Jesus Finished the Father’s Work

¹This is what Jesus prayed as he looked up into heaven,

“Father, the time has come.

Unveil the glorious splendor of your Son

so that I will magnify your glory!

²You have already given me authority[#17:2 The Aramaic is translated “responsibility.”]

over all people so that I may give

the gift of eternal life to all those that you have given to me.

³Eternal life means to know and experience you

as the only true God,

and to know and experience Jesus Christ,

as the Son whom you have sent.

⁴I have glorified you on the earth

by faithfully doing everything you’ve told me to do.

⁵So my Father, restore me back to the glory

that we shared together when we were face-to-face

before the universe was created.”

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

⁶“Father, I have manifested who you really are

and I have revealed you to the men and women

that you gave to me.

They were yours, and you gave them to me,

and they have fastened your Word firmly to their hearts.

⁷And now at last they know that everything I have is a gift from you,

⁸And the very words you gave to me to speak

I have passed on to them.

They have received your words

and carry them in their hearts.

They are convinced that I have come from your presence,

and they have fully believed that you sent me to represent you.

⁹So with deep love, I pray for my disciples.[#17:9 The Aramaic can be translated “I desired [loved] them.” The Greek is “I pray for them.” This translation has chosen to include both concepts.]

I’m not asking on behalf of the unbelieving world,

but for those who belong to you,

those you have given me.

¹⁰For all who belong to me now belong to you.

And all who belong to you now belong to me as well,

and my glory is revealed through their surrendered lives.

¹¹“Holy Father, I am about to leave this world[#17:11 Or “I am no longer in the world.”]

to return and be with you,

but my disciples will remain here.

Holy Father, each one that you have given me,

keep them in your name so that they will be united

as one, even as we are one.

¹²While I was with these that you have given me,[#17:12 See footnote on v. 11.]

I was guarding them and keeping them in your name.

Not one of them is lost,

except the one that was destined to be lost,

so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

¹³“But now I am returning to you so Father,

I pray that they will experience

and enter into my joyous delight in you

so that it is fulfilled in them and overflows.

¹⁴I have given them your message

and that is why the unbelieving world hates them.

For their allegiance is no longer to this world

because I am not of this world.

¹⁵I am not asking that you remove them from the world,

but I ask that you guard their hearts from evil,

¹⁶For they no longer belong to this world any more than I do.

¹⁷“Your Word is truth! So make them holy by the truth.

¹⁸I have commissioned them to represent me

just as you commissioned me to represent you.

¹⁹And now I dedicate myself to them as a holy sacrifice

so that they will live as fully dedicated to God

and be made holy by your truth.”

Jesus Prays for You

²⁰“And I ask not only for these disciples,

but also for all those who will one day

believe in me through their message.

²¹I pray for them all to be joined together as one[#17:21 Jesus prayed for the birth of the church, made up of Jewish and non-Jewish believers.]

even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one.

I pray for them to become one with us

so that the world will recognize that you sent me.

²²For the very glory you have given to me I have given them

so that they will be joined together as one

and experience the same unity that we enjoy.

²³You live fully in me and now I live fully in them

so that they will experience perfect unity,

and the world will be convinced that you have sent me,

for they will see that you love each one of them

with the same passionate love that you have for me.

²⁴“Father, I ask that you allow everyone that you have given to me

to be with me where I am!

Then they will see my full glory—

the very splendor you have placed upon me

because you have loved me even before the beginning of time.

²⁵“You are my righteous Father,[#17:25 As translated from the Aramaic.]

but the unbelieving world has never known you

in the perfect way that I know you!

And all those who believe in me

also know that you have sent me!

²⁶I have revealed to them who you are[#17:26 Or “I have revealed your name to them.”]

and I will continue to make you even more real to them,

so that they may experience the same endless love

that you have for me,

for your love will now live in them, even as I live in them!”