The prayer of chapter 17 can be outlined as follows: Verses 1-5 Verses 6-19 Verses 20-26

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1 John Chapter 17 After the much needed information and assurance contained in chapters 14 through 16 was presented to the eleven apostles, Jesus leaves the upper room where the Passover feast had been observed and the Lord s supper instituted. From there they are about to head toward Gethsemane. But, before going, either still in the upper room or perhaps somewhere outside it, Jesus offers this prayer as He contemplates the cross, His disciples, and all the events that are so soon to transpire on this night, the night of His betrayal. This prayer could surely be called the real Lord s prayer. Barnes mentions that it is the longest prayer recorded in the New Testament. It has been called Christ's high priestly prayer, The Prayer of Consecration, "Christ's Intercessory Prayer" and "The Prayer for Unity." "The Lord s earlier prayer of Matthew 6:9-13 could more accurately be called the disciples prayer since it was meant for their instruction on how to pray. The prayer of chapter 17 can be outlined as follows: - Verses 1-5 Prayer for Himself. - Verses 6-19 Prayer for the disciples (Apostles). - Verses Prayer for all believers who would believe on Him through the apostles. We know that all scripture is inspired of God, but when we read this chapter, we feel a special sense of standing on Holy Ground. - Coffman made these remarks about this chapter:! Quoting Hester he says... In order to drink in its spirit, we must realize that the Lord stands at the foot of the cross, is about to suffer, and before the separation from his disciples and the agony and shame of the cross, he goes to the Father in their behalf and in his own. 1

2 ! He then says... Our exegesis on this chapter does not pretend to be exhaustive, the chapter being, in fact, inexhaustible. As Gaebelein said:! No complete exposition can be given. Three of the Puritan preachers expounded this chapter: Manton's sermons on it make a volume of 400 pages; Newton's exposition nearly 600 pages; and Burgess' sermons comprise 700 large pages!<8>! We shall content ourselves with picking up a truth here and there! <8> Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of John (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1965), p B.W. Johnson made this comment concerning this very special chapter:! These words spake Jesus. This prayer, so solemn and so tender, would never have been recorded had it not been intended for our study and profit, but I approach it with a feeling that it is almost too sacred for the usual verbal and textual criticism. It is the overflow of the full soul of the Lord in devotion to the Father, a fitting close to the wonderful discourses beginning in the thirteenth chapter; offered in the Upper Room, just before the Lord led his disciples out into the moonlit night, on the way to Gethsemane. This is the real Lord's Prayer of the sacred Word; the prayer of Mt 6:9-13, is the disciples' prayer, taught to them by the Lord. In order to drink in its spirit, we must realize that the Lord stands at the foot of the cross, is about to suffer, and before the separation from his disciples and the agony and shame of the cross, he goes to the Father in their behalf and in his own. 1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, - 1 Jesus spoke these words... (audibly) which had to be a great encouragement for the apostles since much of the prayer was spent in intercession for them. 2

3 ! John 17:13 says But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. - lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:... We don t do that much these days but it was common then.! John 11:41... (just before raising Lazarus) 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. RSV! Luke 18: But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner! RSV! Acts 7:55... (Stephen just before being stoned) 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; RSV - Father, the hour has come... The Bible Knowledge Commentary... 17:1. Jesus could approach God in prayer because of Their Father-Son relationship. He began His prayer with the word Father (cf. Matt. 6:9) and used that word three other times in this prayer (John 17:5, 21, 24) as well as Holy Father (v. 11) and Righteous Father (v. 25). The time, Jesus said, has come. The divine plan of redemption was at God s appointment. Several times before this Jesus time had not come (2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20). But now it had arrived (cf. 12:23; 13:1).! John 2: And Jesus said to her, O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come. RSV! John 7: Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. RSV! John 7: Go to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come. RSV! John 7: So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. RSV! John 8: These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. RSV o But now it had arrived. 3

