The Prayer Jesus Prayed for Us

Bible Passage: John 17:20-23

Summary: In John 17:20–23, Jesus prays not only for His disciples but for every believer who would come to faith through their message, including us today. He asks the Father to unite His people with the same kind of unity found between the Father and the Son—a unity made possible through the glory He gives to His church. This supernatural unity becomes the church’s visible witness to the world, revealing that Jesus truly is the One sent from the Father and that believers are loved with the very love God has for His Son.

Application: Because Jesus prayed for our unity and gave us His glory to make it possible, we must pursue relationships shaped by His presence—relationships marked by humility, forgiveness, and sacrificial love. When we let Christ’s character reshape how we treat one another, our unity becomes a living testimony that draws others toward Him. The invitation for every believer is to yield to Christ’s glory so that our life together displays the love of God in a divided world.

Big Idea: Jesus prayed and provided everything necessary for His people to become a unified, glory-shaped community whose life together reveals the love of God to the world.

Introduction:

Good morning, today we will be in the book of John chapter 17. If anyone is familiar with this chapter they know that it is a heavy chapter that is filled with the theology of the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. But today we will just look at four verses.

Please stand if your able for the reading of God’s Word.

English Standard Version Chapter 17

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for your wonderful Word. We see here this prayer that you prayed for us, this prayer that transcends time and space. That extends to us and beyond us. Lord, we are greatful for this prayer, and for they way that you intercede for us today. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

i. Hook:

There are moments in life when someone’s prayer marks you forever — moments when the hand of another believer on your shoulder becomes the very means by which God steadies your heart.

I remember one of those moments very clearly.

When I was becoming a candidate under care in our denomination, I had to stand before a large gathering of pastors from across the Northeast. I had to share my testimony — how the Lord saved me, how He called me, why I believed pastoral ministry was His direction for my life.

I was nervous. My heart was pounding. And after I finished, I felt like I hadn’t done a great job. I wondered if my words made sense, if my calling sounded convincing, if I had represented the Lord well.

But after they voted, something happened that I will never forget.

The congregation began to pray over us, and an older brother in the faith — Elder Joe Selinski — quietly walked up behind me. He placed his hand on my back and began to pray.

And in that moment, something settled in my soul.

His prayer didn’t just comfort me — it confirmed something deep within me. It made my calling feel real, solid, grounded. God used the prayer of a brother to strengthen the work He had begun in me.

There is power in knowing someone is praying for you.

But imagine something far greater:

What if Jesus Himself prayed for you?

What if the Son of God — on the night before the cross — lifted His eyes to heaven and spoke your future, your faith, your unity, your life in God into the Father’s presence?

That is exactly what John 17 allows us to witness.

ii. Contextual Setup:

In John 17 — often called the High Priestly Prayer — Jesus stands on the threshold of His suffering. His betrayal is near. His arrest is moments away. But before He walks into the darkness of Gethsemane, He prays.

He prays first for Himself (17:1–5).

He prays next for the eleven disciples (17:6–19).

But then, in a staggering moment of divine love, He extends His prayer beyond the boundaries of time:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (John 17:20).

Jesus looks across the centuries and prays for all who would come to faith through the message of the apostles — a message that has traveled from their mouths to the early church… from the early church across continents… from generation to generation… until the gospel reached you.

This means that long before you believed,

long before you were born,

long before your story even began,

Jesus prayed for you.

He prayed for your faith.

He prayed for your unity with His people.

He prayed that the very glory He shared with the Father would shape your life.

He prayed that His people would live in such oneness with God — and with one another — that the world would see divine love on display.

This is not a prayer for comfort.

Not a prayer for earthly success.

Not a prayer for temporary ease.

This is a prayer for unity, glory, divine life, and mission.

Jesus asks the Father to form a people whose shared life together reveals who God is.

A people so united by divine love that the world cannot ignore the reality of Christ.

A people empowered by His presence, shaped by His character, and sent out with His message.

That is what Jesus prayed for when He prayed for us in John 17:20–23.

iii. Main Idea:

Jesus prays that all future believers would be unified in the life of God, empowered by His glory, and sent into the world as a living witness to His love.

Today, as we walk through this prayer, we will see four desires of Christ’s heart — four movements in His prayer that reveal what He wants His church to become:

Christ Prays for Future Believers (v. 20)

Christ Prays for Supernatural Unity (v. 21)

Christ Gives His Glory to Produce Unity (v. 22)

Christ Creates a Witnessing Community Loved by the Father (v. 23)

Each of these will show us not only what Jesus prayed — but what Jesus is accomplishing in His people even now.

