John 17:1

This whole chapter records the prayer that Jesus offered on the betrayal night in contemplation of the cross. There is the prayer for himself (John 17:1-5), for the apostles (John 17:6-19), and for those of all generations who would believe on him through the apostles' word (John 17:20-26). Hester said:

John 17 is the real Lord's prayer. In this deeply moving experience he prays: first for himself, for his disciples, and for the whole world - all believers in all ages.[1]

Dummelow called it "Christ's high priestly prayer, because in it he solemnly consecrates himself to be priest and victim in the approaching sacrifice."[2] Barnes commented that "It is the longest prayer recorded in the New Testament."[3] Westcott called it "The Prayer of Consecration."[4] Robertson called it "Christ's Intercessory Prayer."[5] Some have called it "The Prayer for Unity." As Morgan said:

I would ever be careful lest I should appear to differentiate between the value of one part of the Holy Scripture and another, but no one will deny that when we come to this chapter we are at the center of all the sanctities.[6]

The hypothesis that John merely imagined this prayer and put the words in Jesus' mouth retrospectively fails to take into account the prayer itself which is utterly beyond the power of any man to have conceived it. Here, "Jesus seemed to sweep away the last physical barrier that separated him from the world above ... He was as one in intimate conversation with God."[7]

Our exegesis on this chapter does not pretend to be exhaustive, the chapter being, in fact, inexhaustible. As Gaebelein said:

No complete exposition can be given. Three of the Puritan preachers expounded this chapter: Manton's sermons on it make a volume of 400 pages; Newton's exposition nearly 600 pages; and Burgess' sermons comprise 700 large pages![8]

We shall content ourselves with picking up a truth here and there!

[1] H. L. Hester, The Heart of the New Testament (Liberty, Missouri: Quality Press, 1963), p. 199.

[2] J. R. Dummelow. Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 803.

[3] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1954), p. 352.

[4] B .F. Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971), p. 336.

[5] A. T. Robertson, Harmony of the Gospels (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1922), p. 151.

[6] G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel according to John (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company), p. 266.

[7] Daniel A. Poling, The Romance of Jesus (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1939), p. 180.

[8] Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of John (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1965), p. 311.

These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father glorify thy Son, that the Son may glorify thee. (John 17:1)

These things ... refers to the discourse just finished.

Glorify thy Son ... The word John used to express Jesus' desire in this prayer does not actually mean "pray" in the usual sense. Jesus' petitions should therefore be understood as the expressed desire of a soul in complete harmony with God.

Lifting up his eyes to heaven ... This has led some to suppose the prayer was offered outdoors after they had left the upper room, but this is not certain.

The hour is come ... What hour? It was the hour for which Jesus had come into the world, the hour of fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies, the hour when the true passover would be sacrificed, the hour when the Son of God would bruise the head of Satan and accomplish God's purpose of achieving salvation for mankind.

If this prayer is searched for implications bearing upon the prayers offered by Christians, the thing that stands out is the priority of God's glory. Before any earthly desire, the desire for the glory of God comes first. In this, it corresponds with Matthew 6:9.