4 ! John 12:23... (six days before Passover) 23 And Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. RSV! John 13: Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. RSV - Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,! McGarvey (Fourfold Gospel)... Glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee. The Son here prays for his glorification, namely: resurrection, ascension, coronation, etc., that through these he may be perfected as a Saviour and be enabled to give that eternal life unto millions, the bestowal of which will redound unto the glory of the Father. Moreover, the glorification of Christ revealed his divine nature, and the Father was glorified by its thus becoming apparent that he had bestowed upon the world so priceless a gift. 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. - To give Him authority over all flesh... is to say He has been given power over all flesh.! Hendriksen (New Testament Commentary) says... The phrase all flesh is a Hebraism, indicating all people. It emphasizes man s weakness, as he is by nature.! The NIV reads... 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. RSV! The Wycliffe Bible Commentary... Power means authority. Here it has especially in view the granting of eternal life, on the basis of Christ s finished work. - B.W. Johnson (People s Commentary)... This shows how the Son is to be glorified. It is by "giving him all power in heaven and earth" [Mt 28:18], and "committing all things" [Jn. 3:35; 13:3] to him, raising him from the dead so that "he should give eternal life."! Matthew 28: Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And 4

5 Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. RSV! John 3: He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; 33 he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit; 35 the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. RSV! John 13: Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. RSV! Marcus Rainsford ( born in Ireland and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1843) (Our Lord Prays For His Own-Thoughts on John 17)... And this power was wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (Eph. 1:20-21 KJV) Thus our glorious Christ has power over everything that is named, or can be named, in heaven, or earth in this world, or in that which is to come. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. (Rom. 14:9 KJV) 5

6 - that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.! Guy N. Woods (Gospel Advocate Commentaries)... All mankind was given him so that he might offer to that part of humanity which would surrender to his will, eternal life. To no others is it available. (Heb. 5:8, 9.) ( 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, RSV) He gives eternal life to his sheep (representative of his followers), and only to such sheep of his which hear his voice and follow him. (John 10:27, 28.) ( 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. RSV) The Calvinistic view is that Jesus takes goats and makes sheep out of them by giving them eternal life in the process of saving them! This is grave error. Eternal life is not a present possession but a future promise. (Mark 10:30;( 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life. RSV) Titus 1:2, ( 2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began RSV )and 1 John 2:25.) ( 25 And this is what he has promised us, eternal life. RSV) Since one does not hope for that already possessed (Rom. 8:24), ( 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? RSV) those passages asserting the possession of eternal life here (John 3:16; ( 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. RSV) 5:24) ( 24 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. RSV) must be understood as prospective in significance. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. - 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.! Many varied comments are made on this verse... but I think McGarvey makes the most sense and the thoughts put forth by the Wycliffe Bible Commentary adds a finishing touch to those thoughts: 6

7 McGarvey (Fourfold Gospel)... And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ. God is revealed in Jesus Christ: Jesus had just prayed for his glorification that the Father may be fully revealed in him. The revelation of God is the first step toward the attainment of eternal life. The inner reception of that revelation by a daily conformity to it is the second step. As we actually live God's life we come to know him; but we cannot attempt to live his life without a revelation. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary Eternal life is set forth in terms of knowing God (cf. I Jn 5:20). The Jews did not know God, though they knew much about him. It is the claim of this verse and this whole Gospel that the knowledge of God which brings eternal life comes only through the knowledge of the Son. Since the Father and the Son are one, the knowledge is one. The knowledge of God implies the knowledge of his ways as well as of his person, and so includes the perception of his plan of salvation from sin. Jesus Christ (cf. 1:17). Rare in the Gospels but common in the Epistles. o 1 John 5: And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. RSV o John 1: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. RSV Marcus Rainsford ( born in Ireland and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1843) (Our Lord Prays For His Own-Thoughts on John 17)says... What a comment is this on the Saviour s words, this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Yes, truly, in the knowledge of God we become partakers of His divine nature. And again in Colossians 3:10, we are told that we are renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created us. This knowledge not only imparts the life of God, but stamps the image of God upon us; and the more we know Him, the more we shall be like Him; and when 7

8 we know as we are known, we shall be altogether like Him. In Daniel 11:32, we read: the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. What an excellent knowledge this is! Again, Ephesians 1:17, the apostle prays that The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. In II Peter 1:2, we read, Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord : not only grace and peace be bestowed upon you, but be multiplied unto you in the knowledge of God. These passages seem to open out to us what that eternal life is which we have in the knowledge of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ. Again, Philippians 1:9, This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge. In the knowledge of God we get our love to God; and not only so, but as we know Him, our love abounds more and more love to God, and love to man. What an excellent knowledge this is! In Psalm 9:10, we read, They that know thy name will put their trust in thee. The knowledge of God begets trust in Him. Then in that beautiful passage in II Timothy 1:12, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Lastly, in II Peter 1:8, it is stated that it is this knowledge which causeth us to be neither barren nor unfruitful: For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8

