John 17:1–26 (NRSVUE)
Prayer is one of the most personal and sacred things we do — and yet for many of us, it can also feel intimidating.
We know prayer is important, but sometimes we hesitate. We worry we’re not saying it right, or that our faith isn’t strong enough, or that God doesn’t want to hear from someone like us. But what we find in John 17 shows us something completely different. We’re invited into a holy moment where Jesus Himself prays — not teaching about prayer this time, but living it.
Earlier in His ministry, He gave His disciples the words: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” That was the model. But here, on the night before His crucifixion, He lets us listen in as He speaks with the Father directly. It’s as if the curtain is pulled back, and we’re standing on sacred ground — hearing the kind of prayer that flows from deep relationship and total trust. This isn’t a ritual or a speech; it’s the heart of Jesus laid bare.
And in that conversation, we discover the very thing He came to offer us — a relationship with God that’s personal, open, and real.
For those who’ve ever felt too unworthy to pray, this passage is good news.
Because Jesus doesn’t pray from perfection that’s out of reach; He prays from intimacy that’s meant to be shared. The same Father He calls upon here — Our Father — is the same Father who welcomes us. Prayer isn’t about earning God’s attention; it’s about stepping into a relationship that’s already waiting for us.
That’s what makes John 17 so powerful. If the Lord’s Prayer shows us the pattern of prayer, this chapter shows us the heart of it.
- In Matthew 6, Jesus said, “This is how you should pray.”
- Here, He shows us what it looks like to actually live that prayer.
When He says, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son,” He’s living out “Hallowed be Your name.”
When He prays, “Keep them in Your name,” He’s echoing “Deliver us from evil.”
The Lord’s Prayer gives the outline — John 17 gives it breath.
So as we open these verses today, we’re not standing in a classroom; we’re stepping into communion. Jesus is showing us what it means to walk so closely with God that prayer becomes not something we do, but something we live. And the good news is this: the same relationship Jesus shares with the Father is the one He invites us into.
You don’t need perfect words. You don’t need to be spiritual enough or clean enough or strong enough.
Prayer Begins with the Glory of God
John 17:1–5
“After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom 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.’”
“That’s why the first thing you see on your handout is ‘Glorify the Father.’ Every prayer begins right there—not with what’s wrong, but with who God is. Prayer starts in worship, not worry.
And then notice the next line—‘Be Faithful in Your Calling.’ That’s exactly what Jesus did: He glorified the Father by finishing the work He was given.
These first two remind us that prayer isn’t just about talking to God—it’s about aligning ourselves with what He’s already doing.”
I believe that the word glorify in our culture has lost its true meaning because we’ve come to a place where what deserves glory has been mottled. In Greek the word for glory is doxazō (δοξάζω). It means to glorify, but also carries the meanings of honor, praise, and magnify. When Jesus prays to be glorified, He isn’t asking for applause. He’s asking that through His obedience—even through the suffering of the cross—the Father’s character would be revealed. His glory will shine through His surrender.
That’s where prayer begins: with worship and alignment.
Before Jesus ever asks for help, He gives honor.
Before He brings requests, He brings reverence.
Too often, our prayers begin with the problem in front of us. “God, fix this. God, heal that. God, change them.” Jesus begins with God Himself: “Father, glorify Your name.”
Leon Morris writes, “The purpose of prayer is not to bend God’s will to ours, but to align our hearts with His.”
That’s what’s happening here. Jesus isn’t trying to escape His calling. He’s yielding to it. “The hour has come.” This is not a prayer for rescue; it’s a prayer of readiness.
When we start our prayers this way, everything changes. Prayer becomes less about control and more about communion. It becomes less about getting something and more about becoming someone—someone shaped by God’s glory.
It’s like a compass. You can turn it whichever way you want, but the needle always finds north. Prayer doesn’t change where north is; it aligns you to it. That’s what Jesus does here. Before the cross, before the chaos, He aligns His heart to the Father’s will.
So what does this teach us?
Real prayer doesn’t start with “God, here’s what I want.” It starts with “God, here’s who You are.”
And Jesus shows us that glorifying the Father isn’t just the beginning of prayer—it’s the goal of it. Every answered prayer, every moment of trust, every act of obedience exists so that through our lives, others would see the goodness of God.
So if prayer starts there, what comes next? Once our hearts are aligned with God’s glory, we’re ready to pray for God’s people.
Prayer Intercedes for the People of God
John 17:6–19
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world… Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one… I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.”
If you look back at your handout, you’ll see how this next part of Jesus’ prayer fits right in.
He prays not that His followers would escape the world, but that they would be protected and sanctified within it.
That’s what the next two lines remind us: ‘Seek His Protection and Presence’ and ‘Be Sanctified by the Word.’
These are not just lines on a page—they’re the heartbeat of intercession.
Jesus is teaching us how to pray for others: not only for their safety, but for their strength and their holiness.
The word He uses for protect is tēreō (τηρέω), which means “to guard, to preserve, to keep watch over.” It’s the word used for a shepherd who stays awake through the night, keeping his flock safe. Jesus says, “Father, keep them. Guard them. Preserve them by the power of Your name.”
But then He adds something remarkable:
“I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one.”
In other words, Jesus doesn’t pray for escape; He prays for endurance.
He doesn’t ask the Father to shelter the disciples from hardship, but to strengthen them within it.
