Day 17 of 21
The High Priestly Prayer
Jesus Prays for You
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
John 17 is often called the "High Priestly Prayer" — the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. On the night before His death, Jesus prays for Himself, for His disciples, and for all future believers. We are allowed to overhear the Son speaking to the Father, and what we hear is extraordinary.
Reflection
The prayer unfolds in three movements. First, Jesus prays for Himself — but even this is not self-serving. He asks the Father to glorify Him so that He might glorify the Father:
"Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you." (John 17:1)
For Jesus, glory is not self-exaltation but mutual love made visible. The cross — the instrument of shame — will become the supreme display of divine glory because it reveals the depth of God's love.
Jesus defines eternal life in terms that reshape our understanding: "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Eternal life is not merely endless duration — it is intimate, personal knowledge of God.
Second, Jesus prays for His disciples. He does not ask that they be taken out of the world but that they be protected from the evil one and sanctified in truth:
"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17)
The disciples are being sent into a hostile world, just as Jesus was sent by the Father. They need not escape but equipment — the protection and sanctifying power of God's truth.
Third — and this is astonishing — Jesus prays for us:
"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:20-21)
On the night before He was crucified, Jesus was thinking about you. He prayed for your unity with other believers, for your participation in the divine life, and for the glory that the Father has given Him to be shared with you. The unity Jesus prays for is not organizational uniformity but the deep, self-giving love that characterizes the Trinity itself.
Going Deeper
Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus "always lives to make intercession" for His people. John 17 gives us a glimpse of what that ongoing intercession sounds like. Jesus is not a distant sovereign. He is an active, praying High Priest who carries His people before the Father's throne. The prayer of John 17 was not a one-time event — it reveals the permanent posture of the risen Christ toward those who belong to Him. He is praying for you now.
Key Quotes
“In this prayer we are permitted to listen to the Son conversing with the Father. The privilege of such listening is as great as any in the whole of Scripture.”
Prayer Focus
Father, thank You that Jesus prayed for me — not just for the disciples, but for all who would believe through their word. Unite Your people in love and truth.
Meditation
Jesus prayed that His followers would be one. What role do you play in fostering unity among believers? Where do you contribute to division?
Question for Discussion
Jesus prayed for the unity of all believers, yet the church is deeply fragmented across denominations, traditions, and cultures. Do you think this kind of unity is actually achievable, or was Jesus praying for something we will only see in eternity? What is one concrete step your group could take toward the unity He described?