9 ! New Bible Commentary... The title the only true God is not found elsewhere in John and is here intended to contrast with the many contemporary false gods. This is the only occasion when Jesus is recorded to have used the title Jesus Christ. - 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.! The Wycliffe Bible Commentary I have glorified thee on the earth. This our Lord explained in terms of finishing the work the Father gave him to do the revelation of the Father, the exposure of sin, the choice and training of the Twelve, and most of all the death on the cross, which was so certain that it could be regarded as already completed. Finished means perfected as well as accomplished. - 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.! McGarvey (Fourfold Gospel)... As he had finished that for which he had emptied himself of his glory and entered the world, he asks that now, on his departure from the world, he may be reinstated and permitted to assume again that which he had laid aside. Paul's words are commentary on these two verses (Phil. 2:5-11). Thus Jesus ends the first division of his prayer which is a petition for himself, for the glory of the Father, and the good of the world. Phil. 2: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. RSV o Guy N. Wood s comments on those who believe Jesus did not accomplish His purpose while here on earth but instead failed. 9

10 ! Gospel Advocate Commentaries... 4 I glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do. Though his mission was to end in death, this did not denote defeat since his redeeming death was the culmination of his mission into the world. He came to deliver men from their sins and in order to do this he must go to the cross. So certain was he that he would carry the mission through to completion that he speaks of it as already accomplished. This evidences the fact that he saw at this moment the whole of his career in panorama, and the last hours, which would involve his suffering and death, as constituent elements of his work which began more than three years before. Thus Jesus regarded his death as the consummation of his labors and so forevermore refutes the false allegation of unbelieving writers that his mission ended in failure and that he died a disappointed and frustrated man! The words, "having accomplished the work" denote the manner in which he glorified his Father on earth. - Coffman makes a comment that is worth passing on although I m not at all sure I completely understand his closing remarks.! {Before the world was...} In such a statement as this, Jesus affirmed his eternal existence, his oneness with the Father, and his equality with God (see John 1:1-11). In the beautiful words of Lipscomb: (Actually the words of the editor C.E.W. Dorris in brackets [].) Jesus here goes back of history, back of creation itself, and speaks of the glory which he then had with the Father. This can be understood only in the light of the opening verses of the first chapter.<14>! John 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God; 3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the 9 light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. RSV 10

11 ! The implications of this passage are profound. Christ was here praying for the Father to glorify him with the glory that he had possessed from before all time; but it was as a HUMAN BEING that Christ would ascend to the Father and be endowed with everlasting glory; thus, man himself, in the person of Christ, is now seated on the Throne! It is OUR NATURE that has been glorified in Christ. ENDNOTE: <14> David Lipscomb, A Commentary on the Gospel of John (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1960), p The Bible Exposition Commentary adds some interesting comments concerning the use of the word glory in chapter 17 (I have printed out most verses within this text for easier reference)... The important word glory is used five times in these verses, and we must carefully distinguish the various glories that Jesus mentions. In John 17:5, He referred to His preincarnate glory with the Father, the glory that He laid aside when He came to earth to be born, to serve, to suffer, and to die. In John 17:4, He reported to the Father that His life and ministry on earth had glorified Him, because He (Jesus) had finished the work the Father gave Him to do. In John 17:1 and 5, our Lord asked that His preincarnate glory be given to Him again, so that the Son might glorify the Father in His return to heaven. The word glory is used eight times in this prayer, so it is an important theme. He glorified the Father in His miracles (John 2:11; 11:40), to be sure; but He brought the greatest glory to the Father through His sufferings and death (see John 12:23 25;( 23 And Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.rsv) 13:31 32) ( 31 Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; 32 and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. RSV). From the human point of view, Calvary was a revolting display of man s sin; but from the divine point of view, the cross revealed and magnified the grace and glory of God. Jesus anticipated His return to heaven when He said, I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do (John 17:4). This work included His messages and miracles on earth (John 5:17 19) ( 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father is working still, and I am working. 18 This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. RSV), the training of the disciples for future service, and most of all, His sacrifice on the cross (Heb. 9:24 28; ( 24 For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as 11

