Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (Part 2a) Series

JESUS’ HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER

(Part 2a – Jesus’ Prayer For His Disciples)

John 17:6-8

John 17:6-8 records the second main section in the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer. In the first five verses Jesus has been praying for Himself; however this prayer was anything but selfish. Our Savior’s main focus was the Father’s glory. He declares that “His hour has come” and He implores the Father to “glorify Him” so that He could “glorify (the Father).”

In verse 5 Jesus references His desire that He would return to the glory that He had with the Father “before the world was”. Jesus has “accomplished the work” that the Father had given Him to do. Possessing “authority over all flesh”, the Savior has spent His time on earth seeking to “give eternal life to all whom (the Father) has given Him.” He made it possible for lost men and women to “know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom (the Father) had sent.”

In verse 6 the Savior transitions from praying for Himself to praying for His Disciples. In the following verses we will hear Jesus’ specific prayer for those men who had left everything behind to follow Him. Let me remind you that at this point only 11 Disciples remained. By this time Satan has entered Judas and he is in the process of betraying the Lord into the hands of His enemies.

- Let’s take some time and examine:

I. JESUS’ PRAYER FOR HIS DISCIPLES

Though multitudes had seen the mighty works of Jesus and countless lives had been changed by the sound of His voice or the touch of His hand, many still refused to believe. There were vast multitudes that followed Him for a time but eventually turned away from Him and followed Him no more. (John 6:66 …many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.) After the departure of the multitudes, Jesus asked the Disciples “You do not want to go away also, do you?" (John 6:67). In response, Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." (John 6:68-69) Upon hearing this, Jesus replied to Peter…"Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?" Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him. (John 6:70-71)

Later this very evening Jesus would be abandoned by even His closest followers. This came as no surprise to Jesus; in fact He told them that this would happen shortly after they left the Upper Room. (Mark 14:27 Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written, 'I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.' 28 "But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee").

Peter boastfully proclaimed "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not." Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times" (Mark 14:30). It was not just peter, Mark 14:31 tells us that all of the Disciples affirmed their commitment to Him. (But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also.)

After Jesus had prayed in Gethsemane Judas arrived with a band of soldiers and these disciples who proclaimed that they were willing to die with Jesus “all forsook Him and fled” (Mark 14:50). Even knowing that they would soon abandon Him, Jesus took time, even at the most devastating moment of His life and prayed for them. It is truly remarkable that Jesus would spend time in prayer for men who would soon abandon Him and even deny knowing Him. Knowing these truths make the Lord’s High Priestly prayer that much more beautiful.

As Jesus prays for His Disciples He recounts many of the things that He has done for them and He makes certain requests to the Father on their behalf. Let’s consider:

A. JESUS’ REVIEW CONCERNING HIS MINISTRY TO THE DISCIPLES

There is no way to cover all of the things that Jesus did for His followers but there are several important actions that He accomplished for them that are covered in this prayer. First of all we see that:

1. JESUS MANIFESTED THE FATHER’S NAME TO THE DISCIPLES

v6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.