Jesus said that He was not praying for just His disciples alone but that He was also praying for everyone who would believe in Him through their word. His disciples would spread His gospel or good news about His salvation, and many would hear and receive the Word and be saved by their faith in Christ. He prayed this so that these who came to Him in faith would become one with God just like Jesus was one with the Father so that the world would believe that the Father sent Jesus. He said that the glory the Father had given Him He gave to His followers so that they would be one in God as Jesus was one in God. He prayed that they would be perfect as one so that the world would know that the Father had sent Jesus to the world and that the Father had loved them even as the Father loves the Son.
These are some amazing things to think about. Jesus is saying that all believers in Him are one with the Father just as He is one with the Father. They have the same glory that Jesus has. Also, the Father loves all believers just as He loves Jesus, His blessed and perfect Son. He must truly love us like Jesus if we are one with both the Son and the Father. What wonderful grace we have received from God when you consider how flawed we all are! Yes, His love and grace to us is truly amazing and undeserving.
Jesus prayed to His Father that everyone the Father gave Jesus before time would always be with Him. They could then see the glory the Father had given Him for the Father had loved Him before time. That was a wonderful prayer on our behalf. Jesus called His Father “O righteous Father!” He said the world did not know His Father, but He knew the Father, and all believers know the Father had sent Jesus to the world. Jesus told His disciples the name of the Father, and He would proclaim it so that the love the Father had for Him would be in all of Jesus’ followers and He would be in all of them. This is a love far beyond our ability to understand. We are all sinners, yet God loves us as believers even as much as He loves His own sinless Son! Thank-you eternal God for the great love You have for us who love Jesus.