And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
This verse comes from what is often called Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer" in John 17 — a long, intimate conversation Jesus has with God the Father on the night of his arrest, just hours before he would be crucified. Jesus knows exactly what is coming. In these final moments of freedom, he is not praying for his own safety or rescue — he is praying for his disciples, the small group of men and women who had followed him for three years. He asks God for two specific things: protection for them, invoking the power of God's own name, and unity among them — that they would be "one" in the same deep way that the Father and Son are one.
Holy Father, you prayed for us to be one before we even existed — and you haven't stopped. Protect us from what divides us: our pride, our certainty, our fear of losing what we think is ours. Draw us closer to each other by drawing us closer to you. Amen.
Hours before soldiers came to arrest him — before the trial, the beatings, the cross — in what would have been the most self-absorbed night of any human life, Jesus was praying for someone else. For his friends. Not for the strength to endure what was coming. Not for rescue. For them. There is no performance in this prayer, no grand theological statement for the crowd. Just a quiet, urgent ask: keep them safe. Keep them together. The very people who were about to fall asleep during his agony, deny they knew him, and scatter — he was interceding for them in those final hours. That prayer doesn't stay in the first century. Jesus said, "they are still in the world" — and so are you, still in the middle of everything: the exhausting job, the fraying relationship, the faith that sometimes feels tissue-thin at 3 AM. His desire hasn't changed. He still prays for your protection. He still aches for his people to be one. That unity isn't easy or automatic — he prayed for it precisely because it would cost something. But knowing he asked for it, and keeps asking, changes what you're reaching for when you pray.
Jesus is hours away from his death when he prays this prayer — and he spends it interceding for his disciples, not himself. What does that reveal about his character and his priorities in a way that surprises or challenges you?
Jesus prays that his followers 'may be one as we are one.' Based on your own experience of Christian community, what does that unity look like when it's real — and where does it most commonly fall apart?
The disciples Jesus prayed for were about to fail him in significant ways — denying him, abandoning him. Does knowing that Jesus prayed for people in the middle of their failure change how you understand his relationship with you in your own failures?
Christian division is one of the most visible realities in the modern world. This prayer is a direct challenge to that. What specific attitude, habit, or assumption in you personally contributes to division with other believers?
If Jesus' prayer for you includes that you 'may be one' with other believers, what is one relationship in your faith community that needs intentional investment? What would one small, concrete step toward that look like this week?
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Matthew 6:9
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:28
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
Numbers 6:24
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:16
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
John 17:21
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luke 22:32
I am no longer in the world; yet they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.
AMP
And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
ESV
'I am no longer in the world; and [yet] they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, [the name] which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We [are].
NASB
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.
NIV
Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
NKJV
Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.
NLT
For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world; They'll continue in the world While I return to you. Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life That you conferred as a gift through me, So they can be one heart and mind
MSG