Jesus' High Priestly Prayer

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer Study 1 John 14:1-14

Study 2 John 14:15-31

Study 3 John 15:1-17

Study 4 John 15:18 – 16:4a

Study 5 John 15:26 – 16:15

Study 6 John 16:16-33

Study 7 John 17:1-19 After Jesus finishes his discourse with his disciples, he prays to God for them. John 17 has been called the High Priestly prayer of Jesus by commentators. It is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in any of the Gospel accounts. This is an intimate prayer by Jesus to his Father and reveals his heart for God’s glory and for God’s people.

Jesus knows that he will soon be captured, imprisoned, tortured and ultimately crucified. This prayer then is a fitting conclusion to the Farewell Discourse. It was meant to encourage and comfort his disciples at that time. However, as we read and study it, we will find that it is not only a prayer for them, but it is also a prayer for all believers for all time.

Launch 1) Describe the prayers of a godly mature Christian that you have looked up to. What difference did you notice about your prayers and theirs?

Jesus Prays for His Glorification Read John 17:1-5

2) What does Jesus mean by asking the Father to “glorify your Son”? (cf. John 7:39, 12:16, 23)

a. What reason does Jesus give for the Father to glorify Jesus? (v2)

3) What is eternal life according to Jesus? (v3)

a. How does this differ from your own understanding of what eternal life is?

4) How has Jesus brought glory to the Father? (v4)

5) By asking the Father to glorify Jesus, what is Jesus essentially asking the Father to do? (v5) (refer to your own answer in Q2)

a. What does this show about Jesus’ crucifixion?

Jesus Prays for His Disciples Read John 17:6-19

6) Who is the “you” that Jesus has revealed to his disciples? (v6-8)

a. What does this tell us about where we look to when we want to know the Father?

7) What do those who were the Father’s believe? (v8)

8) What does Jesus pray for them? (v11)

a. What does Jesus want for believers by praying for them? (v11)

b. How can believers be one today?

9) Why does Jesus say all the things that he is saying? (v13)

10) What else does Jesus pray for believers? (v15, 17)

a. How are believers supposed to be sanctified? (v17)

11) Jesus was sent into our world by the Father. In turn, what has Jesus done for his followers? (v18)

a. What can we do to maintain the mindset that we are sent into the world as disciple makers?

12) What are some characteristics of Jesus’ prayer that we can emulate/learn from today?

If time permits, take the time to read John 17:20-26. Jesus’ whole high priestly prayer is an amazing and encouraging look into Jesus’ heart, not only for the glory of the Father, but also his affection for his disciples. He first prays for himself by asking the Father to glorify him. This glory that he’s speaking of is his death on the cross. Then he prays that the Father will protect the disciples and for them to be one. Finally, he prays for all believers for all time who will eventually come to believe in Jesus Christ because of the message that they will preach.

Christians today are the legacy of the tremendous work of Jesus’ first disciples. They preached the Gospel faithfully, and wrote down the Gospel message – which eventually became our Bible. We can know Christ today because of their work. However, ultimately, it is the work of the Spirit of God who was sent to them, as the Spirit reminds them all that Jesus has taught and glorifies Jesus (John 15:14)

Memory verse – John 17:14-15 – “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. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”