In a long and remarkable prayer that John attributes to Jesus, the meaning and significance of Jesus' entire career are neatly summarized. We may be sure that the language used is that of John rather than of Jesus, for it contains the same type of statements used throughout the Gospels, and there are places where Jesus is referred to in the third person, but this is a relatively unimportant item. What is important is that the prayer contains that which John believes to be implicit in the life and teachings of Jesus. It is a fitting resume, as John sees it, of what Jesus has done for the Christian community and indeed for all those who at any future time will become members of it. The Christian community, at the time when John wrote, was experiencing a great deal of opposition, not only from Jews but from Romans and others who were skeptical of the claims that Christians were making. At times, this opposition led to severe persecution, and some Christians wanted to withdraw from direct contact with the people of the world. It is to these Christians that Jesus' words to God are addressed: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."
Following the prayer, John describes the events that culminate in the crucifixion of Jesus and reports the words that Jesus utters while on the cross. Jesus' last words — "It is finished" — carry a double meaning, for they indicate not only that Jesus is about to die but that the whole purpose of the incarnation is now complete. The gospel closes with an account of the post-resurrection experiences that took place both in Jerusalem and in Galilee.
