Fifteen (15) Things Yeshua Prayed About in John 17 – YESHUA’s/JESUS’s Prayer for His Disciples Including Us.

My Favorite Chapter in the Whole Bible

The seventeenth (17th) chapter of the gospel of John is my favorite chapter in the whole Bible.  In that chapter Yeshua prayed for you and me if we are believers and trustors in Him, if we are His disciples, learning to live our lives as He would live them if he were one of us.

I’ve read, reread, and read again over and over, that chapter, attempting to commit it to memory. Each sentence, each paragraph is multi-faceted and rich beyond measure. Each paragraph brings out subjects tied together in that spiritual web that Yeshua often spoke in. The NASB is my chosen Bible version for most of my Bible reading but it seems that scripture was easier to commit to memory with the King James Version.  If I cannot commit to memory the chapter as it appears in the NASB then at the least I should know what it says. 

Recenty, I went though John 17 and created a document with the subjects listed that Yeshua prayed about. And since each paragraph is so multi-faceted, each one ended up under more than one subject.  The following is my attempt to further and more deeply understand what Yeshua prayed on that day…what was on His mind for His disciples and apostles, including those that would believe because of their message and words (us!).

The subject headings that I used:

1. Glory and Glorifying The Father and The Son,
2. Eternal Life – the one place in the Bible where Eternal Life is defined,
3. Work that Yeshua did, Name – given by The Father and what Yeshua did with it,
4. Word – The Father’s Word – Yeshua’s Word – the Word that we should be speaking,
5. Guarded and Protected,
6. Who Yeshua was praying for and why,
7. Sanctification,
8. Truth,
9. Unity,
10. We will be with Yeshua when we leave this physical life,
11. Agape,
12. Yeshua sent by The Father,
13. We have been given to Yeshua,
14. Testimony to the world,
15. Knowing The Father and Yeshua

GLORY

• Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, so that the Son may glorify You, just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.
• I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do.
• And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.
• all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them
• The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.
• Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

What can we learn from His prayer paragraphs about glory? He asked to be glorified so that He could glorify The Father. He compared it to or connected it to the authority that The Father had given Him to give eternal life to all those given to Him. So the glory He was expecting was something The Father would give to Him just as He had given Him the authority to give life. Yeshua goes on to state that He had glorified The Father by accomplishing the work that The Father had given Him to do. Now He was facing the cross and completion of that work. He was ready to go through the awful earthly physical death for us and be back with the Father – the glory that He had with The Father before the world existed.

We bring glory to Yeshua and The Father when we are obedient.  When we commit to being disciples of Yeshua, laying down our will for His will, we are laying down our lives or dying to self. That allows us to bring glory to Him.

ETERNAL LIFE

• “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, so that the Son may glorify You, just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

What is the definition of eternal life and when does it start? Eternal life is to know (have an interactive relationship with) The Father (YAHWEH) and YESHUA The Messiah. So when does it start? When do we begin to have that interactive relationship with them? When do we lay down our lives and take up obedience to their will? Eternal life starts during this physical life that we live. Our eternal part – our soul, spirit, heart, will – the part that doesn’t die physically  is given eternal life (zoe) – an eternal existence with GOD THE FATHER and HIS SON, YESHUA when we trust in YESHUA and become His disciple.

WORK

• I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do.

We glorify The Father and The Son when we accomplish the work given to us to do. What is that work? First to be obedient, to trust in YESHUA, that His way is THE WAY to live our lives and do the work that is brought to us. Ask Him what work you are to do. Ask Him to order your day, to bring to you what He wants you to interact with. As Dallas Willard said, we are to live our lives as  JESUS would live them IF HE WERE US. 

NAME

• “I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have followed Your word.
• I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name, which You have given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
• Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.

If we ask someone “Who are you?”, more than likely they would give you their name. But if we are really asking WHO the person is, we want to know some things about them like what they do as “work”, who their parents or children are…things that identify them or a different way to say that is “how they are identified or known by others”… where they live.  Maybe they are someone famous for winning an award and they are known by that.  We tie all those things up in a name that we carry around. YESHUA made THE FATHER’S NAME known by manifesting Him to the disciples.  He manifested or made Him known in His life, His words, His actions, His will… He came to us bringing THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Where GOD’S will is done. 

WORD

• “I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have followed Your word.
• Now they have come to know that everything which You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
• 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.
• Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
• I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who 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 sent Me.

YESHUA came bringing to us words straight from THE FATHER, speaking and acting in complete unity with THE FATHER.  (See John 14:10, John 12:49, John 8:38).  Part of His message was that He was sent by GOD, THE FATHER. The words that He brought are true reality. When we accept that and trust in YESHUA that He is the Son of God, that He brought the truth to us from The Father, that He has authority over all mankind, that He has authority to forgive sin, that He endured a terrible physical death for us that in some way was for us, we can enter and live in The Kingdom of GOD.  We are sanctified by that truth. Yeshua’s words brought to us from The Father are truth.  He is our teacher. We have only one “Teacher”. The gospels are so very important.

