Jesus's High Priestly Prayer: John 17- Tim Horman
This week Tim Horman concluded our "Teach Us to Pray" serieswith a truly special passage: John 17. Often called Jesus's High Priestly Prayer, it's a window into the most intimate conversation between Jesus and His Father.
Below you’ll find a summary of his sermon with small group discussion questions as well as an audio and video recording of Tim’s message.
The Heart of Prayer: Knowing Our Loving Father
When we look at Jesus's teachings on prayer throughout the Gospels, a beautiful theme emerges: He's less interested in giving us a rigid formula or technique and much more keen on revealing the true character of God. He wants us to know the Father's heart, His boundless love, and His unwavering goodness. This understanding is the foundation for truly confident and trusting prayer.
In John 17, we're invited into a deeply sacred space. Imagine stepping into the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the ancient temple, but this time, you're not just observing – you're overhearing a conversation at the very heart of the universe. Jesus, on the night before His crucifixion, prays this incredible prayer of intercession. It's an intimate exchange of love between God the Father and God the Son, made possible by the Holy Spirit. This isn't just a prayer; it's a revelation.
Tim beautifully describes this, saying:
"We are brought into the most sacred place on earth and we get to overhear an intimate conversation of love between God the Father and God the Son made possible by God the Holy Spirit."
The central aim of Jesus's entire ministry, the very reason He was sent, is revealed in this prayer: that we might know the Father as He knows the Father, and that we might be loved by the Father as much as the Father loves His own Son. This knowing isn't just head knowledge; it's a deep, transformative relationship that, as Jesus says, is eternal life (John 17:3). Everything Jesus said and did was to direct our attention to the Father's incredible love for us. As John wrote much later, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9).
Connecting to Our Lives: Resting in His Embrace
So, what does this extraordinary prayer mean for us today?
Firstly, Jesus prays for us! Three times in this prayer, Jesus asks the Father to help us with the challenges of being His followers in this world. He prays for our protection from the evil one (v. 15), for us to be sanctified by the truth (v. 17), and for us to experience unity with one another, just as He and the Father are one (v. 23). It's an incredible thought that Jesus is interceding for us, asking the Father to act powerfully on our behalf!
Perhaps the most radical insight from John 17 is this: Jesus isn't asking us to do anything. He’s asking the Father to act. The deepest longing of Jesus's heart is for His Father to be glorified through Him, which means for the Father's true nature to be revealed to the world.
And what is that glory? It's not a dazzling display of terrifying power, but something far more profound. It's revealed on the cross. It's Jesus, the night He prays this, humbly washing His disciples' feet. It's Him refusing violence and calling His betrayer "friend." It's enduring unimaginable suffering without retaliation. It's His cry from the cross, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
This is the glory of God: His limitless, self-emptying love, laying down His life for the life of the world. As Tim highlighted:
"This is the glory of God… He could have manifested his glory and his might and his magnificence in a dazzling display of raw and terrifying power in judgment and divine wrath, but instead he chose to lay down his life for his friends and his enemies."
When you know this, it changes everything about how you pray. If you believe God is distant, angry, or disappointed, your prayers will be shaped by fear. But Jesus reveals a Father who loves you so much He gave His own Son for you! This isn't a Father who tolerates you; this is a Father who says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Prayer, then, isn't primarily about our words or a list of needs. It's about knowing and trusting in the character of our heavenly Father. It's about learning to receive and enjoy Christ, letting Him lead us into the Father’s presence. When we grasp this, we realise that Jesus has already prayed everything that ever needs to be prayed on our behalf. His prayer for us will never fail. We are already with Him, in the presence of the Father.
One Way to Live it Out
This week, take just five minutes each day to quietly sit in God's presence. Instead of rushing to speak, simply imagine resting your head on Jesus's chest, listening to the beating heart of His love for you. Let His peace fill you.
The "Teach Us to Pray" series has taught us that true prayer flows from a deep understanding of God's character. In John 17, Jesus reveals the Father's heart of boundless, self-giving love, a love demonstrated most powerfully on the cross. Our greatest act of prayer is often simply to rest in His embrace, trusting in His perfect intercession for us.
A Short Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your incredible love revealed through Jesus. Thank you for His High Priestly Prayer, showing us your true character. Help us to truly know you, to rest in your embrace, and to trust that Jesus has prayed all that we need. In Jesus's precious name, Amen.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
For Personal Reflection:
How has your understanding of God's character previously influenced the way you pray?
What does it mean to you that Jesus's primary desire is for you to "know the Father as He knows the Father"?
Considering Jesus's prayer in John 17, how might you approach prayer differently this week?
For Small Group Discussion:
What was one thing that stood out to you from Jesus's prayer in John 17, as we discussed it today?
The sermon highlighted that Jesus isn't interested in teaching us "techniques" for prayer, but rather revealing "the heart of the Father." How does this shift your perspective on prayer?
Tim mentioned that prayer becomes "the overflow of our friendship with Jesus." What do you think this looks like in practical terms for our everyday lives?
Jesus prays three specific things for His disciples (and for us): protection from evil, sanctification by truth, and unity. Which of these resonates most deeply with you right now, and why?
How does understanding the "glory of God" as revealed on the cross – God's self-emptying love – challenge or deepen your perception of God?
If prayer is about "learning how to receive and enjoy Christ like a little child," what might be holding you back from doing that?
Jesus has already prayed everything that needs to be prayed on our behalf. How does this truth bring you comfort or challenge in your own prayer life?
Let’s share one specific thing we'd like to pray for each other this week, based on our discussion today, asking the Holy Spirit to help us embrace the Father's love.