Jesus Prays In The Upper Room (John 17).
Depending on how we interpret John 14:31 this prayer appears either to have been made in the Upper Room, or at some spot on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. As we have seen John 14:31 may be seen simply as indicating a rallying cry, or as a call to leave the table preparatory to clearing up the room while Jesus continued to speak (see on that verse). Some, however, see it as an indication that the party left the Upper Room, and it may in that case be that Chapter s 15-16 were spoken as they walked, and that this chapter occurred at some brief stopping place. In our view, however, the most likely venue for what follows chapter 14, including this prayer, is still the Upper Room.
The words of Jesus in John 13-17 are probably intended to be seen as the final words of a dying man to those to whom He shows favour, and such would regularly contain a prayer on their behalf. We can compare the blessing of Jacob (Genesis 49) for such final words, and the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:33 for both prayer and words.
The prayer in chapter 17 is regularly called a ‘High Priestly' prayer by commentators but it is not described as that in John and we may therefore feel that it is more a Patriarchal prayer, with the One Who prays being thought of as both patriarch and priest, being a combination of Moses and Aaron, and similar to Abraham. The idea of Christ as our High Priest is limited to Hebrews where He is seen as typified in the Old Testament ordinances. It is questionable therefore whether John saw the prayer wholly in this way, although it could be seen as tying up with the idea of Him as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). But to John this appears rather to have been the prayer of the Lord of Glory returning to His home as previously mentioned in John 14:1-2.
These final Chapter s of the Gospel of John bring out how thoughtfully Jesus prepared the way for what was to come in the light of the fact that ‘the hour was come' for Him ‘to be glorified' (John 17:1). Firstly He had spoken with them preparing them for what lay ahead and now He prayed for them and brought them to His Father in the light of that. But the emphasis is not on priestly intercession. It is on the keeping and ‘making one' of those who were His.
It should be noted how the prayer follows the general pattern of the preceding discourse. It commences with an emphasis on the glorifying of Jesus (John 17:1-5; compare John 13:31-32), and then goes on to deal with His provision for the Apostles (John 17:6-19). This being then followed by a prayer for all who become believers through their testimony (John 17:20-26).
The prayer continues to bring out John's emphasis on Jesus as unique exalted Messiah and Son of God, for the opening words of His prayer continue to emphasise the theme that Jesus is the Son of God, and indeed is God the Son, for He calls on the Father to glorify Him as the Son, in order that He as the Son may glorify His Father (John 17:1). Once again it is apparent that far more than earthly Messiahship is in mind, for Jesus is asking to be restored to His former glory, a glory which He had had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). And as a result of this occurring the Father will also be glorified.
We have already noted that the glory of Jesus has been revealed on earth, both in the life that He lived (John 1:14), and in the signs that He gave (John 2:11; John 11:4). John has also brought out that it will be revealed by His death and resurrection, by which the Son of Man will be glorified (John 7:39; John 13:31) and also in those who will be saved by His activity (John 17:10). But that is a limited glory. What is spoken of here is a glory that far surpasses that glory. It is unlimited. It is the glory referred to in John 12:41, the glory that was always His as God before He ‘emptied Himself' (Philippians 2:7), the glory that has been His from eternity past. It is the glory of the eternal Word (John 1:1), which He had for a while put aside in order to bring about redemption, but would now be receiving again. He then describes the power that the Father has given Him over all flesh, the power to give eternal life (compare John 5:26) to all whom the Father has given Him (John 6:37-39). Thus in this ‘the Father' and ‘the Son' are seen as working closely together in the plan of redemption, the aim of which is to give to men eternal life. The Father chooses them out and allocates them, the Son Himself gives them eternal life, for He has life in Himself (John 5:26), and He does this by making Himself and His Father known to them in such a way that they respond (John 17:2-3). For to truly know the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent, is to have eternal life (John 17:3). The distinction that is being made in these words (as the remainder of the Gospel has made clear), is not that Jesus Christ is somehow distinct from God, but that He is the manifestation of God on earth which has made it possible for men to know God more fully. If this were not so then the idea of the insufficiency of knowing the Father alone would be blasphemy. Rather He wants them to know that the Father has sent Him from within the Godhead to carry out His part in the plan of redemption, and the consequence is to be that they will know the only true God, Who in context is ‘the Father' (‘You the only true God'), but is also inclusive of Jesus Christ as the One Who has manifested the Father. For as has already been revealed, to know the Father is to know the Son, and to know the Son is to know the Father (John 14:7-9; Matthew 11:25-27). Jesus Christ is the appointed representative from within the Godhead Whose task it was to make the Father, in His invisibility, known (John 1:18; John 14:7-9). Note that here we have the first mention by John of the combined Name ‘Jesus Christ' since John 1:17. Jesus is now openly revealed as the distinctive Messiah, God's ‘sent one', God's ‘anointed' instrument for bringing salvation to the world.
