John 17

Let us never forget the frightening example of Judas. He was counted among the twelve, but he did not belong to Christ. Likewise, in every church there are those who are counted members, but who do not belong to Christ.

13 See John 5:11 and comment.

14 Jesus had given His disciples God’s word, that is, God’s entire teaching. The disciples were not of this world, because they had been called out of the world. That is why the world hated them. The same is true for all who have ever followed Jesus (see John 15:18-19 and comment).

15 The place of Jesus’ disciples was in the world. They were to establish Christ’s church in the world (see verse 18). They were to be in the world, but not of it. Jesus’ main concern was that they be protected from the evil one, that is, Satan, the ruler of the world (see Matthew 6:13; John 12:31; 1 John 5:19).

16 See verse 14 and comment.

17 Sanctif y them by the truth. To “sanctif y” means to “set apart,” to “make holy.” This is done by God’s truth, that is, by God’s word. … your word is truth. All believers are sanctified by God’s word; that is, they are set apart for a holy purpose. We can also say that all believers are sanctified by faith in Christ. Christ is God’s Word; He is full of grace and truth (John 1:1,14).

Only when we are sanctified are we fit to serve God in this world. But to be sanctified, we must obey God’s word, God’s truth. God’s word by itself does not sanctif y us; we must obey it.

18 Jesus sends us into the world just as God sent Jesus into the world. We have been given an opportunity by Christ to be His witnesses. Just as Christ came to be a witness for God, so we are called to be witnesses for Christ (Acts 1:8).

19 For them (the disciples) I sanctif y myself. Jesus sanctified Himself through His death on the cross. He died for them, His disciples. By His death, the disciples were made holy in God’s sight. Jesus took their sins upon Himself, and they became clean.

In the same way, through faith in Jesus and through His death for us, we too are sanctified and made fit for God’s service.

20 Here we see that Jesus was not praying for His eleven disciples alone, but also for all who have ever believed (and will yet believe) in the Gospel of Christ. Now in this third part of Jesus’ final prayer, He prays especially for us.

21 What does He pray for us above all? He prays that we might be one. All believers are to be one in mind and heart. We are to be one in love. We are to be one in Christ and in God, just as God and Christ are one in each other (John 10:30). This oneness is a spiritual oneness. It is a unity brought about by the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 4:3-4 and comment).

Next, Jesus prays that we might remain in Him and in God (see John 15:4-5,8). Only when we are united with God and Christ can we be united with each other. When we remain in God and in Christ we will bear fruit. People will see that we are continuing Christ’s work. Then, because of the fruit we are bearing in Christ’s name, people will believe that God indeed did send Christ into the world. The two fruits that are easiest for the world to see are our unity and our love. If Christ’s followers demonstrate these fruits, then the world will surely know that Christ was sent from God.

22 Christ gave His disciples His own glory, which He had received from His Father. This glory is spiritual life and love. It is the glory of sanctification. Jesus gave them His glory, that they [might] be one, even as He and the Father were one (see verse 11 and comment).

23 This verse repeats the thought of verse 21. Our unity with each other comes from our unity with God and Christ. We are in them. They are in us. They are in each other. We are branches of the same vine. When the world sees our unity, it will know¹¹⁴ that God sent Christ, and that God loves us, even as He loves Christ (see John 15:9). The world will know that our unity is not based on human love, but on divine love.

Think of that! God loves us as much as He loves His own Son Jesus. And He has made us sons also, because we have believed in Jesus (see John 1:12 and comment).

But let us ask ourselves something. Does the world see unity among Christians? Does the world see love among Christians? How successful the devil has been in dividing us! May God forgive us for not having preserved the unity of His church.

24 Jesus had already told His disciples that He would come back to get them (John 14:3). Here He expresses this same intention to God. He wanted His disciples to see His glory, the glory that He had from the beginning (see verse 5).

25 The world does not know God, but Christ knows Him (John 8:55). Christ came from God to reveal God to men (see Matthew 11:27; John 1:18 and comments). He revealed God especially to His closest disciples. Therefore, He could say to God, “They know that you have sent me.”

26 Jesus said, “I have made you¹¹⁵ known to them, and will continue to make you known.” Jesus continued to make God known to the disciples through the Holy Spirit. And He is still doing so today. Jesus makes God known to us through the Holy Spirit, so that God’s love might be in us and so that Jesus Himself might be in us. Through the Holy Spirit we know God, we know His love (Romans 5:5), and we have Jesus living in us. All this is the work of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is continuing to do this work in the life of every believer today.