John 17

17:1  These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven¹, he said, Father, the hour is come²; glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee³:

THE LORD'S PRAYER. (Jerusalem. Thursday night.) John 17:1-26
1. And lifting up his eyes to heaven. The action marked the turning of his thoughts from the disciples to the Father.

2. Father, the hour is come. See John 2:4 and see John 7:6.

3. Glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee. The Son here prays for his glorification, viz.: resurrection, ascension, coronation, etc.,that through these he may be perfected as a Savior and be enabled togive that eternal life unto millions, the bestowal of which willredound unto the glory of the Father. Moreover, the glorification ofChrist revealed his divine nature, and the Father was glorified by itsthus becoming apparent that he had bestowed upon the world so pricelessa gift.

17:2  even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life¹.

1. Even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life. The gift of authoritywas bestowed after the resurrection ( Matthew 28:18 ). All humanity wasgiven into his hands that he might give life to that part of it whichyielded itself to him in true discipleship.

17:3  And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, [even] Jesus Christ¹.

1. And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, [even] Jesus Christ. God isrevealed in Jesus Christ: Jesus had just prayed for his glorificationthat the Father may be fully revealed him him. The revelation of God isthe first step toward the attainment of eternal life. The innerreception of that revelation by a daily conformity to it is the secondstep. As we actually live God's life we come to know him; but we cannotattempt to live his life without a revelation.

17:4  I glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do¹.

John 17:4 John 17:5
1. I glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do. As the hour for finishing his work hadarrived, Jesus speaks of it as already finished.

17:5  And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was¹.

1. And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. As he had finished thatfor which he had emptied himself of his glory and entered the world, heasks that now, on his departure from the world, he may be reinstatedand permitted to assume again that which he had laid aside. Paul'swords are commentary on these two verses ( Philippians 2:5-11 ). Thus Jesusends the first division of his prayer which is a petition for himself,for the glory of the Father, and the good of the world. The seconddivision which follows is a fourfold plea for the disciples which hethen had, followed by petitions in their behalf.

17:6  I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me¹; and they have kept thy word.

1. Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me. As a first plea or reason why the Father should bless the disciples of the Son, the Sonurges that they are his property by gift of the Father. The Father ispossessor of all humanity as the Creator; the Son by gift from theFather possesses the believing portion of humanity as its redeemer.

17:8  for the words which thou gavest me I have given unto them; and they received [them]¹, and knew of a truth that I came forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me².

1. For the words which thou gavest me I have given unto them; and they received [them]. As a second reason for blessing the disciples, Jesuspleads their reception and retention of the truth which the Father hadsent him to reveal, and the resulting knowledge and faith.

2. And knew of a truth that I came forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me. The truth revealed by Jesus was so palpablydivine that the disciples could know that its bearer came from heaven.But whether that bearer came of his own volition or as a commissionedmessenger of the Father they could not know. But where knowledge wasimpossible, they trusted to Jesus and believed.

17:10  and all things that are mine are thine, and thine are mine: and I am glorified in them¹.

1. And all things that are mine are thine, and thine are mine: and I am glorified in them. As a third plea he urges the joint possession whichthe Father held with him in the disciples, and the further fact thatthe Son was glorified in the disciples.

17:11  And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee¹. Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we [are]².

1. And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. As a last plea he urges the necessity of the Father'scare over the disciples since the Son will be no longer in the world.

2. Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we [are]. Our Lord's first petition grows outof his last plea. His departure would tend to scatter the disciples;they had been united by faith in the name of Christ, that is, by thedivine power given of God and revealed in Christ ( Exodus 23:21 ; Isaiah 9:6 their unity may be as perfect as that subsisting between the Father andthe Son.

17:12  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 perished¹, but the son of perdition²; that the scripture might be fulfilled³.

1. 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. Jesusemphasizes the fervency of his petition by urging his own conduct as tothat which he asks. He asks the Father to care for those for whom hehad himself been so painstakingly careful that not one had been lost,save him whom it was impossible to save, and whose loss the Scripturehad predicted--a loss in no way chargeable against the loving fidelityof the Good Shepherd.

2. But the son of perdition. Literally, the son of perishing.

3. That the scripture might be fulfilled. See Psalms 41:9 .

17:13  But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves¹.

1. That they may have my joy made full in themselves. Being about ready to depart from the world, Jesus had taught and prayed for his disciplesthat they might be brought into a oneness with the Father similar tothat which he himself enjoyed, and the consequent joy which filled hisown life might in some measure fill theirs also.

17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world¹, even as I am not of the world².

1. I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world. An additional reason for the Father's care ishere presented. The reception of the Father's word had brought uponthem the hatred of the world, thereby increasing their need of aheavenly blessing, as a counter-balance to the curse of the world.

2. Even as I am not of the world. Jesus as advocate gives potency to his petitions as to the sufferings of his disciples by suggesting thathe has himself shared them ( Hebrews 2:10-18 ).

17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one]¹.

