John 17 - NIV First Century Study Bible

17:3 The only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. The expression “only true God” is a monotheistic statement that appears in Jewish literature. (See discussion in Arnold, Backgrounds Commentary, 2:152–153.) It also appears in the Hebrew Scriptures (see Isa 37:20). It seems odd, however, that Jesus followed this statement by switching to the third person as he spoke about himself. This prayer may have existed independently as a liturgical or confessional formula before the Gospels were written and may have been inserted into the text by John (compare 1Co 8:6; 1Th 1:9).

17:11 The name you gave me. God’s name was said to dwell in the angel who prepared the way for the Israelites to enter the promised land (see Ex 23:20–21). God also put his name on the Israelites through the priestly blessing (see Nu 6:27). Though obscure, Paul seems to be going further, suggesting Jesus shares in the mystery of the divine name itself (compare Php 2:9–10).

17:22–23 One as we are one . . . brought to complete unity. The desire to dwell in unity with God as his true community was reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls community. They called themselves the “yahad,” which means “unity.” However, Jesus’ oneness with the Father was an invitation to his followers to join the community of the divine. This is perhaps the most mysterious and rich picture of life with God in all of Scripture. The special oneness Jesus shared with the Father appears to spill over to the new covenantal community of God in a mysterious way.