GUARDED or PROTECTED

• I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name, which You have given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
• I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Yeshua prayed that The Father would keep His disciples by the power of Who He Is.  We are kept so that we may be one just as The Father and The Son are one. We have to live in the world but we are not to be of the world, kept away from the evil one.  We as branches, need to stay connected to the vine, depending upon the vine for our protection…our spiritual life. 

WHO YESHUA WAS PRAYING FOR & WHY

• I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on the behalf of those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours;
• But now I am coming to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves
• I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who 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 sent Me.

Yeshua prayed to The Father on behalf of His disciples who are given to Him by The Father and yet remain belonging to The Father at the same time. He prayed this prayer in their presence so the disciples could share His joy, a complete joy filling them.  His prayer was for us too, we believe because of His eye witnesses’ testimony in the gospels. His prayer included we be in the Father and the Son… this is why the world would believe that the Father sent Yeshua.

SANCTIFICATION

• Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
• Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

Sanctification in the Bible is when someone is set apart and dedicated to GOD.  GOD’s word is the truth that sets us apart. YESHUA’s words teach us truth. If we trust Him and live by His words we become set apart from the world; in the world but not of the world, sanctified. Yeshua was devoted, all the way to death, to the mission The Father gave Him to accomplish.

TRUTH

• Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
• Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

Truth is reality. If we do not walk in reality, we do not walk in truth. When we live in The Kingdom of Heaven, we are sanctified in the truth and reality of that kingdom.  See SANCTIFICATION above.

UNITY – YESHUA in THE FATHER- THE FATHER IN YESHUA – us in YESHUA – YESHUA in us.

• Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
• The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.
• I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who 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 sent Me

GOD’S people are meant to be one, one together; with the same Holy Spirit within us. The Father and The Son making their abode within us. Eternal life is given to us; to know Father GOD and the one He sent, Yeshua the messiah. His name (who He is) is within the words of Yeshua. He made the Father known.  Philip asked Yeshua to show them The Father in John 14:8-9: “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” The love that the Father gave to the Son is to be within us; He is to be within us. We are to live as though Yeshua were living our lives. We are not meant to be Him but we are to live as though He were us. In my case: What would Yeshua do as a 73 year old retired, married, great-grandmother with some health issues?

Yeshua also shared His glory with us for the same reason; unity and love (agape). 

WE WILL BE WITH YESHUA

• Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Yeshua prayed that His disciples would be with Him as He returned to the glory and love (agape)  given to Yeshua by The Father before the creation. That includes we that believe and trust in Him now; His disciples that would believe because of the words of His then disciples.  Read the gospels, soak in the teachings of Yeshua.  Choose life.

AGAPE

• Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
• Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
• The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.

We would never doubt that YAHWEH, The Father, loved YESHUA, the Son or vice versa.  Yeshua speaks to The Father loving Yeshua’s disciples just as He loved Him. These verses seem to speak to one big one….The Father, Yeshua, and His Disciples. Other verses speak to The Holy Spirit, hence the adoption of the concept of trinity.  We are to be perfected in that unity,,,, How does that happen as divided as His followers have become? 

YESHUA SENT BY THE FATHER

• Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
• The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.
• I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who 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 sent Me
• for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent me.

Yeshua’s disciples knew The Father had sent Him. As Peter said, “Where will we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Yeshua made known to His disciples, who The Father is.  He gave them the words that The Father gave Him and they not only believed that He sent Him but they understood that He came forth from The Father.  There is a difference in coming forth from someone and being sent by them.  See blog post entitled:  See also John 8:42

WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO YESHUA

• Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
• “I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the word; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have followed Your word. “
• “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on the behalf of those whom You have given Me, because they are yours.”

We have been given to Yeshua from the Father and yet we remain belonging to the Father at the same time.  Yeshua and the Father both will “make their abode in us”. See John 14:23.

TESTIMONY TO THE WORLD

• The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.
• I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who 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 sent Me

The world knows we belong to Him by our agape for each other, uniting us; perfected in that unity . The glory of Yeshua will shine forth from us and we will glorify Him in all things both word and deed. 

KNOWING THE FATHER AND YESHUA

• Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
• And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent

The world does not know The Father but Yeshua has made Him known to those that trust Him and become His disciples, living by His words. That creates the interactive relationship described as knowledge of someone or knowing them. That is eternal live – to know or have an interactive relationship with Yeshua and The Father. 

Note that everything in Yeshua’s Prayer speaks to the partnership between Him and The Father and involves not only His then disciples but us also “all that would believe due to the disciples’ message or word”.

The book of John is so rich in depth.  It bears plowing deep in Kingdom concepts, layer by layer. It is so rich that I probably missed something in this chapter – Yeshua’s prayer. If you see something I missed, leave me a comment and let’s discuss.

JB