Jesus' Parting Words of Comfort

On the night of Jesus’ last Passover, betrayal and arrest, Jesus prayed an emotional prayer to the Father for His apostles and disciples. That prayer is found in John chapter 17. Note the emphasis that Jesus has on the word of God throughout this chapter.

John 17:1-5: Jesus knows that “the hour has come” and says a prayer. And in this prayer, Jesus reveals His loyalty and devotion to the Father. Jesus willed to do the will of the Father and thereby to glorify Him.

John 17:6-19: Jesus prayed for the apostles that God had given Him. The one strong desire he expressed for them was that they be one; to be unified. Evidently, that was not only a great desire but a great concern. His concern was justified by the division in the Christian religious world. The means by which God would bring about unity was by God’s wors, God’s truth.

John 17:20-23: Jesus goes on to pray for all those who believe because of the work of the apostles. Jesus repeats over and over again in verses 21-23 that they would be all one, united in Him through the word of God.

John 17:24-26: Jesus closes His prayer with a prayer for that which such unity in Christ on earth would produce: unity, glory, and love together in heaven.