This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki and Saint Stephen’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 17 May 2026. The Bible Reading was John 17:1-11

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your word.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit,
May You speak to my heart,
And change my life.
In the precious name of Jesus I pray.
Amen.  

Introduction

This prayer is often called the High Priestly Prayer. Because in the OT the High Priest would enter once a year into the Holiest of Holies and pray for the people before he offered a sacrifice for their sins. Jesus prays, before he lays down his own life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

This is a prayer the disciples actually hear, rather than falling asleep in the garden or running away. And in this prayer, we catch a glimpse of the unique and intimate relationship Jesus experienced with his heavenly Father as he offers us the longest prayer recorded in Scripture. Jesus’ prayer covers the whole of chapter 17, we’re only looking at verses 1-11 today.

It has often been said that you can learn much about a person when you hear them pray – and that’s so true, isn’t it? We learn about someone’s heart, their vulnerabilities, their faith and trust in God. And in this prayer, we gain an intimate look into the heart of Jesus, pulling back the curtain on His deepest desires for Himself, for His disciples, and for every single believer who would come after them – including you and me.

1. Jesus Prays For Himself vs 1-5

The High Priestly Prayer begins with one of the most stunning requests in all of Scripture, vs1: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (ESV). This is not a plea for personal honour or earthly acclaim. It is a solemn declaration that the very purpose of Jesus’s life – the cross – has finally arrived.

That simple phrase, “the hour has come,” is absolutely loaded with theological meaning. Throughout John’s Gospel, this specific “hour” points to the divinely appointed time for His crucifixion and resurrection. It is the climax of salvation history, the moment everything has been building toward.

Jesus’ first request to the Father is: ‘Glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you.’  Jesus is the manifestation of God’s character. The glory of Jesus reveals who God really is and Jesus want’s people to see God’s glory through him.  There is no way to honour God, to know who he really is, to encounter his glory, except through his Son. Jesus knew what would bring glory to God, what would reveal him to be who he is – the loving, holy, all-powerful, wonderful Creator-God, who has become our salvation.

We have often been taught that it’s wrong to pray for ourselves. Anglican intercessions often cover anything and everything yet often omit to pray for ourselves – yet we need prayer just as much as everyone else. ‘I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.’

Jesus knew that his obedience, not just through his life on earth, but his obedience to death would reveal the glory of God. And so, he prays (vs5) that the Father would clothe him with the glory and splendour had shared throughout eternity with the Father in heaven. This link between suffering and glory is a critical truth for anyone walking through trials or leading others through them. It teaches us that our most difficult moments can become platforms for displaying God’s power and faithfulness. Jesus didn’t see the cross as a defeat, but as the direct path to His glorification.

In this prayer, Jesus reframes suffering as the very means by which God’s ultimate purpose is achieved. The cross isn’t an obstacle to glory; it is the stage upon which God’s glory is most perfectly displayed to the world. This perspective is foundational for each one of us. It’s a powerful reminder that God works through our weakness, and that true discipleship is rooted in sacrifice, not status.  Grasping this dynamic reframes our entire approach to Christian service. It grounds our efforts not in our own strength or ambition, but in sacrificial love.

2. Jesus Prays For His Disciples vs 6-10

After praying for His own glorification through the cross, Jesus’s prayer takes a compassionate turn. His heart moves toward the small, vulnerable band of disciples He is about to leave behind in a world that is deeply hostile to their message. This time for the disciples is a mix of fear and possibility. As they head off into the unknown, life without Jesus, their leader who has challenged and nurtured them, there is much to be afraid of and much to be excited about. It’s a wonderful thought that Jesus prayed for his disciples before they faced the challenges of the first Easter.

We naturally focus on the suffering of Jesus. However, the pain and danger weren’t exclusively his. The path to the glory Jesus refers to will be one of division. Jesus doesn’t focus on the coming suffering. Rather, his gaze is fixed beyond the events of Good Friday towards Resurrection Sunday. He looks to his coming Ascension and heavenly crowning. 

Jesus gives thanks to the father for his disciples and says they belonged to the Father from eternity (6b). God knows those who are his and he has revealed the Father to them: ‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave to me out of the world’ (17:6). Christianity is not a faith for those who are wiser than others, because by their intellect they understand ‘the truth.’ Christianity is a revelation faith, where God has taken the initiative to reveal himself to us. Jesus prayed that the disciples would reveal the glory of God through their mission and ministry. That’s our calling too.

3. Jesus Prays For Protection And Unity vs 11

As Jesus prepares to depart, he doesn’t ask the Father to pull us out of the world. He asks for our protection in it. He knows the world can be a tough place for believers, so He also prays for our unity. by the power of His name so that we may be “one” just as He and the Father are one. At a time when divisions of so many kinds threaten the church, the nations and the world, Jesus’ prayer that they may be one is striking. It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t pray for the health of the disciples; for the success of the disciples;  even for the happiness of the disciples. He prayed that that they may be one as we are one  (vs11).

Most churches are a disparate group of people with different church traditions and experiences. I started out in the Independent Methodist Church, then joined a house church, helped plant a church, worshipped in Baptist and Evangelical churches and joined the CofE in 1990. I’ve been an Anglican Priest for 29 years (after 3 years selection and 3 years training!). Would you believe me if I said my theology hasn’t changed that much? It goes without saying, of course, that my practise has!

The point I’m making is this, whatever our traditions or experiences, we believe the same truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Saviour and that he is the only one who can offer us salvation and restore our relationship with God. We believe these core truths – even though we may have some minor doctrinal differences and even though we may different tastes in music!

Jesus prayed for a radical unity that would be our most powerful witness to a watching world. But this unity doesn’t just happen on its own.  It’s something we have to intentionally and actively build. In Romans 12:18, Paul writes: “Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.” In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren helpfully writes:

It is unrealistic to expect everyone to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses significance and often becomes irrelevant. We can re-establish a relationship even when we are unable to resolve our differences. Christians often have legitimate, honest disagreements and differing opinions, but we can disagree without being disagreeable. God expects unity, not uniformity… Reconciliation means you bury the hatchet, not necessarily the issue (page 158).

I’m reminded of a story I once read about Henri Nouwen, writer of The Prodigal Son and The Wounded Healer who spoke about a Christian he’d met on a train. And though they only spoke for a short time, Nouwen explained that when he said goodbye to his new friend it was as if they’d known each other for years. His friend explained: “That’s the Christ in you recognising the Christ in me! Now all that lies between us is holy ground!”

In a world that thrives on division, the unifying love of the Church is meant to be a compelling, counter-cultural apologetic. It’s our shared love, centred on the gospel, which gives our message its power and credibility.

American pastor Max Lucado wrote that one day his wife brought home a monkey. His daughters were thrilled but he wasn’t he had all kinds of questions. Where was the monkey going to eat? His wife said that it was going to sit at the table and eat with them, just like the rest of the family. Then he asked her where it was going to sleep? And she told him it was going to sleep in their bed. Then he asked, “But what about the smell?” And she said, “Oh, he’ll get used to you, I did.” Then Lucado went on to say, “Before you comment on the odour of someone else, check your own odour first.” In other words, check the plank in your own eye before removing the spelk from someone else’s!

Conclusion

In closing, may each of us pray with a heart like Jesus. May we pray that God would be glorified in our thoughts, words and deeds. May we pray for one another that we may live with the hope of resurrection and ascension and may we pray for God’s protection in the midst of the world in which we live and, most of all, may we pray for our unity as we recognise the Christ in us, and all that lies between us as holy ground!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon (except where stated) is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.