The High Priestly Prayer - Week 21

John 17


Note: The study related to these questions may be found at Catholic Exchange. Please go to their site for the complete material concerning this study. Unless otherwise noted, on scriptural references are from the Revised Standard Version (RSV). Below are my thoughts on the questions presented for the given study (Please see disclaimer at bottom).

Read John 17:1-26

1. All throughout John's gospel we have been told that Jesus "hour had not yet come". Now Jesus states, "Father, the hour has come". What is "the hour"?
(a) The hour refers to His Death and Resurrection.

2. The well-known prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, commonly known as the "Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father", was an example given by Jesus as to how we should pray. This prayer recorded by St. John, however, is Jesus' personal prayer to the Father. Why is this prayer known as the "Priestly Prayer"? When did Jesus pray this prayer, i.e., what had occurred just prior to this?
(a) This prayer is known as the "Priestly Prayer" because through it Jesus offers Himself as High Priest and confers ordination on the Apostles as first priests of the New Covenant. It consists of three parts:

Prayer of Glory (1-5)
Prayer for the Apostles (6-19)
Prayer for the Church (20-26)
Jesus prays this prayer immedietly after counseling the Apostles that they would encounter "tribulation" in the world, but would find "peace" in Him.

3. The Apostles were present and were privy to this prayer. What might they have learned from listening to Jesus pray to the Father? What kind of examples might Jesus have imparted to them from their witness of His communication with the Father? Does Jesus continue to pray for us? (See Hebrews 7:25)
(a) That God may be referred to as Father and that God is glorified when we perform His work. (b) The Apostles, through the example of Jesus, would know to pray to the Father for our needs and for His will. (c) Yes. From the Letter to the Hebrews:
23: The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; 24: but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. 25: Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26: For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27: He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. (Heb 7:23-27)


4. What does Jesus mean in, verse 10, speaking of His Apostles, "I am glorified in them"?
(a) They the Apostles are doing His work.

5. Read verses 11-19. What four things did Jesus ask the Father to give His Apostles?
(a) The four things Jesus asks for the Apostles are:
To keep them in the Father's name
To keep them as one
To keep them from the evil one
To sanctify them in the truth


6. In verse 17, Jesus asks for His Apostles to be sanctified in truth. What does it mean to be sanctified? Jesus went on to say, in verse 19, that He consecrated Himself so that they might also be consecrated in truth. Read Jeremiah 1:5 and Hebrews 13:12. What do you think Jesus meant about sanctifying and consecrating His Apostles?
(a) To be made holy. Also note that Jesus referred to Himself as the Truth, so in essence He asks that the Apostles be sanctified in Him. (b) From the Book of Jeremiah:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer 1:5)
From the Letter to the Hebrews:
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. (Heb 13:12)
That He was making them priests of the New Covenant.

7. What does Jesus' statement in verse 15 imply about the state of the world?
(a) That the evil one, Satan, exists in the world.

8. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 189 and 2798. What does it mean to be kept in God's Name?
(a) From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
189 The first "profession of faith" is made during Baptism. The symbol of faith is first and foremost the baptismal creed. Since Baptism is given "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit",3 the truths of faith professed during Baptism are articulated in terms of their reference to the three persons of the Holy Trinity. (CCC, 189)
2798 We can invoke God as "Father" because the Son of God made man has revealed him to us. In this Son, through Baptism, we are incorporated and adopted as sons of God. (CCC, 2798)
To remain God's children.

9. Read verse 20. How will others come to believe in Jesus after His ascension? What is the importance of this statement?
(a) Through the word of the Apostles. (b) This statement is important because it illustrates Jesus' desire to have people come through him through the teaching and evangelizaing of the Apostles.

10. In what way does Jesus mean for all Christians to be one as He and the Father are one?
(a) That all Christians, through Baptism and the other Sacraments, belong to the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Disclaimer: I do not wish to present myself as an expert in either theology, history, or scriptural interpretation. I am merely someone who is attempting to answer the call of Christ. The ultimate authority and interpreter of scripture is our Holy Catholic Church. If at any point I deviate from the teachings of the Church, please correct me, alfredo@nevarez.net, as this is my shortcoming and in no way meant to be an expression of my views superceding those of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

San Jose Bible Study
 Alfredo Nevarez
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 alfredo@nevarez.net
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