12 the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. RSV) 10:11 18). ( 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds, 17 then he adds, I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more. 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. RSV) It is on the basis of this finished work that we as believers have the gift of eternal life (John 17:2 3). The word give is used in one form or another in this prayer at least seventeen times. Seven times Jesus states that believers are the Father s gift to His Son (John 17:2, 6, 9, 11 12, 24). We are accustomed to thinking of Jesus as the Father s love gift to us (John 3:16), but the Lord affirms that believers are the Father s love gift to His beloved Son! 6 I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. - B.W. Johnson (People s Commentary) says... I have revealed thy name to the men which thou gavest me, etc. In the first five verses he had prayed for himself. Now he prays for his disciples. The apostles are especially meant. - Burton Coffman... (I manifested thy name...) Jesus did this by referring all honor and glory to God throughout his entire ministry. He was ever careful to explain that the words he spoke, the miracles he wrought, and the teachings he gave were the Father's. - (And they kept thy word...) Keeping the word of God, in the sense of believing it and obeying it, was the means by which Jesus' disciples had become his and were continued in that blessed relationship; and it is impossible that any other means exists which could enable men to be Christ's disciples (see under John 17:14).! John 17: I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. RSV 12

13 - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary adds this thought A large part of the work of the Son on the earth had been to make the Father known to the disciples (cf. 1:14; 14:7-9). The success of this process is implied in the fact that these men were God s gift to the Son. Their understanding was not perfect, but it was sure and growing. They have kept thy word. Not a reference primarily to their obedience to individual commands or teachings, but to their readiness to receive the Son, his message and mission, in so far as they were able.! Their faith had steadily grown during the ministry of Jesus... and yet we know that there were many things they did not and could not understand at this time.! In this regard two thoughts come to mind. (1.) Their faith was in Jesus as a person... they recognized Him as divine and they were convinced He was from God. (2.) They had the attitude of the man who brought his son to Jesus... the one who s son was possessed of a dumb spirit. (Mark 9:14-24) o Notice what is said And Jesus asked his father, How long has he had this? And he said, From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us. 23 And Jesus said to him, If you can! All things are possible to him who believes. 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe; help my unbelief! RSV All of the Lord s disciples seemed to have had this same type of attitude (less Judas). - Barnes makes this interesting comment... Which thou gavest me. God gave them to him in his purpose. He gave them by his providence. He so ordered affairs that they heard him preach and saw his miracles; and he gave them by disposing them to follow him when he called them. Thine they were. All men are God's by creation and by preservation, and he has a right to do with them as seemeth good in his sight. These men he chose to designate to be the apostles of the Saviour; 13

14 and he committed them to him to be taught, and then commissioned them to carry his gospel, though amid persecutions, to the ends of the world. God has a right to the services of all; and he has a right to appoint us to any labour, however humble, or hazardous, or wearisome, where we may promote his glory and honour his name. - Gospel Advocate Commentaries (Guy N. Wood s)... 6 I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word. These disciples the Father had given to Jesus, not by an arbitrary selection, but because all humanity belongs to him; and these enjoyed the divine approval because "they have kept thy word!" It is in this manner the Lord predestinates, and in no other, respecting salvation. Judas was among those given to the Son by the Father and in exactly the same way as the others; but he differed from them because he did not keep the Father's word. Peter put this matter in correct perspective when he said, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him." (Acts 10:34, 35.) ( 34 And Peter opened his mouth and said: Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. RSV) To "work righteousness" is to keep the commandments. (Psalm 119:172.) ( 172 My tongue will sing of thy word, for all thy commandments are right. RSV) - Gospel Advocate Commentaries (David Lipscomb edited by C.E.W. Dorris in [ ]... In this particular case I believe these comments are more to the point of the text than that of Wood s above... I manifested thy name unto men whom thou gavest me out of the world: - Among those who were given to him by the Father were the twelve apostles or chosen witnesses. [It is by revealing himself as Son that Jesus has revealed God to them as the Father.] - thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; - [Probably this refers to a spiritual relationship to and knowledge of God on the part of these men, brought about by the preaching of John the Baptist, which marked them out as belonging to God. (1:35-39.) They were true Israel in whom was no guile. ]! John 1: The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God! 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, What do you seek? And they said to him, Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying? 39 He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was 14

