John 17:1-19 Lesson 206

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

It's still Thursday night of Passion week.
The Farewell Discourse ends,

Jesus prays for Himself (17:1-5).
Jesus prays for His disciples (17:6-12).

Jesus praying.

Study Tip:

We tend to read as if we're in a race.
But when you read the Bible, take the time to meditate on each passage.
Allow the true meaning of God's word to enter you.

The Gospel According to St. John

The King James Bible

John 17:1-19
Prayer for sanctification

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Margin notes:

"The hour is come." (17:1) - The time for Jesus to be arrested and crucified has arrived.

"Thou hast given him power over all flesh." (17:2) - Means, "You (God) have given Him (Jesus) power over everybody (Matthew 28:18)."

"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ." (17:3) - "This is the way to eternal life, knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ."

"I have finished the work." (17:4) - His job is done; Jesus has laid the foundation of Christianity.

"O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (17:5) - Means, Jesus existed even before the world was created (Proverbs 8:27-30; John 1:1; 17:24). Now that His earthly task is coming to an end, Christ is asking God to return Him to heaven. In Acts 7:56, we see that His prayer was answered.

"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me." (17:6) - "I've made your name known to the men (the twelve disciples) which you gave me."

"They have believed that thou didst send me." (17:8) - The disciples believed that God sent Jesus (John 16:30).

"I pray not for the world." (17:9) - Jesus will pray for the world later.

"I am glorified in them."(17:10) - "They are my glory."

"Keep." (17:11) - Means, "protect". This verse is a prayer for Christian unity. Jesus will continue the prayer in lesson 207.

"I kept them in thy name." (17:12) - "I protected them in your name."

"The son of perdition." (17:12) - A reference to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who, as prophesied in Psalm 41:9, betrayed Christ.

"Keep them from the evil." (17:15) - "Protect them from Satan."

"Sanctify." (17:17) - To be blessed, made holy, consecrated, atoned, cleansed of guilt, connected to the spiritual, and set apart for special use by God. Christians are sanctified, not because they are perfect but because they have a relationship with Jesus.

New Living Translation

John 17:1-19
The Prayer of Jesus

1 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

6 "I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

9 "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

13 "Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. Why does "the world" hate Christians? (17:14)

Make God a part of your life by studying His word each day.
Your Bible has more to teach than these lessons can cover.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. The world hates Christians because they are not of this world. The Christian set of values, ethics, and its moral code conflict with the value system of unbelievers (John 15:19). People prefer to sin in secret, and the word of God is like a spotlight illuminating the darkness and exposing sinners for what they are. How much better for sinners if there was no one to accuse them.

Application thought for the day:
In verse 17:3, Jesus prays for people to get to know God and Him.
What can you do to have a stronger relationship with God?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.© 2021 evolke

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Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

The Gospel According to St. John

The King James Bible ​

The King James Bible