John 17:11

And these (kai outoi or autoi, they). Note adversative use of kai (= but these). I come (ereomai). Futuristic present, "I am coming." Cf. Hebrews 13:3 ; Hebrews 14:12 ; Hebrews 17:13 . Christ will no longer be visibly present to the world, but he will be with the believers through the Holy Spirit ( Matthew 28:20 ). Holy Father (pater agie). Only here in the N.T., but see 1 John 2:20 ; Luke 1:49 for the holiness of God, a thoroughly Jewish conception. See John 6:69 where Peter calls Jesus o agio tou qeou. For the word applied to saints see Acts 9:13 . See verse 17:25 for pathr dikaie (Righteous Father). Keep them (thrhson autou). First aorist (constative) active imperative of threw, as now specially needing the Father's care with Jesus gone (urgency of the aorist tense in prayer). Which (wi). Locative case of the neuter relative singular, attracted from the accusative o to the case of the antecedent onomati (name). That they may be one (ina wsin en). Purpose clause with ina and the present active subjunctive of eimi (that they may keep on being). Oneness of will and spirit (en, neuter singular), not one person (ei, masculine singular) for which Christ does not pray. Each time Jesus uses en (verses Jo 11 21 22 ) and once, ei en, "into one" (verse 23 ). This is Christ's prayer for all believers, for unity, not for organic union of which we hear so much. The disciples had union, but lacked unity or oneness of spirit as was shown this very evening at the supper ( Luke 22:24 ; John 13:4-15 ). Jesus offers the unity in the Trinity (three persons, but one God) as the model for believers. The witness of the disciples will fail without harmony ( John 17:21 ).