15 about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter). RSV - and they have kept thy word. Jesus had given to them the word of God, and they had kept it. Judas is excepted as failing to keep the word of God. (Verse 12.) ( 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.nkjv ) [Notwithstanding all the temptations to unfaithfulness which have assailed them during these years (Luke 22:28) ( 28 You are those who have continued with me in my trials; 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, RSV) and before which others have fallen, they have kept in their hearts the teaching of Jesus.] 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. - New Bible Commentary... V 7 is strangely worded (everything you have given me comes from you), but it underlines the sovereign purpose of God. A further development is found in v 8, where knowledge leads to faith. Of course, that faith was as yet in its infancy but Jesus looked ahead to its development. - The Gospel Advocate Commentary (David Lipscomb) says... These, through the teachings of Jesus, had come to know that what Jesus taught was from God the Father. Jesus taught only as God gave him to teach.! John 8: So Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me. RSV - Coffman... (I have given unto them...) This made the apostles custodians of the sacred revelation from God, thus endowing the New Testament with plenary authority for determining God's will for mankind. This is true because only in the New Testament does one have the actual teachings of the apostles of Christ. Men need to learn how "not to go beyond the things which are written" (1 Cor. 4:6).! 1 Cor. 4: I have applied all this to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn by us not to go 15

16 beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. RSV (And they believed that thou didst send me...) The use of the past tense here is prophetic and refers to the ultimate fidelity of the apostles to their divine commission, passing over the little season that very night when the Shepherd would be smitten and the sheep scattered. 9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. - B. W. Johnson (People s Commentary)... I pray for them. The apostles. The prayer of Jn. 17:9-19 is for these. I pray not for the world. Not at this time; he came into the world to save it, and we are not to conclude that he would never pray for its conversion and welfare, Now, however, his petition is confined to the apostles, the little band who are hanging upon his words. - Burton Coffman makes the following remarks... (I pray not for the world...) This shift back to the present tense denotes that at that time Christ was not praying for the world but for his disciples. That Christ could not pray for his enemies in the same terms as for his own is natural; and, as Hovey said, "The blessings which he would ask for his enemies must be different in some respects from those which he would ask for his friends."<15> Lipscomb concurred, saying, "Jesus does not mean to say that the world is excluded from his sympathy; he was dying to save the world."<16> Later, Jesus prayed that the "world might believe" (John 17:20,21). ( 20 I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. RSV) (For they are thine...) The apostles were not merely Christ's any longer but were God's chosen representatives to deliver the saving gospel to humanity. It was that new status with which they were shortly to be endowed that required this special prayer to be uttered in their hearing. It has all the effect of the great commission. In this part of his prayer, Jesus prayed not for the world but for those men upon whom the salvation of the world depended. ENDNOTES: <15> Alvah Hovey, op. cit., p <16> David Lipscomb, op. cit., p And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 16

17 - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary... All mine are thine. Therefore the concern of the Son to pray for these men and the concern of the Father to hear and answer are alike understandable. The proprietary interest is mutual. I am glorified in them. The antecedent of them may be the things held in common by Father and Son, or better, the disciples who have been mentioned in the previous verse. It was to the glory of Christ that amid general unbelief and rejection, these men dared to trust and serve him. The word glorified is in the perfect tense, suggesting the continuance of their testimony to Christ. - Gospel Advocate Commentaries (Wood s)... The divine community of ownership is beautifully expressed in the words, "All things that are mine are thine, and thine are mine." Had he only said, "All things that are mine are thine," the statement would not be greatly significant; this, indeed, any human being might properly say. The latter statement, however, is unique, and takes him out of the realm of human beings and places him in the realm of divine. "All that is thine is mine," can be properly affirmed only by one of the same nature, deity. - Adam Clarke's Commentary... I am glorified in them Christ speaks of the things which were not, but which should be, as though they were. He anticipates the glorifying of his name by the successful preaching of the apostles. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. - The People's New Testament (B.W. Johnson)...11 I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. He now goes to the Father; these are left behind to preach the gospel, establish his kingdom, manifest his glory. Hence, he pleads that he may keep them through his name, or power and love. He especially pleads that they may be kept one, united as the Father and the Son. - The Gospel Advocate Commentary (David Lipscomb, edited by C.E.W. Dorris in [ ].)... And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Jesus would leave the world and go to God, but he would leave these chosen witnesses in the world. Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, He had kept them while he was with them in the world; but as he leaves them he prays God to keep them in his own name, that they may be one as God and Jesus are one. To keep them in the name of God was to keep them as his servants doing his work and looking to God for help and strength. [The disciples would not have his visible presence to encourage, strengthen, and 17

