John 17:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

NIV: "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,

NASB: I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word,

CSB: "I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.

NLT: I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.

KJV: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

NKJV: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

In the earlier portion of this High Priestly Prayer, Jesus made requests on His own behalf (John 17:1–5). Next, He prayed for those God had given Him out of the world (John 17:6–19). In the most immediate context, this meant the inner circle of disciples. However, many of those ideas also apply to Christians living in the world today, as this verse implies. Here, Jesus begins explicitly praying for the spiritual well-being of those who will come to faith through the ministry of the apostles.

The "word" which these men will utilize is the overall message of God. That includes the person and ministry of Jesus Christ (John 1:1), His teachings (John 14:26; Matthew 28:19–20), and the written messages the apostles will record (2 Timothy 3:16). Just as God the Son—Jesus—was sent into the world to proclaim a message from God the Father (John 10:36–38; 17:6–8), so too are Christian believers sent into the world to proclaim a message given to us by Christ (John 17:18).

A major theme of this prayer, seen expressed in the next verses, is an appeal for unity expressed in Christian love (John 17:26).

John 17:20–26 completes the High Priestly Prayer offered by Jesus just before He goes to Gethsemane, where He will be captured by His enemies. His prayer has included requests on behalf of Himself and His closest disciples. Now, Christ begins to pray for those who will come to faith in Him through the writings and teachings of those apostles. A major theme of this prayer is for love and unity.

In this passage, known as the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus speaks to God about three main topics. First is Christ Himself, asking God the Father to glorify Him so He can glorify the Father. Next, Jesus prays for the faith and courage in His closest disciples. Finally, He prays for those who will come to faith because of the apostles' writing and teaching. This moment occurs before Jesus enters Gethsemane, where the other Gospels will record His final anguished prayers before being arrested (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46).

Over the last several chapters (John 13—16), Jesus has been giving last-minute instruction to His closest disciples. These lessons composed a large part of the Last Supper. Among those teachings were several warnings about persecution, with the encouragement of knowing the Holy Spirit would come. In chapter 17, we read Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, making requests on behalf of Himself, the apostles, and future believers. After this, Jesus will go into Gethsemane where Judas will turn Him over for arrest and His eventual execution.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.