The Hour. John 17:1-3 “The hour,” the Lord Jesus referred to, involved His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. He mentioned that hour earlier in passages like 2:4, 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1, and now speaks of “the hour” having arrived. His prayer was that His mission to the world would be made known through His death on the cross. There were two main reasons for that mission. The first was that the Son would glorify the Father by revealing to the world that the Father is the God of justice and love. The second reason was that through His death on the cross, God would provide forgiveness for sins and grant eternal life to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Consider the first five verses when He prays about Himself as you read this prayer. Several times during the upper room ministry, the Lord spoke about specific topics as He delivered His final discourse. Then, through verse 19, see what He had to say about His disciples and some lessons to be learned. The last verses concern the entire Body of this dispensation and reveal the Lord’s mind today.
The Father glorified the Son by sustaining Him through His suffering and death on the cross and by resurrecting Him to life. The Son glorified the Father by “offering Himself without spot to God” for our salvation. The result of that complete work is that eternal life has been made available to those who are growing in their knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, in contrast to those who worship false gods.
John 17. The Intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer for Himself: 1-5. When praying about Himself, He says, “Father.” Prayer for His own: 6-19. When praying about His own, He says, Holy Father.” Prayer for the Church: 20-26. When praying about the world, He says, “Righteous Father.”
The Lord Jesus asked that He protect the disciples and those who believe in Him during the difficult times ahead. They would face persecution for the sake of God’s kingdom. He also asked that they be united through their connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The work of the Lord Jesus Christ in this prayer involved making God’s name known to His followers, v.6; giving them God’s Word, v.8; praying for them, v.9,15; keeping them, v.12; sending them, v.18; sanctifying them, v.19; and sharing God’s glory with them, v.22. He understood the qualities of His disciples, v.6-19. They demonstrated Thy name, which involves the nature of the Father’s name. They belong to God — Thine they were, v.6. They were given to the Son and kept Thy word, v.6 — even in weakness and ignorance, with Christ acting as their Advocate. They honor the Son, v.10, even though they are hated, v.14, because they are not of the world, v.14.
The Lord's prayer for His disciples was that the Father would keep them: v.11, sanctify them: v.17, unite them: v.21, let them be with Him: v.24, glorify them: v.24, let love be in them: v.26, and let Christ be in them: v.26. The Lord's relationships are with the Father, [v.1] “Thy Son;” the world, [v.2] “All flesh;” and with the believers, [v.11]; “His own.” The purpose of the prayer was because His work was done, “the hour comes;” His presence was about to be withdrawn from His own, and His own were to stay, and they needed help.
Intercessory prayer is an essential part of the life of the Body of Christ. In 1 Timothy 2, we are instructed to pray first of all for kings and those in authority so that we might lead quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness and honesty. We are told that God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Therefore, when our Lord prayed His intercessory prayer, it served as both an example and a comfort to God’s people today.