John 17

1 These wordes spake Iesus and lyfte vp his eyes to heven and sayde: father the houre is come: glorify thy sonne that thy sonne maye glorify the:

2 as thou hast geve him power over all fleshe that he shuld geve eternall lyfe to as many as thou hast geven him.

3 This is lyfe eternall that they myght knowe the that only very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ.

4 I have glorified ye on the erth. I have fynysshed ye worke which thou gavest me to do.

5 And now glorify me thou father wt thyn awne selfe with the glory which I had with ye yerre ye worlde was.

6 I have declared thy name vnto ye men which thou gavest me out of the worlde. Thyne they were and thou gavest them me and they have kept thy sayinges.

7 Now they knowe that all thinges whatsoever thou hast geven me are of the.

8 For I have geven vnto them the wordes which thou gavest me and they have receaved them and knowe surely that I came out from the: and doo beleve that thou dyddest send me.

9 I praye for them and praye not for the worlde: but for the which thou hast geve me for they are thyne.

10 And all myne are thyne and thyne are myne and I am glorified in the.

11 And now am I no moare in the worlde but they are in the worlde and I come to ye. Wholy father kepe in thyne awne name the which thou hast geven me that they maye be one as we are.

12 Whyll I was with the in ye worlde I kepte the in thy name. Those yt thou gavest me have I kepte and none of the is lost but that lost chylde that the scripture myght be fulfilled.

13 Now come I to the and these wordes speake I in the worlde that they myght have my ioye full in the.

14 I have geven them thy wordes and the worlde hath hated them because they are not of the worlde even as I am not of the worlde.

15 I desyre not that thou shuldest take the out of the worlde: but that thou kepe them from evyll.

16 They are not of the worlde as I am not of the worlde.

17 Sanctify the wt thy truth. Thy sayinge is truth.

18 As thou dyddest send me into the worlde even so have I sent them into the worlde

19 and for their sakes sanctify I my selfe that they also myght be sanctified thorowe the trueth.

20 I praye not for them alone: but for them also which shall beleve on me thorowe their preachynge

21 that they all maye be one as thou father arte in me and I in the that they maye be also one in vs that the worlde maye beleve that thou hast sent me.

22 And that glory that thou gavest me I have geven them that they maye be one as we are wone.

23 I in them and thou in me that they maye be made perfecte in one and that the worlde maye knowe that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me.

24 Father I will that they which thou hast geven me be with me where I am that they maye se my glory which thou hast geven me. For thou lovedest me before the makynge of the worlde.

25 O ryghteous father ye very worlde hath not knowen the: but I have knowen the and these have knowen that thou hast sent me.

26 And I have declared vnto them thy name and will declare it that the love wher wt thou hast loved me be in them and that I be in them.

John 17 Commentary

Chapter 17

Christ's prayer for himself. (1-5) His prayer for his disciples. (6-10) His prayer. (11-26)

Verses 1-5 Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and was glorified of him. This is the sinner's way to eternal life, and when this knowledge shall be made perfect, holiness and happiness will be fully enjoyed. The holiness and happiness of the redeemed, are especially that glory of Christ, and of his Father, which was the joy set before him, for which he endured the cross and despised the shame; this glory was the end of the sorrow of his soul, and in obtaining it he was fully satisfied. Thus we are taught that our glorifying God is needed as an evidence of our interest in Christ, through whom eternal life is God's free gift.

6-10. Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me, as sheep to the shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught: thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction to us, in our reliance upon Christ, that he, all he is and has, and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of God. Christ offered this prayer for his people alone as believers; not for the world at large. Yet no one who desires to come to the Father, and is conscious that he is unworthy to come in his own name, need be discouraged by the Saviour's declaration, for he is both able and willing to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by him. Earnest convictions and desires, are hopeful tokens of a work already wrought in a man; they begin to evidence that he has been chosen unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. They are thine; wilt thou not provide for thine own? Wilt thou not secure them? Observe the foundation on which this plea is grounded, All mine are thine, and thine are mine. This speaks the Father and Son to be one. All mine are thine. The Son owns none for his, that are not devoted to the service of the Father.

Verses 11-16 Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the union of the Father and the Son. He did not pray that his disciples should be removed out of the world, that they might escape the rage of men, for they had a great work to do for the glory of God, and the benefit of mankind. But he prayed that the Father would keep them from the evil, from being corrupted by the world, the remains of sin in their hearts, and from the power and craft of Satan. So that they might pass through the world as through an enemy's country, as he had done. They are not left here to pursue the same objects as the men around them, but to glorify God, and to serve their generation. The Spirit of God in true Christians is opposed to the spirit of the world.

Verses 17-19 Christ next prayed for the disciples, that they might not only be kept from evil, but made good. It is the prayer of Jesus for all that are his, that they may be made holy. Even disciples must pray for sanctifying grace. The means of giving this grace is, "through thy truth, thy word is truth." Sanctify them, set them apart for thyself and thy service. Own them in the office; let thy hand go with them. Jesus entirely devoted himself to his undertaking, and all the parts of it, especially the offering up himself without spot unto God, by the eternal Spirit. The real holiness of all true Christians is the fruit of Christ's death, by which the gift of the Holy Ghost was purchased; he gave himself for his church, to sanctify it. If our views have not this effect on us, they are not Divine truth, or we do not receive them by a living and a working faith, but as mere notions.

Verses 20-23 Our Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be as one body under one head, animated by one soul, by their union with Christ and the Father in him, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the more they throw doubts upon Christianity. Let us endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, praying that all believers may be more and more united in one mind and one judgment. Thus shall we convince the world of the truth and excellence of our religion, and find more sweet communion with God and his saints.

Verses 24-26 Christ, as one with the Father, claimed on behalf of all that had been given to him, and should in due time believe on him, that they should be brought to heaven; and that there the whole company of the redeemed might behold his glory as their beloved Friend and Brother, and therein find happiness. He had declared and would further declare the name or character of God, by his doctrine and his Spirit, that, being one with him, the love of the Father to him might abide with them also. Thus, being joined to Him by one Spirit, they might be filled with all the fulness of God, and enjoy a blessedness of which we can form no right idea in our present state.