We often pray, “God, take me out of this.” Jesus prays, “Father, take them through this.”
That’s a much deeper kind of prayer.
Then Jesus adds a second request:
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
The Greek word hagiazo (ἁγιάζω) means “to make holy, to set apart for sacred purpose.” Jesus prays that His followers would be made holy through the truth of Scripture.
Sanctification isn’t instant; it’s a process of being shaped by God’s Word. It’s the ongoing work of the Spirit that takes us from who we were to who God is calling us to be.
If glorifying the Father is about worship, sanctification is about transformation.
John Wesley said that holiness is not withdrawal from the world, but the renewal of the heart that allows us to live differently in it. That’s exactly what Jesus prays for. “As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” He doesn’t ask for retreat—He prays for mission.
And that’s important to remember: Jesus didn’t pray that life would be easy. He prayed that you’d be holy.
- And He still prays that over us today.
- He prays for your faith to endure.
- He prays for your mind to be renewed by truth
- He prays for your joy to be full even in struggle.
“I speak these things in the world so that they may have My joy made complete in themselves.”
Notice that—Jesus’ joy comes not from circumstances, but from communion with the Father. And He prays that same kind of joy for us.
Matthew Henry once wrote, “The joy of the Lord in the soul is the best preservative against the enticements of the world.”
That’s exactly what Jesus asks for here—that His disciples would be protected, sanctified, and filled with joy.
Illustration:
A gardener knows that pruning isn’t punishment—it’s protection. The vine can’t bear fruit unless it’s trimmed. That’s what Jesus prays for us—that God would prune us, sanctify us, and strengthen us through His truth.
So when we pray for others, we follow this same pattern:
- Pray for their protection—not just from harm, but from losing heart.
- Pray for their sanctification—that they’d grow in grace.
- Pray for their joy—that they’d know Christ’s presence no matter what they face.
That’s what it means to intercede like Jesus—to love people enough to pray not only for their safety, but for their holiness and that takes us to our final point.
Prayer Unites Us in the Love of God
John 17:20–26
“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Now look at how the pattern on your handout ends—‘Live United in Love.’
That’s exactly where Jesus ends His prayer.
He prays that all who believe would be one—not identical, but united.
Prayer that begins in glory and moves through grace always ends in love.
This is the culmination of everything Jesus prayed: that His people would be one, so that the world would know Him.
Now Jesus lifts His eyes even higher.
He begins to pray for future believers—for everyone who will come to faith through the disciples’ message. That means this part of the prayer is about you. You are literally in the words of Jesus here.
He prays for something specific: unity.
The word in Greek is hen (ἕν)—it means one, whole, undivided.
Jesus isn’t asking that we all look the same, think the same, or worship the same way. He’s asking that we be united in love and purpose, just as He and the Father are united.
F.F. Bruce says, “The unity of believers is to be the visible witness to the reality of the gospel.”
In other words, when the church is one, the world can see Christ.
Our unity becomes our testimony.
That’s why Jesus says, “So that the world may believe.” Unity isn’t just a nice ideal—it’s evangelism. When the church loves one another across lines of difference, the world sees something that can’t be explained any other way except God.
Jesus also prays that this unity would flow from love:
“I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
That’s how the prayer ends. Not with requests, but with relationship.
He started by saying, “Father, glorify Your name.” He ends by saying, “Let Your love live in them.”
The truest prayer doesn’t simply end with ‘Amen.’ It ends with a decision to ‘Abide.’
The goal of prayer is not simply to be heard by God but to be formed into His likeness—to be filled with His love.
When you spend time in prayer, you’re not just talking to God; you’re being reshaped by God. The more time you spend in His presence, the more His love begins to define your responses, your relationships, your reactions.
That’s why Jesus prayed this way. He wanted His disciples—and every believer after them—to become living reflections of the love between the Father and the Son.
Illustration:
Think of a choir tuning before a concert. Each singer has their own note, their own tone, but they all tune to the same pitch. That’s what prayer does for the church. It tunes us to the voice of Christ so that together, our lives become a harmony of grace.
When prayer begins with glory and ends in love, it always draws people together.
This is how Jesus prayed. He glorified the Father, He interceded for His people, and He gathered them in love. And He still prays that same way for you.
Glorify. Guard. Gather.
John 17 is not just a record of what Jesus said; it’s a pattern for how we can pray.
If you trace the movements of this prayer, you’ll find everything a faithful prayer life needs.
If you look at your handout one more time, you’ll see the whole pattern laid out—the same rhythm Jesus prayed in John 17:
Glorify the Father. Be Faithful in Your Calling. Seek His Protection. Be Sanctified by the Word. Live United in Love.
That’s not just the outline of a sermon—it’s a blueprint for your prayer life.
Keep it in your Bible this week. Let it remind you that Jesus didn’t just teach us how to pray—He prayed this very prayer for you.
The Lord’s Prayer teaches us what to pray.
John 17 shows us how Jesus prays.
And here’s the good news: the same Jesus who prayed this prayer still prays for you right now.
Hebrews 7:25 says, “He always lives to make intercession for those who come to God through Him.”
That means when you don’t have words, Jesus does. When you feel weak, He is strong. When you can’t pray at all, He is praying for you.
So let His prayer shape yours.
When you pray this week—start with glory.
Move to grace.
And end in love.
Because the goal of prayer is not to get something from God—it’s to become someone who lives with God.
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