1. Christ Prayed for Our Faith

John 17:20 ““I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,”

i. Explanation:

Verse 20 marks one of the most astonishing turns in all of Scripture. Jesus has just prayed for the eleven disciples — those who walked with Him, heard His teaching, witnessed His works, and would soon carry His message into the world. But now, in a breathtaking expansion, He prays:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”

This means Jesus is looking beyond the disciples in the room. Beyond the first century. Beyond Israel. Beyond the Roman Empire. He looks across the ages — across history — and His prayer embraces every believer who would come to faith through the message of the apostles. The entire future church is now included in His intercession.

And notice how He describes them:

“those who will believe.”

He KNOWS that faith will come. He KNOWS the gospel will spread. He KNOWS the apostolic message will be effective, living, fruitful. The future success of the mission does not rest on human skill or persuasive power — it rests on His prayer, His word, His commissioning.

Pause

Jesus is confident that the word entrusted to the apostles will give birth to a people. Their message — the good news of who He is and what He has done — will travel from place to place, generation to generation, until it reaches the ends of the earth.

This shows us something profound:

The church exists because Jesus prayed it into existence.

ii. Illustration:

Imagine standing on the shore while a vast ocean tide rolls in.

You aren’t pushing the water.

You aren’t directing its path.

You aren’t supplying it with power.

The tide comes because a force far greater than you is pulling it — the gravitational pull of the moon, invisible and unstoppable.

No matter how the shoreline curves…

No matter what obstacles stand in the way…

No matter what storms or winds try to resist…

The tide arrives because a force beyond human influence draws it.

This is what Jesus is describing in verse 20.

The faith that rises in human hearts across history is not a result of human ingenuity — it is the result of His sovereign pull, His intercession, His plan, His power.

The ocean of belief moves across generations because Christ Himself pulls it forward.

You did not drift into faith.

Your salvation was not random.

Your belief did not begin with you.

It began with Him — with His word, His prayer, His will.

Just as the tide cannot be stopped, the spread of the gospel could not be prevented, because it was driven by the unstoppable purpose of Christ.

iii. Argumentation:

This reveals several truths about Jesus and His mission:

First, Jesus anchors the entire future church in the apostolic word.

He does not pray for those who believe through emotional experience or human wisdom, but for those who believe “through their word.” The message He entrusted to His disciples would become the foundation of Christian faith. He establishes the church on revelation, not speculation.

Second, Jesus sees the future as certain — because He controls it.

He does not say “if any will believe,” but “those who will believe.” He speaks with divine certainty. The gospel will advance. The church will grow. People will come to faith — not because of human strategy but because of His sovereign purpose.

Third, Jesus’ prayer reveals His tender love.

He thought about you.

He prayed for you.

Before you ever sought Him, He sought you.

Before your heart believed, His heart interceded.

He prayed for your salvation long before you breathed your first breath.

Fourth, Jesus shows that no believer stands alone in history.

Your story is not isolated — it is part of a sweeping movement of God.

From the apostles… to the early church… to the persecuted faithful… to the Reformers… to missionaries… to generations of Christians… the wave of the gospel has been moving steadily because Christ ensures its advance.

iv. Application:

So what should this produce in us?

A. Confidence in Christ’s control over our salvation.

Your faith is not fragile — it rests on Christ’s intercession.

You are not an accident of history — you were included in His prayer.

B. Confidence in the message of the gospel.

The word that has saved generations is the same word that saves today.

We do not need a new message — we stand on the message Jesus prayed over.

C. Confidence in our mission.

If Jesus is the One pulling the tide of belief across the world, then our evangelism is never wasted. Our witness is never powerless. We speak because He draws. We preach because He calls. We share because He has determined that people will believe through His word.

D. Confidence in His love.

You were not an afterthought in the heart of Christ.

You were part of His prayer.

Part of His purpose.

Pause

Transition:

Jesus begins by praying for all who will believe — and the very next verse reveals what He wants for those believers.

2. Christ Prayed for Our Unity

(Don’t Read) John 17:21 “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

i. Explanation:

Jesus reveals the first great desire He has for every future believer: unity.

He says in verse 21:

“that they may all be one; just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

This is not superficial unity.

Not organizational unity.

Not unity created by shared preferences, personalities, or backgrounds.

Jesus prays for a unity that mirrors the unity of the Father and the Son — a unity rooted in shared life, shared love, and shared purpose. He is not praying that believers lose their individuality or collapse into sameness. The Father and the Son are distinct Persons. Yet Their unity is perfect — a unity of will, of love, of fellowship, and of mutual indwelling.

Jesus wants His people to share in that same kind of unity.

Notice the phrase:

“may they also be in us…”

Believers are not united around God as a concept; we are united in God — in the life of the Father and the Son. Our unity flows from our shared participation in the life of God through Jesus Christ.

