John 17:12-26


"While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.


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. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:12-26 ESV)


Jesus' Prayer for Protection and Sanctification

In this portion of His high priestly prayer, Jesus prays for the protection and sanctification of His disciples. He acknowledges that they are in the world but are not of it, just as He is not of the world. Jesus asks the Father not to remove them from the world but to protect them from the evil one. This underscores the reality that disciples of Christ are called to live in a fallen world but are to be guarded by God’s power as they fulfill their mission.

Jesus also prays for their sanctification—"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (v. 17). Sanctification is the process by which believers are set apart for God, growing in holiness and being transformed into the likeness of Christ. The means of this transformation is the Word of God, which is the truth that renews our minds and shapes our hearts. As disciples, we rely on the Holy Spirit to help us apply God's Word, enabling us to live in the truth and reflect Christ in the world.

Scriptures to Study:

Psalm 119:9-11, 1 Peter 1:22-23, John 15:3, Ephesians 5:25-27


Unity in Christ

Jesus shifts His focus to a prayer for unity among His disciples and all who will believe in Him through their message. He prays for a profound unity, modeled after the relationship between the Father and the Son. "That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you" (v. 21). This unity is not simply an external harmony but a spiritual oneness that reflects the love and fellowship within the Trinity.

This unity is essential for the witness of the church in the world—"so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (v. 21). The love and unity of believers testify to the truth of the Gospel. As the body of Christ, we are called to live in love and fellowship, putting aside divisions and allowing the Spirit to draw us closer together in Christ. When we reflect the unity of the Father and Son, we bear witness to the world of God’s love and the power of the Gospel to transform lives.

Scriptures to Study:

Ephesians 4:3-6, Colossians 3:14, John 13:34-35, Philippians 2:1-2


The Glory of Jesus and Our Future with Him

Finally, Jesus prays that His disciples may one day be with Him where He is and see His glory (v. 24). Jesus longs for us to share in the fullness of His glory, a glory given to Him by the Father out of His love "before the foundation of the world" (v. 24). This prayer reveals Jesus' deep love for His followers and His desire for us to experience eternal communion with Him.

The ultimate hope for believers is that we will be with Christ and see Him as He truly is (1 John 3:2). This future glory gives us strength and hope as we navigate the challenges of life in this world. Jesus’ love for us is rooted in eternity, and it is this love that will bring us into the presence of God forever. In the meantime, the Holy Spirit works in us to prepare us for that day, sanctifying us and uniting us in Christ.

Scriptures to Study:

Romans 8:17-18, 1 John 3:2, Colossians 3:3-4, Revelation 22:4-5


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Life Application Questions