John 17:1-26
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
When Jesus glorifies God and acknowledges His role in revealing God to the disciples we learn different things...Jesus would prays for His disciples: asking God to protect them from evil and to sanctify them in truth and not deceit...He emphasizes their unity and that they are not of the world...Jesus also prays for future believers: He prays not only for His disciples but also for all those who will believe in Him through their message they would later hear from them and the other future disciples of His...
The Key themes before His Death:
Jesus' prayer emphasizes His unity with the Father, His love for His disciples, His desire for their protection and sanctification, and His longing for the unity of all believers, and that they would teach the Truth and now realize that God's Word is Truth...The Bible contains several verses that, like Jesus, praises the Truth and God's Word and condemns those who lie and practice lying and deceit...We can see the contrast of God wanting us to be truthful, and He highlights the importance of truthfulness and honesty, as does His Son...
Here are a few examples of deceit in the Bible: Proverbs 6:16-19: "There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."...
This verse portrays a lying tongue as one of the things most hated by God...It emphasizes the seriousness of lying and its association with other wicked actions...
The author of Proverbs tells us in 12:22: "The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth."...
This verse offers a clear contrast between lying and one telling the Truth...God hates lying but finds pleasure in those who are truthful...It highlights the importance of honesty in God's eyes...
The author adds in Proverbs 19:5: "A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish."...
This verse warns of the consequences of lying...False witnesses and those who spread lies will not escape punishment...
Moses wrote in Leviticus 19:11 and tells us: "‘Do not steal...‘Do not lie...‘Do not deceive one another."...
Lying is listed alongside other moral failings like stealing and deceiving...It emphasizes the importance of honesty in our dealings with others...
The Psalmist teaches us in Psalm 101:7: "No one who practices deceit will dwell in My House, no one who speaks falsely will stand in My Presence."...
This verse portrays God's dwelling place as having no room for liars or deceivers...It highlights God's association of truthfulness with His Presence...
Paul wrote to the Colossians in 3:9-10: "Do not lie to each other, since you have stripped off your old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the Image of its Creator."...
This verse encourages believers to put away lying as part of their old sinful nature and embrace truthfulness as part of their new life in Christ...And Paul adds in Ephesians 4:25: "Therefore each of you must put away falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, because we are members one of another."...
This verses emphasizes honesty within the Christian community, seeing believers as interconnected and responsible for truthful communication with each other...
All these verses speak to the importance of truthfulness and the dangers of lying, because our Father in Heaven is watching and hears everything we say...
The Bible portrays God as truthful and faithful: Titus 1:2 describes God as "who cannot lie."...God's word is truth: John 17:17 states "Your word is truth."...This highlights the connection between God and Truth...God is the Absolute Reality and the Absolute Truth of the World...God's Word is Truth...
While Truth is so important we see it connected to love...We see this very much in Jesus' three prayers...While truth is important, the Bible also emphasizes the importance of love...Sometimes, difficult situations might require tact or compassion in how Truth is communicated...The Bible doesn't advocate for blunt honesty in every situation...There might be times when discretion or protecting someone's well-being is necessary...Overall, the Bible presents a clear message: God Values of Truthfulness and He expects honesty from His followers...Lying and deceit are condemned by Him, while truth-telling is associated with living a righteous and Christ-like life, because God's Word is Truth...