John 17

The Explanation

John 17 is different from most chapters in the Bible. It is not a story with action, and it is not a teaching to a crowd. It is a prayer. Jesus is praying out loud, and the disciples are listening. It happens on the last evening before Jesus is arrested. In a few hours the soldiers will come. Jesus knows this. And what does He do? He prays.

The prayer has three parts. First, Jesus prays for Himself. He says to His Father, "The hour has come. Glorify your Son." That means: the moment I came for is here, help me go through it. Jesus knows the cross is close, and He knows why He came to earth. He came to give eternal life to people. And Jesus says something amazing about what eternal life is: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ." Eternal life is not just living forever. It is knowing God, really knowing Him, like you know a friend.

Then Jesus prays for His disciples, the twelve men who have walked with Him for three years. He asks the Father to protect them, because soon Jesus will not be with them anymore in the same way. He knows the world can be hard on people who follow Him. He does not ask that they be taken out of the world, but that they be kept safe in it. That is honest. Jesus does not pretend life will be easy.

And then comes the part that is about us. Jesus says, "Neither for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word." That means everyone who would later believe because of what the disciples would tell. That is you, if you believe in Jesus. He was praying for you that evening, two thousand years ago, before you even existed.

What does He ask for us? That we would be one. That all who belong to Him would be together, connected, like Jesus and the Father are connected.

What Does This Mean?

This chapter shows us who Jesus is on the inside. When most people would be panicking about tomorrow, Jesus is thinking about His friends and about people He has not even met yet. He is not thinking about Himself first.

It also shows something huge about God. Jesus and the Father talk to each other like they have always known each other, because they have. Jesus says, "You loved me before the foundation of the world." Before there were stars, before there was earth, God the Father and God the Son loved each other. And now that love is being opened up so that we can come inside it.

The Common Thread

The whole Bible is about God wanting to be with His people. In the Old Testament there was a tabernacle and a temple, special places where God came close. But there was always a curtain, always a distance. Jesus came to take that distance away. In this prayer He says He is going back to the Father, and He is bringing us with Him. Not physically yet, but through faith. That is the promise: through Jesus, we belong inside God's family.

For You

Jesus prayed for you before you were born. Let that sink in. When you feel small, or forgotten, or like nobody notices you, remember that the Son of God spoke your future into a prayer.

Jesus also asked that His followers would be one. That is a real thing to work on. Do you talk badly about kids from another church, or another kind of Christian family? Jesus prayed against that. Being one does not mean everyone thinks exactly the same. It means we treat each other like family, because we are.

And knowing God is what eternal life is. So start now. Talk to Him. Read what He says. You do not have to wait until you are older.

Talk About It

If Jesus was praying for future believers, do you think He was praying for you that evening? How does that feel?

Why do you think Jesus asked that His followers would be one? What breaks that oneness today?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, thank You that You prayed for us before we knew You. Help us to know the Father, and to live as one family. Keep us safe in this world. Amen.