John – Chapter 17

New Testament26 Verses

Chapter Summary

"These things Jesus spoke: and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee." — so begins John 17. Across its 26 verses, two threads run through the text: love and charity and family and covenant relationships. Taken as a whole, the chapter forms one movement in the account, preparing what follows and completing what came before.

1These things Jesus spoke: and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee.

2As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he may give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him.

3Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5And now glorify thou me, O Father, with thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with thee.

6I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou hast given me out of the world. Thine they were: and to me thou gavest them. And they have kept thy word.

7Now they have known that all things which thou hast given me are from thee:

8Because the words which thou gavest me, I have given to them. And they have received them and have known in very deed that I came out from thee: and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me: because they are thine.

10And all my things are thine, and thine are mine: and I am glorified in them.

11And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom thou hast given me: that they may be one, as we also are.

12While I was with them, I kept them in thy name. Those whom thou gavest me have I kept: and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition: that the scripture may be fulfilled.

13And now I come to thee: and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy filled in themselves.

14I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them: because they are not of the world, as I also am not of the world.

15I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from evil.

16They are not of the world, as I also am not of the world.

17Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth.

18As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

19And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

20And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me.

21That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them: that, they may be one, as we also are one.

23I in them, and thou in me: that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me.

24Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me: that they may see my glory which thou hast given me, because thou hast loved me before the creation of the world.

25Just Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee. And these have known that thou hast sent me.

26And I have made known thy name to them and will make it known: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Important Verses in John 17

Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

John 17:3

And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom thou hast given me: that they may be one, as we also are.

John 17:11

Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth.

John 17:17

Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me: that they may see my glory which thou hast given me, because thou hast loved me before the creation of the world.

John 17:24

Historical Context

John addresses the Church at the close of the apostolic age, led into the mystery of Christ's divinity within the broader story of God's covenant people. Chapter 17 of 21 moves toward the climax of the book as earlier promises and conflicts converge. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 26 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The passage starts with these words: "These things Jesus spoke: and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son…" The final verse reads: "And I have made known thy name to them and will make it known: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in…" In terms of historical background, The fourth Gospel begins before creation: 'In the beginning was the Word. The book's material reflects the era summarized as follows: About AD 90-100, at Ephesus.

Who Wrote It

The Apostle John, the beloved disciple, according to early tradition

When It Was Written

About AD 90-100, at Ephesus

Catholic Commentary

Read at the narrative level, this chapter presents teaching, action, or revelation within the broader account of Jesus as the eternal Word and source of life. A pivotal line is verse 3: "Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." The passage repeatedly touches on love and charity.

Catholic exegesis reads John 17 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. John's Gospel reveals Christ's divinity most clearly (CIC 241). St. John Damascene and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 265).

Applied to the life of faith, the passage supports the Church's conviction that I am the way, the truth, and the life. Whether read privately or heard in the liturgy, John 17 calls for a response of faith, repentance, and charity.

Main Teachings

  • Love of God and love of neighbor sum up the whole law and reveal the very nature of God.
  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • Worship is the heart of the covenant: giving God the praise and adoration that are His due.

Reflection for Today

As Catholics read John Chapter 17, we do so within the living Tradition that has guarded this text for two millennia.

The saints did not treat Scripture as antiquarian literature. St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, and countless others used passages such as this to fuel daily conversion. intercession for others remains a practical lesson for modern disciples.

As you continue through John, carry this chapter's lesson into your family, parish, and work. Catholic faith is always ecclesial—God speaks to us as members of Christ's Body, not as isolated individuals.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is John Chapter 17 about?

John 17 contains 26 verses. It opens with "These things Jesus spoke: and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son…" and closes with "And I have made known thy name to them and will make it known: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in…". The book as a whole is gospel.

What is a key verse in John 17?

One of the most significant verses is verse 3: "Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who wrote John and when?

The Apostle John, the beloved disciple, according to early tradition. About AD 90-100, at Ephesus.

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