page_title: Farewell Discourse
section_title: Part 4: Farewell prayer
hierarchical_section_title: Farewell Discourse / The four elements of the discourse / Part 4: Farewell prayer
context_page_description: In the New Testament, Chapters 14–17 of the Gospel of John are known as the Farewell Discourse given by Jesus to eleven of his disciples immediately after the conclusion of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, the night before his crucifixion.
  The discourse is generally seen as having distinct components. First, Jesus tells the disciples that he will be going away to the Father, that he will send the Holy Spirit to guide the disciples. Jesus bestows peace on the disciples and commands them to love one another. The expression of the unity of love between Jesus and his Father, in the Spirit, as it applies to his disciples in the love of Christ, is a key theme in the discourse, manifested by several reiterations of the New Commandment: "love one another as I have loved you".
  The next part of the discourse contains the allegory of the True Vine which positions Jesus as the vine and the disciples as the branches, building on the pattern of discipleship in the gospels. The Vine again emphasizes the love among the disciples, but Jesus then warns the disciples of upcoming persecutions: "If the world hates you, remember that they hated me before you".
context_section_description: John 17:1–26 is generally known as the Farewell Prayer or the High Priestly Prayer, given that it is an intercession for the coming Church. It is by far the longest prayer of Jesus in any of the gospels. While the earlier parts of the discourse are addressed to the disciples, this final part addresses the Father, as Jesus turns his eyes to heaven and prays.
  The prayer takes place at a unique time in the ministry of Jesus, at the end of his final instructions to his followers, and at the start of his Passion. Once the prayer has ended, the events of Jesus' Passion and the end of his earthly life unfold rather quickly. In the prayer, for one last time Jesus gives an account of his earthly ministry to the Father and by praying to him reiterates his total dependence on the Father.
  The prayer begins with Jesus' petition for his glorification by the Father, given that completion of his work and continues to an intercession for the success of the works of his disciples and the community of his followers.
  A key theme of the prayer is the glorification of the Father. In the first part
  Jesus talks with the Father about their relationship, thus indirectly reiterating
  that to the disciples. 
  Then reflecting the nature of their relationship, Jesus asks the Father to glorify
  him as he has glorified the Father, as he had in his earthly ministry – referring to the
  theme of eternal life, stating in John 17:3: 
  "And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God"
  The Farewell Prayer consists of the following five petitions:
  17:1–5: Petition for glorification based on the completion of his work
  17:6–10: Petitions for his disciples
  17:11–19: Petition for the preservation and sanctification of "his own" in the world
  17:20–23: Petition for unity of "his own"
  17:24–26: Petition for the union of "his own" with himself
  The last two petitions are for unity, as characterized by:
  "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one." – John 17:22
  "I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love with which thou loves me may be in them, and I in them." – John 17:26
  with the final petition being for the eternal unity of Jesus with his followers.
  The references to "thy name" in John 17:6 and John 17:26 emphasize the importance of the name of God in Christianity, which in Christian teachings (e.g. by Cyril of Alexandria) has been seen as a representation of the entire system of "divine truth" revealed to the faithful "that believe on his name" as in John 1:12.
caption: Jesus depicted in The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
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