John 17 Commentary

Vs 1 – It is interesting to note that Jesus looked up to heaven as He prayed. This was common posture for prayer during His day.

Vs 3 – "Eternal life" is not defined by merely prolonged life, but by the quality of life which is found only in a relationship with God. Also notice that the word "know" is not merely an intellectual knowledge, but a relational one.

Vs 4 – It seems strange that Jesus said He had completed God’s work since He still had to go to the cross, but when you tie this verse with John 19:30, you can see the actually fulfillment of this prayer. Also, the tense of the word "completed" does not have an English equivalent – it is without regard to past, present, or future.

Vs 5 – Notice that Jesus asks God to take Him back to His Father’s side. He does not however, ask to have His incarnation taken away. Although He has been changed by being glorified, His humanity remains even now.

Vs 12 – Psalm 41:9 is the Scripture most likely referred to here.

Vs 15 – Notice that Jesus wants us to live in a tension between the world and God. We are not to be taken out of the world, and yet many Christians "trying to protect themselves from the evil one" don’t have even one non-Christian friend. The opposite is true too – many claim to be Christians but are living such worldly lives they appear no different from the rest of the world. By the way, Jesus was accused of being a drunk who hung our with prostitutes and tax collectors. Ask yourself what people accuse you of. If no one is accusing you of something falsely, maybe you’re not having an impact on those who need Jesus the most.

Vs 17 – "Sanctify" means to "set apart" from sin and also "set apart" for God’s use.

Vs 18 – The Word makes us different (sets us apart) for this reason – we are to be like Jesus wherever we go.

Vs 19 – There is a word play here that we don’t read in the English. "Set apart" as Jesus refers to Himself is used like the consecration of a sacrificial animal. "Set apart" as He refers to the disciples is used in the sense that prophets and priests were consecrated to perform their tasks.

Vs 20 – Notice that this is the part where Jesus begins praying for us. We are the ones who "believe through their testimony."

Vs 24 – As a groom longs for His bride, Jesus longs to be with us so that we can know Him as He truly is.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.