John 17:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

NIV: Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.

NASB: Now they have come to know that everything which You have given Me is from You;

CSB: Now they know that everything you have given me is from you,

NLT: Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you,

KJV: Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

NKJV: Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.

A large portion of Jesus' lessons to the disciples was demonstrating His divine nature (John 2:11; 14:11; Mark 4:41; Matthew 16:13–17). While these men don't fully grasp all that is about to happen (John 12:32–34), they seem fully convinced that Jesus is the Promised One, and what He teaches them comes directly from God (John 5:36; 10:29; 12:49).

In this portion of the High Priestly Prayer (John 17:1), Jesus is praying for His closest followers, often referred to as the Twelve (Matthew 26:14; Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1; John 6:67). One of these men, sadly, has chosen disobedience and damnation (John 17:12), but the others chose to "keep [God's] word" (John 17:6). Earlier this same evening, Jesus warned about impending persecution (John 16:1–4), while also speaking comfort about the role of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13–14). This part of His prayer focuses on the apostles and their ability to remain faithful despite the hard times to come.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/2/2024 2:52:21 PM