John 17:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

NIV: I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

NASB: I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on the behalf of those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours;

CSB: "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours.

NLT: My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you.

KJV: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

NKJV: “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

At the conclusion of the Last Supper (John 13—16), Jesus has been praying. These words are spoken before Jesus and the disciples cross into Gethsemane, where He will continue to pray before being arrested (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46). What we now call the "High Priestly Prayer" began with references to the glory of God (John 17:1–5). Then Christ prayed for His closest followers: the inner circle who truly believed (John 17:6–8). The "them" referred to here are those eleven men. The twelfth of that core group (Matthew 10:1–4), Judas, has already proven his lack of faith (John 17:12).

Even though Jesus is most directly praying for the apostles, His prayer does have application to all who come to faith in Christ (John 17:20). The one group for whom these prayers is absolutely not applicable is unbelievers: those who do not believe in the Son of God (John 3:16–18, 36; 14:6).

Here, again, Jesus equates Himself with God the Father (John 16:15), and He will repeat that assertion in the following verse (John 17:10). Those who belong to Jesus belong to God (John 6:37).

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.