John 17

The Savior’s Great Intercessory Prayer

Jesus Christ offered His great Intercessory Prayer (meaning He pleaded to Heavenly Father in behalf of His Apostles and all those who believe in Him) shortly before suffering for our sins. As a part of His prayer, Jesus stated that to know the Father and the Son is to have eternal life (see John 17:3). This lesson will encourage you to come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ more personally in your life.

Using the board. Effectively using the board during the lesson can prepare students to learn. It can also invite meaningful participation, especially from those who learn visually. You can use the board to outline the major points or principles of a lesson, diagram a doctrine or event, display maps, draw objects described in the scriptures, develop flowcharts, or do other activities that will enhance learning.

Student preparation: Invite students to read 3 Nephi 19:16, 26–33 and to ponder how it would feel to hear the Savior pray to Heavenly Father for them.

Possible Learning Activities

Knowing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ personally

To help create more class unity, consider adjusting the following activity. Rather than asking the first two questions about a historical figure, assign each student a partner that they may not know very well. Invite them to think of one or two things they know about that person. Then give them two minutes to talk to their partner with simple instructions to “come to know them a little better.” After the two minutes, invite students to discuss the difference between knowing things about someone and actually coming to know them.

Think of an important figure in your nation’s history.

What are some things you know about that person?
How would you describe the differences between your knowledge about the historical figure and how well you know a close family member?

Now take some time to record in your study journal how you feel about your knowledge of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Is it based only on facts you know about Them, or is it becoming more personal than that? How do you think it would bless your life to know Them on an even more personal level?

Jesus prayed for His disciples

On the night before His suffering in Gethsemane, betrayal, and Crucifixion, the Savior offered aloud a sacred prayer known as the great Intercessory Prayer. He prayed to Heavenly Father to plead for His disciples, including His followers who live in our day (see John 17:20). Try to imagine what it would have felt like for the Apostles to hear Jesus praying for them on that sacred night.

If students were invited to do the student preparation, consider asking them to share their insights.

What can we learn about the Savior from His example of praying for His disciples and all those who follow Him before His suffering in Gethsemane and arrest?

John 17:3 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily. You will learn more about this doctrinal mastery passage in the next lesson.

Read John 17:1–3, looking for the blessings Jesus Christ prayed that His disciples would receive.

What does Jesus Christ desire for His disciples?

The phrases “eternal life” and “life eternal” (verses 2–3) are often misunderstood to simply mean living forever. The Savior was praying that we would receive much more than that. “Eternal life” is “the quality of life that our Eternal Father lives. … Eternal life, or exaltation, is to live in God’s presence and to continue as families (see Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–4)” (Gospel Topics, “Eternal Life,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Consider recording this definition in your scriptures near verse 3.

According to verse 3, what is one of the things that is required of us to receive eternal life?

One truth we learn from the Savior’s prayer is that to receive eternal life, we must know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Why do you think we need to truly know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to receive eternal life?

Elder Michael John U. Teh of the Seventy explained the importance of knowing the Savior:

We need to recognize that knowing the Savior is the most important pursuit of our lives. It should take priority over anything else.

(Michael John U. Teh, “Our Personal Savior,” Liahona, May 2021, 99)

Why do you think knowing the Savior is the most important pursuit of our lives?
What can make it difficult to prioritize coming to know the Savior over other pursuits in your life?

Reflect for a moment about how a close relationship you have with a family member or friend developed. What did you do to know them better? Were there key experiences that helped you really know them? How long has the relationship taken to develop?

How can you apply the actions that helped you develop a close relationship with a family member or friend to coming to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

For additional ideas of how to come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, consider sharing statements from the “Commentary and Background Information” section.

Consider inviting students to answer the following questions in small groups so that more students can share.

What experiences have you had that helped you come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? What have you learned through these experiences?

Coming to know the Savior through His prayer

To allow students to study the entire chapter rather than only the verses suggested in the following paragraph, consider assigning sections of the chapter to different students, then inviting them to share what they learned with the class.

One way to come to know the Savior is through His prayers. Take a few minutes to better learn who the Savior is by studying what He prayed for in John 17. Some of the verses you might choose to focus on are John 17:4–11, 20–26.

What do you learn about Jesus Christ’s relationship with His Father from this prayer?
What blessings does Jesus Christ desire for us?
Why do you think He would pray for you to receive these specific blessings?
What did you learn about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father that helps you want to know Them even better?

Imagine what it would be like to be so close to Heavenly Father and the Savior that your relationship could be described as being one with Them. How would that feel to you? How would your life be better? Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you so much and desire to be one with you. Jesus Christ prayed to Heavenly Father to help you have a close relationship with Them. Keep in mind that such a relationship will take time and effort to develop, throughout this life and into the next.

Record in your study journal what you are willing to do to come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better. Include how you think you will know that your relationship with Them is growing stronger and how you believe that relationship will bless your life.

Commentary and Background Information

What can we do to come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better?

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught:

If you want to stay close to someone who has been dear to you, but from whom you are separated, you know how to do it. You would find a way to speak to them, you would listen to them, and you would discover ways to do things for each other. The more often that happened, the longer it went on, the deeper would be the bond of affection. If much time passed without the speaking, the listening, and the doing, the bond would weaken.

God is perfect and omnipotent, and you and I are mortal. But he is our Father, he loves us, and he offers the same opportunity to draw closer to him as would a loving friend. And you will do it in much the same way: speaking, listening, and doing.

(Henry B. Eyring, “To Draw Closer to God,” Ensign, May 1991, 66)

Elder C. Scott Grow of the Seventy explained:

My young friends, we can begin to know God through prayer. …

… As you study the scriptures each day, alone, and with your family, you will learn to recognize the voice of the Spirit and will come to know God. …

As we seek to do God’s will by faithfully serving Him and our fellowmen, we feel His approval and truly come to know Him.

The Savior tells us that the very best way to know God is to become like Him. He taught: “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” [3 Nephi 27:27].

Worthiness is essential to becoming like Him. …

God knows you and invites you to know Him. Pray to the Father, study the scriptures, seek to do God’s will, strive to become like the Savior, and follow righteous mentors. As you do, you will come to know God and Jesus Christ, and you will inherit eternal life.

(C. Scott Grow, “And This Is Life Eternal,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 121–24)