And then Jesus gives the purpose:

“so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Christian unity is not merely for internal peace — it is part of God’s mission. The world is meant to see something in the unity of believers that causes them to recognize the truth of Jesus’ identity. Unity becomes a witness. It becomes a living testimony that the Father sent the Son.

ii. Illustration:

So, imagine you are at your child’s band performance in school.

Before the teacher steps onto the platform, every musician is tuning their instrument. The room is full of competing sounds — strings humming, brass blaring, percussion tapping. It is a swirl of noise, not music. Each musician can mostly play the instrument; each instrument is good, but without direction, the sound is scattered.

Then the teacher raises his hands.

Suddenly the noise becomes harmonious.

The different instruments — each with its own tone, range, and color — begin to follow a single leading. What was once disordered becomes unified. Not because the instruments became the same, but because they were brought under one guiding presence.

That is the unity Jesus prays for in John 17.

The church does not become one by becoming identical.

We become one when our lives respond to the presence of the One who leads us.

His life, His love, His truth becomes the guiding rhythm that draws us into harmony.

Unity is not achieved by removing differences; it is achieved when Jesus becomes the One we follow.

iii. Argumentation:

Let’s consider the depth of what Jesus is saying here.

First, unity is rooted in God Himself.

Jesus does not say, “Be one like a healthy family” or “Be one like a well-run organization.” He says, “Be one as the Father and I are one.” This means Christian unity is theological before it is relational. It is grounded in divine life, not human effort.

Second, unity is produced by shared participation in God.

Believers are united because they are “in” the Son and the Son is “in” the Father. This shared spiritual life forms a bond deeper than any human commonality. Unity is not achieved by negotiation — it is received through union with Christ.

Third, unity has a purpose: the world’s belief.

Jesus ties unity directly to mission. A church marked by division confuses the watching world. A church marked by God-shaped unity reveals the reality of Christ. Unity is not optional — it is essential to our witness.

Fourth, unity is visible.

Jesus expects the world to see it. This means unity cannot be merely internal or invisible. It must be embodied in real, vibrant, sacrificial love toward one another.

Fifth, unity does not erase diversity.

The unity of the Father and Son does not eliminate their distinction. So too, unity among believers does not require sameness. It requires love, humility, and shared allegiance to Christ.

When believers live in this unity, they reveal the very life of God.

iv. Application:

So what does this unity mean for us today?

A. Unity begins with our relationship with God.

If unity flows from being “in” the Father and the Son, then disunity often flows from distance — not from each other, but from God. The closer we draw to Christ, the closer we inevitably draw to each other.

B. Unity requires spiritual maturity.

The unity Jesus describes involves love, humility, patience, and sacrifice. This unity is not sentimental; it is costly. To be united in Christ means we willingly set aside pride, preference, and personal agendas for the sake of His name.

C. Unity displays the gospel.

Our unity is not about liking the same music, voting the same way, or having similar personalities. It is about showing the world that Jesus truly is the Son of God. When believers love one another with the love of God, the world sees a glimpse of divine reality.

D. Unity must be protected.

The enemy always attacks unity because unity is how the church shines the light of Christ. We protect unity when we guard our words, forgive quickly, assume the best, and remember that Christ prayed for us to be one.

E. Unity reminds us we are not alone.

You belong to a people — a body, a family, a communion shaped by God’s own life. Whatever challenges you face, you were never meant to face them alone. Jesus prayed that you would experience the strength and beauty of belonging to His unified people.

Transition:

Jesus prays first that all believers would be one — united in the very life of God. But He doesn’t stop there. He tells us how that unity becomes possible.

3. Christ Has Given Us His Glory To Produce Unity

John 17:22 “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,”

i. Explanation:

Jesus now reveals the means by which His people become united. He says the Father gave Him glory, and that same glory He now gives to His followers. This is not the glory of worldly honor or earthly splendor. It is the glory of God’s presence—the revelation of God’s character, God’s mercy, God’s holiness, God’s love, and God’s truth.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus revealed the glory of God. He displayed the justice of God when He confronted evil. He displayed the mercy of God when He forgave the broken. He displayed the love of God when He laid down His life. And now, He declares that this same glory—the very life of God shining through Him—is given to His people.

He does this “so that they may be one.” Unity does not arise because we agree on everything or because we share similar personalities. It arises when God’s own character is formed in us. Unity is the fruit of glory—of God shaping the inner lives of His people so they resemble the Son who resembles the Father.

ii. Illustration:

Think of how metal changes when it enters a forge.

The fire softens what was rigid and prepares separate pieces to be joined together.

