believe in Jesus through our example.

Jesus’ prayer moves beyond his immediate disciples and includes all future believers – everyone who will believe in him through their message. That includes us today. He asks for us to be with him, to experience the love and glory God has given Him, and to be part of that eternal relationship. It’s an incredibly loving and hopeful prayer that stretches through time.

At the end of the prayer, Jesus talks about making God’s name known, which means helping others understand who God truly is. He ends by expressing his desire for God’s love to live in all believers, and for himself to be in them. It’s a powerful reminder that Jesus wants to be close to us, and that we’re part of a relationship that started before the world began.

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Continue exploring John 17

If you’d like to read John 17 in other translations, here are a few BibleHub links:
For a translation that aims to be word-for-word, try John 17 in the English Standard Version.
For a translation that aims to be more thought-for-thought, try John 17 in the New International Version.
For a translation that aims to communicate the overall meaning, try John 17 in the Contemporary English Version.

If you prefer to read the Bible in a hard-copy format, here are cheaper versions from Amazon:
[These are Amazon affiliate links which support the production of this blog]
For a translation that aims to be word-for-word, ESV Economy Bible
For a translation that aims to be more thought-for-thought, NIV, Economy Bible, Paperback: Accurate. Readable. Clear.
For a translation that aims to communicate the overall meaning, Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version

If you’d like to explore John in more depth, here are two commentaries I would recommend:
[These are Amazon affiliate links which support the production of this blog]
Easy to access commentaries that include life applications:
The NIV Application Commentary: John
For a commentary that goes into more depth:
The Gospel of John (The New International Commentary on the New Testament)