18 bless and he intercedes for them. We cannot overestimate the sympathy that breathes in every word of this prayer. His heart s desire was that the apostles be kept in the spiritual sphere into which they had entered by accepting him as their Teacher and believing the truths he had presented.] that they may be one, even as we are. [The only security for the unity of the disciples of Christ is in answering fidelity to his word. Abiding thus in his word, in his name which is the symbol of his truth, they will be as closely united in sympathy and work as the Father and the Son. All departure from unity have been departures from the word.] 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. - McGarvey s Fourfold Gospel... While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished. Jesus emphasizes the fervency of his petition by urging his own conduct as to that which he asks. He asks the Father to care for those for whom he had himself been so painstakingly careful that not one had been lost, save him whom it was impossible to save, and whose loss the Scripture had predicted--.a loss in no way chargeable against the loving fidelity of the Good Shepherd But the son of perdition. Literally, "son of perishing." That the scripture might be fulfilled. Psa. 41:9.! Psalms 41: Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me. RSV o Guy N. Wood s... (Gospel Advocate Commentary) says While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. This does not mean that Judas sinned so that the scripture might be fulfilled as if his condemnation was a predestined and predetermined action; the meaning is that when he fell it proved to be the act which the scripture had anticipated. Judas willingly performed the deed which fulfilled the prediction. The choice was his; his wicked and perverse heart led him to follow a course resulting in the loss of his life- both physical and spiritual. Some expositors, anxious to see in the case of Judas an instance of reprobation, the result of an arbitrary decree predestined to this end from the beginning, refuse to the faithless disciple the same relationship with Christ they accord the other apostles. In so doing, they deny the facts involved as well as the affirmation of the text. We have seen that Judas was selected in the same fashion as were the others; in verse 12 Jesus affirms that all of them (1) had been given to him by the Father; (2) had 18

19 been kept by him under careful observation; (3) and had been taught by him (verse 8); of these, not one had perished except Judas who was, by his own design (and not by divine decree), destined to destruction. Judas was the exception only if he had been given to Christ by the Father, instructed, guarded and warned as were the rest. His is a case of apostasy, not reprobation by irrevocable decree. o As C.E.W. Dorris (Gospel Advocate Commentary David Lipscomb and edited by C.E.W. Dorris) says... Judas had the same care bestowed on him that was bestowed on the others, and was lost because he would not be saved. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. - Guy N. Wood s... (Gospel Advocate Commentary) says...13 But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves. He is about to go to the Father; he will not longer be able to "guard" his disciples personally (verse 12), and he prays that the Father will provide the protection he anticipates they will sorely need in forthcoming trials; that the granting of the petition will not only encourage them but also fill their hearts with joy where there had been sorrow and grief in the realization of his leaving them. In the very speaking of these matters to the Father the disciples would derive benefit, being able to recall in the fact of later trials that their Lord had prayed for them for just such occasions. - The Bible Exposition Commentary... talks about the joy mentioned in verse How does the Word of God enable us to overcome the world? To begin with, it gives us joy (John 17:13); and this inward joy gives us the strength to overcome (Neh. 8:10). We commonly think of Jesus Christ as a man of sorrows (Isa. 53:3), and indeed He was; but He was also a person of deep abiding joy. John 17:13 is the very heart of this prayer, and its theme is joy! Jesus had referred to His joy already (John 15:11) and had explained that joy comes by transformation and not substitution (John 16:20 22). Joy also comes from answered prayer (John 16:23 24). Now He made it 19