In the same way, the glory of Christ warms and reshapes our hearts so unity becomes possible where it once seemed impossible.

iii. Argumentation:

When Jesus says He has given us the glory the Father gave Him, He is pointing to the transformation that takes place when God reveals Himself to His people. His glory changes how we view holiness, how we understand justice, how we extend mercy, and how we practice forgiveness. As His glory reshapes our hearts, division becomes unnatural. His glory draws us toward one another because it draws us toward Him.

This glory is not a distant or theoretical reality—it is the very presence of God dwelling in His people. It is the knowledge of God that leads to eternal life. It is the manifestation of His love displayed in Jesus’ life and death. When the church receives and reflects this glory, unity becomes possible because unity is no longer resting on human strength. It rests on the life of God within us. His glory creates the spiritual environment where unity thrives and the relational space where love becomes the defining characteristic of God’s people.

iv. Application:

When we welcome the glory of Christ into our lives, unity begins to form naturally. It becomes harder to hold onto bitterness when His mercy fills our hearts. It becomes harder to cling to self-righteousness when His holiness confronts us. It becomes harder to separate ourselves from God’s people when His love draws us toward them. The presence of Christ softens what is rigid in us and heals what is fractured between us.

The glory He gives enables us to see one another not as competitors or obstacles but as fellow recipients of God’s life. When a church embraces this glory, differences do not disappear—they simply lose the power to divide. The fire of His presence is what makes unity possible, desirable, and beautiful.

Transition:

Jesus gives His glory so His people may be one—but His prayer does not end with unity. He reveals why this unity matters. It is not merely internal harmony; it is the way the world comes to see the truth about Him.

4. Christ Sends Us Out With Confidence

John 17:23 “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

i. Explanation:

Jesus now brings His prayer to its climactic purpose. He says that when His people are united in the life of God, the world will see something unmistakable—that the Father truly sent the Son, and that the Father loves believers with the same love He has for Jesus.

These are astounding words. Jesus does not say God loves us “in a similar way” or “to a lesser degree.” He says the Father loves His people even as He loves the Son. The unity produced by God’s presence becomes a visible revelation of this divine love. Unity is not merely a spiritual reality; it is a testimony. Through it, the world glimpses the very heart of God.

ii. Illustration:

A lighthouse may look ordinary during the day, but when darkness falls, its light becomes unmistakable.

Its beam cuts through storm and night, revealing a safe path home for those at sea.

So the unity of God’s people shines in a dark world, guiding others toward the truth and love of Christ.

iii. Argumentation:

When Jesus prays that the world would “know,” He is speaking of more than intellectual awareness. He is describing a recognition born of encounter. The world sees a community shaped by the very love of God—a love that unites, heals, restores, and transforms. This unity bears witness to the truth that Jesus is the One sent from the Father. It bears witness that the same love the Father has eternally poured into the Son is now poured into His people.

Such love is not faint or partial. It is complete, perfect, whole. It is the love that moved the Father to send the Son into the world, the love that sustained Jesus through His ministry, and the love that now rests upon all who belong to Him. A community shaped by this love cannot help but reveal the reality of God. The world may resist doctrine or debate, but it cannot ignore divine love when it is embodied in the lives of God’s people.

iv. Application:

When believers embrace the unity Christ prayed for, their lives become a living invitation to the world. People begin to see relationships marked by grace where the world expects bitterness. They see reconciliation where the world expects division. They see sacrificial love where the world expects self-interest. These visible expressions of unity become a witness that Jesus is truly the Son of God.

The church does not convince the world by force or argument alone. It convinces the world by embodying the love it proclaims. When believers live in the love the Father has for the Son, their unity becomes a testimony that God is real, that Jesus saves, and that the gospel transforms. The world notices a community shaped by love because such love is rare. And in noticing, some begin to believe.

5. Conclusion:

As we close, we remember that everything Jesus prayed in John 17—our faith, our unity, our glory, our witness—was spoken on the eve of His suffering. He prayed these things knowing the cross was before Him, knowing His death would accomplish everything His prayer contained. His sacrifice is what makes our unity real, His presence possible, and God’s love certain.

So as we come to the Lord’s Table tonight, we remember that His body broken and His blood shed are the foundation of this prayer. The cross is what secured our place in God’s family and made us one people in Christ. Remembering His death is not separate from this passage—it is the fulfillment of it.

So, let us pray, then we’ll have our own Joe Selinski lead us in communion as we remember the Lord together.

Prayer:

Lord, we are so thankful for this prayer that your prayed for us. This prayer that empowers us to live the Christian life, that unites us together with You and the Father. That unites us in mission. Lord, we are greatful that even today, you continue to intercede for us. In Jesus mighty name we pray, Amen.