John 17:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

NIV: I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

NASB: and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.'

CSB: I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them."

NLT: I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.'

KJV: And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

NKJV: And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

The end of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (John 17:1) ties together many of the themes on which He has prayed.

Christ's life, teachings, and miracles demonstrated the will of God the Father (John 10:25, 37–38; 17:4, 6). In this way, He presented "the name" of God—meaning God's authority, power, and nature—to humanity (Hebrews 1:3). To this point in His earthly life, Jesus has fulfilled that mission from God. He has said, done, and acted exactly as God the Father wills (John 5:30).

The context of Jesus' prayer is His impending arrest, torture, and execution (John 18:1–3). Even through this experience, He will continue to speak and act only according to the will of God (Matthew 26:53; Mark 14:61–62; Luke 22:42; John 18:37). This was, in fact, part of His purpose in being sent by God the Father (John 12:32–33).

A major theme of Jesus' teaching on the night of His arrest was godly love. This concept of love, in fact, is meant to be the hallmark of Christian faith (John 13:34–35; 17:21). That love leads to unity (Colossians 3:14), grounded in sincere obedience to Christ (John 14:15), demonstrating His truth to the world (Matthew 5:13–16).

Following this prayer, Jesus will cross into Gethsemane and continue to pray (Matthew 26:36–46). Those details, John leaves to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

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.