John 17 is a prayer by Jesus in an upper room in a house in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. That is, the setting is alive with elements of Jesus’s own Jewish roots. The chapter is known as the “High Priestly Prayer” because in it, Jesus intercedes for His disciples and for the soon-to-be established church. As He prays, He knows He’ll soon suffer physically as only those who were crucified could ever comprehend. In addition to that, and far worse, He knows He’s about to undergo agony on a spiritual level beyond anything you and I can imagine.