It is true that had John 17:3 stood alone with no context we might well have seen it as distinguishing ‘the only true God' from ‘Jesus Christ'. But it does not stand alone. It is immediately made apparent that, in His being sent, Jesus Christ had forsaken the glory that was His as the eternal God (John 17:5). Thus the separateness is to be seen as one of office and not of essence. The Father was representing the Godhead in Heaven as ‘the only true God', to Whom men should look in worship. The Son, having ‘emptied Himself', was representing the Godhead as a man on earth, as the Messiah, revealing the Father (John 14:7-9). But the essential oneness of the Father and the Son has already been emphasised (John 10:30; John 14:7-9), while the idea that there were two Gods had to be avoided.
Jesus now turns to His mission on earth. He prays that just as He has glorified the Father on earth by accomplishing His work, so the Father will glorify Him with His own self, with the glory which He had with Jesus before the world was (John 17:4-5). Here it is made openly apparent that it was Jesus' temporary task that was the reason why He at this stage did not enjoy the glory of His Godhood. He had a temporarily lower status because He had ‘emptied Himself' of His Godhood (whatever that means, for it is outside our understanding, as indeed God Himself is) in order to become man, in accordance with the Father's purpose. But now He was to be restored to His former position and status again. It is not, of course, possible for us to understand all the ramifications involved. That is a mystery beyond the ability of our limited comprehension to fully appreciate. We can only recognise it in awe
He then goes on to pray for His disciples. This part of the prayer too reflects the partnership between the Father and the Son in the work of redemption already described. Jesus has manifested His Father's Name to the men whom the Father has given Him out of the world, and they know that everything that the Father has given Him has come from the Father (John 17:6 c). In the eternal purposes of God, the Father has made the gift to His Son of all true believers, and the Son has manifested the Father to these true believers (Matthew 11:25-27). ‘Everything that the Father has given Him' may refer to the believers themselves as the Father's gift (John 17:6 a), or it may refer to the words and works that He has accomplished, but the outworking of the partnership is made quite clear for He is ‘the Son' working in His Father's Name (John 17:2). And such an idea continues throughout the prayer.
We note that once again He speaks of the Father as being in Him and He in the Father (John 17:21), but this time it will lead on to the fulfilling of God's purpose by His people also becoming ‘in us' (John 17:21), and consequently, as a result, one with each other (John 17:23). Thus, in specific contrast with the oneness in chapter 14, where the literalness of the oneness was made clear, this oneness is a spiritual oneness, although very real for all that (compare 1 Corinthians 12:12 ff). There is no suggestion that to see these believers will be to see the Father. The oneness is of a different kind. In Peter's words they become ‘partakers of the divine nature' (2 Peter 1:4).
Towards the close of His prayer He then prays concerning believers, ‘Father I pray that they also whom you have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to behold My glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world' (John 17:24). Once again we have reference to His eternal glory (it was before the world began), which the Father would be restoring to Him (John 17:5), a situation based on the love that the Father had had for Him from before the foundation of the world. We note from this that the Father's love for the Son is eternal, being a part of their essential relationship from all eternity. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was face to face with God, and the Word was God' (John 1:1) This unique relationship between Father and Son is revealed as distinct from all others.
In contrast true believers are only to behold that glory (‘only' being used by us to distinguish their secondary position, not to signify that to behold that glory is anything less than stupendous). Yet what a privilege is this. Those who are His will enjoy the revelation of His glory (compare Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:3-5).