1. I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one]. The care which he asksin protection in, and not removal from, the world. It is best both forthe Christian and for the world that he should remain in it. The worldis blessed by the Christian's presence ( Matthew 4:14-16 ), and abidingin the world affords the Christian an opportunity of conquest andreward ( Romans 8:37 ; Revelation 2:26 ; Revelation 3:21 ).

17:17  Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth¹.

1. Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth. To sanctify means to set apart to a holy use. As Jesus himself had been set apart as God'smessenger to the world, so he had set apart the apostles as hismessengers to it. This setting apart was not a formal, empty act, butwas accomplished by God's imparting or developing a fitness in the onesanctified to perform the duties for which he was set apart. Fitness inthis case would be imparted by imbuing the apostles with the Spirit oftruth.

17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth¹.

1. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Jesus had set himself apart ( Hebrews 9:14 ),that the apostles might follow his example ( 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 ), and alsothe church, ( Romans 12:1 Romans 12:2 ; Philippians 2:5 ) that thereby the world might besaved.

   Our Lord's prayer as to the apostles ( John 17:1-19 ) is, therefore, athreefold petition, viz.: that they may be kept in unity, kept from theworld and the devil, and that they may be set apart and equipped forthe gospel service.

17:20  Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word¹;

1. Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word. We come now to the third division of the prayerwherein he asks for blessings upon future believers.

17:21  that they may all be one¹; even as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us²: that the world may believe that thou didst send me³.

1. That they may all be one. Here again the first petition is for unity, and again the unity subsisting between the Father and the Son isdesignated as the kind desired.

2. Even as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us. The future disciples may understand the nature of this unity,Jesus sets it forth in an amplified statement, which reveals the factthat he does not ask for a unity similar to that subsisting between theFather and the Son, but for that very unity itself enlarged andextended so as to become a triple instead of a dual unity by thecomprehension of the disciples within its compass.

3. That the world may believe that thou didst send me. As a reason why the Father should bring about this unity (and a reason also why allChristians should work for it), our Lord states that its attainmentwill result in the conversion of the world to the Christian faith.

17:22  And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them¹; that they may be one, even as we [are] one²;

1. And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them. Jesus here states that to bring about the unity which he here prays forhe has bestowed upon the disciples the glory which the Father hadbestowed upon him. The glory mentioned was that of being the Son ofGod ( Matthew 3:17 ; John 1:14 ; Hebrews 1:5 ; Hebrews 3:6 ), which glory Jesus imparts to hisfollowers ( John 1:12 ; 1 John 3:1 ).

2. That they may be one, even as we [are] one. In other words, he made us his brethren that we might be united in one great household( Romans 8:29 ; Ephesians 1:10 ; Ephesians 2:19 ; 1 John 3:9 1 John 3:10 ; 1 John 4:8 1 John 4:16 ). A true comprehension ofthe Fatherhood of God and our brotherhood in Christ.

17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me², and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me³.

1. And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them. He here states that the perfect unity of the church and the putting forthof its power in harmonious effort to convert the world will beequivalent to a demonstration of the truth of his divine mission.

2. That the world may know that thou didst send me. John 17:22 asserts that the initial stages of unity will produce faith in theworld, and this verse adds that the perfection of that unity will leadthe world beyond faith into the realm of actual knowledge as to thedivine mission of Christ.

3. And lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me. The context suggests that this unity will result in gracious manifestations of the Father'slove. Possibly these manifestations may be of such a nature as to aidin bringing about the state of knowledge mentioned.

17:24  Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory¹, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

1. That they may behold my glory. While Jesus prays that his disciples may enter the heavenly state, that state is not expressed as the enddesired. He wishes them to be in that state that they may behold hisglory. The glory of Christ is his Sonship, and the love whichaccompanies that relationship. To behold this is the height ofspiritual exultation. To know God is life eternal, and to behold God isjoy ineffable. God is truly beheld subjectively. We must be like him tosee him as he is ( 1 John 3:2 ). The second petition of Jesus,therefore, in no way savors of a vainglorious desire that his disciplesmay behold him to lead them to admire him, but a wish that they mayparticipate in the heavenly state, and know the Sonship of Jesus andall its attendant blessedness by, in some measure, participating in it.

17:25  O righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew thee; and these knew that thou didst send me;

John 17:25 John 17:26
1. And these knew that thou didst sent me. In the closing sentences Jesus blends his present and his future disciples.

17:26  and I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known¹; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them².

1. And I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known. The knowledge which he had of the Father had been imparted to thedisciples, and they had received it, and had thereby been in somemeasure fitted for the revelation of the glory for which he had justprayed. The world, on the contrary, had rejected Christ's revelation,and had refused to know God, and had thus become unworthy of theprivilege here asked for the disciples.

2. That the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them. Jesus had revealed the Father while on earth that men mightattain to the revelation of God in the hereafter, thus participating inthe love which the Father has for the Son because the Son isspiritually in them.

   It is a significant fact that the two of the five petitions of thisprayer are for Christian unity. It may be said generally of all thepetitions that they ask the Father to complete that which the Son hasalready begin and completed to the limit of his present circumscribedpower.