20 clear that joy comes from the Word also. The believer does not find his joy in the world but in the Word. Like John the Baptist, we should rejoice greatly when we hear the Bridegroom s voice! (John 3:29) We must never picture Jesus going around with a long face and a melancholy disposition. He was a man of joy and He revealed that joy to others. His joy was not the fleeting levity of a sinful world but the abiding enjoyment of the Father and the Word. He did not depend on outward circumstances but on inward spiritual resources that were hidden from the world. This is the kind of joy He wants us to have, and we can have it through His Word. Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart (Jer. 15:16). I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches (Ps. 119:14). I rejoice at Thy word, as one that findeth great spoil (Ps. 119:162). - The Bible Knowledge Commentary... 17:14.. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Jesus intercession for the disciples continued with a reminder of (a) their value and (b) their coming danger. They were valuable because they had received the Word of God: I have given them Your Word (cf. I gave them the words You gave Me, v. 8). They were in danger because the satanic world system hated them. It hated them because they are not a part of it. As believers share Jesus Christ, Everything in the world the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does (1 John 2:16) loses its attractiveness. A believer s commitment shows the world s values to be trash or dung (cf. Phil. 3:8). Therefore the world hates the exposure of its sham values (cf. John 3:20).! 1 John 2: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. RSV! Phil. 3: Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ RSV! John 3: For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. RSV - 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. - Burton Coffman... Verse (I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but thou shouldest keep them from the evil one.) {From...} is from the Greek term meaning "out of," and the 20

21 obvious reason Jesus did not wish the disciples to be taken out of the world was that such a thing would have made impossible the conversion of the world. That the disciples should be kept "out of" the devil was the important thing. The whole concept underlying asceticism which arose in post-apostolic times was based on a failure to appreciate the meaning of these words. It was Christ's desire that the apostles should remain in the world, in contact with its populations, exposed to its culture, and in direct confrontation with its evil. Only this could enable them to convert the world. In this verse also appears the Saviour's concern for the whole of humanity, the only hope of which was dependent on the apostles' proclamation of the truth. - Gospel Advocate Commentaries... (Guy N. Wood s) Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth. To "sanctify" is to set apart for holy purposes. The Greek word so translated means to consecrate; its corresponding Hebrew word is used repeatedly in the Old Testament for the consecration of persons and things to the service of Jehovah. There, the process was achieved through ritual and ceremonial observance; here, the Lord makes it clear that it is to be reached through the truth, as embodied in his word, i.e., by means of the truth operating in the life the consecration of the entire person will be achieved. Thus, the people of God are sanctified, consecrated, dedicated to his service through obedience to the truth which has in it all that is necessary to enable them to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. (Titus 2:11, 12.) It is therefore an impeachment of the all-sufficiency of his word to urge that additional influences, wrought by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to the sanctification of the body, soul and spirit of man. (1 Thess. 5:23.) The Spirit provided the word (1 Cor. 2:8-13); to urge that it cannot produce the sanctification for which the Lord prays is to limit the power of the Spirit himself as well as to deny the truth of the Lord's affirmation here. The "word" is "truth" because it is the sum of our information regarding God's will for us today. We become all that God wants us to be through faithful obedience to his word. This is the sanctification for which Jesus prayed.! Titus 2: For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, 12 training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, RSV! 1 Thes. 5: May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. RSV 21

22 ! 1 Cor. 2: None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him, 10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what person knows a man s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit. RSV - Burton Coffman... Verse As thou didst send me into the world, even so sent I them into the world. Just as Christ delivered God's word, the apostles were instructed to deliver, not their word, but Christ's. This respect to the pattern of teaching illuminates the promise of Jesus that whatever the apostles bound on earth would be bound in heaven, etc. (Matthew 18:18). Not even the apostles had authority to set up an organization and teach whatever they might have conceived to be expedient or appropriate. They were to use the same fidelity in teaching what Christ commanded that Christ had used in declaring what God had said. Even so sent I them... This is prophetic tense, viewing the future sending of the apostles as already accomplished. - Gospel Advocate Commentaries... Guy N. Wood s... makes some excellent points on the subject of sanctification... Verse And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Here, as often elsewhere, in the contemplation of what the Lord has done for us theologians have carried the matter far beyond what the Lord intended and urged that he accomplished for us sanctification without any action being required on our part. The sanctification of our Lord provides an example for us but not a substitute; he still requires that his followers sanctify themselves in body, soul and spirit (1 Thess. 5:23), and live godly lives here on earth. This is the realization of the highest ideal for man on earth. (Phil. 2:5; Rom. 12:1, 2.) It is shocking that some would use this exalted act and teaching of our Lord in an effort to justify unworthy living on the part of professed followers. (2 Cor. 11:13-15.) The Lord's petition to the Father in behalf of the apostles involved three areas: (1) that they might be united in thought and action as were he and his Father; (2) that they might 22