John 17:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

NIV: For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

NASB: for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

CSB: because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.

NLT: for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

KJV: For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

NKJV: For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

This echoes Jesus' earlier statements: that part of His mission was to pass along the message of God the Father (John 8:28; 12:49). As He prays for the disciples, in particular, He refers to their faith.

Jesus' closest followers were far from perfect. He spent quite a bit of time correcting—even rebuking—when they struggled to understand His lessons (Matthew 8:26). Sometimes, those mistakes were a matter of misinterpreting the Old Testament, or the law of Moses (Luke 24:25–26). In other instances, pride and overconfidence tripped them up (Mark 8:33). Despite those errors, the men Jesus selected to become "the Twelve" (Matthew 10:1–4) held sincere, legitimate faith in Him and His message (John 6:68–69). That has always been the one and only requirement to be a "true believer." Perfection is not required—only humble, submissive faith.

Of course, one of the men Jesus placed in His inner circle chose betrayal and damnation, instead. Judas' treachery wasn't a surprise to Christ (John 6:64), and it's something still on His mind even as He prays for those who remained loyal (John 17:12).

John 17:6–19 continues the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, prior to crossing into the garden of Gethsemane. After asking God the Father to glorify Him, so He may glorify the Father, Jesus now prays for His disciples. Earlier passages included Jesus' warnings about persecution (John 16:1–4). His plea, here, is for the apostles' continued faith in the face of that hardship. While this passage has application for all Christians, the immediate subject is Jesus' immediate circle of closest disciples. After this, Jesus' prayer will continue with an emphasis on all future believers.

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.