Christ’s High Priestly Prayer: He Prays for Himself

“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son that Your Son may also glorify You, as You have given him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” –John 17:1-5 (NKJV).

John 17 has been noted by scholars as “The High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus. It took place, most believe on the night of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Most think He prayed the prayer while the eleven disciples were still with him in the Upper Room. Some think it may have occurred as they walked from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus again prayed. The place where the prayer was voiced by Jesus is not the concern, but the prayer itself is vitally important. In the “High Priestly Prayer,” the priest would offer both a prayer for the people and a sacrifice for them. Jesus Himself was ready to be the sacrifice. He had just said to His disciples: “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). To Him, although He had not yet been through the crucifixion, He knew it would be an accomplished fact soon, and His reason for coming to earth would be fulfilled. This High Priestly Prayer has three major areas of focus. In verses 1-5 Jesus prays for Himself. In verses 6-19 he prays for His current disciples. In verses 20-26 He prays for future disciples, or the Universal Church. Since we have John’s marvelous account of this prayer, we are privileged to have what Jesus the Son prayed to God the Father shortly before He was to be sacrificed as a ransom for sins. The prayer shows that Jesus is victorious; Dr. Warren Wiersbe calls him “The Overcomer.” He is ready for what is to come, completely surrendered to fulfilling His mission.

As He lifted up His eyes to heaven, a common attitude of prayer, Jesus spoke directly and instantaneously to the Father. He thereby demonstrated to His disciples how approachable God the Father is. He addressed the Father, reverently and humbly, but with a deep-felt request: “Glorify Your Son that Your Son may glorify You.” He knows already that the cross is necessary and that it is the means whereby man’s restoration with the Father will be possible. He wants His action even with a shameful death on the cross to glory the Father. The sacrifice He will make will result in eternal life for those who will know the Father through the Son. To “know” carries the idea of understanding and revelation. And the sacrifice of Jesus will make the bridge back to the Father. Remarkably, as Jesus finishes His work on earth, He then will be received back into the glory He knew from the very beginning, before the world was even created!

This High Priestly Prayer of Jesus for Himself reviews for us the majesty of the One who is about to finish the work He came to earth to do when He prayed this prayer. Notable is the emphasis on eternal life which is available to all believers. Eternal life is God’s free gift to all who believe on Jesus the Son. To believe and accept is a person’s choice. But amazingly, Christ is glorified in the divine viewpoint in that God elected to receive us unto Himself, even from the foundation of the world! This truth is so amazing, so divine! Prayerfully quote John 3:16, the verse most memorized and most quoted of all the verses in the Bible, and the one that most nearly helps to explain the deep theology of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer for Himself. Won’t you say John 3:16 now, and thank God for His gift unspeakable and full of glory?