John 17

Glory; power for eternal life; knowing Christ and God 1
Things of the Father given to followers; prayer for them 6
Keep them from the world 11
Sanctify them through the Word 17
Prayer for others, too; united with Christ as He is with the Father 20
I want them with Me; love shown 24
Text Comments
.1 ¶ These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
.2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
.3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
.4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
.5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
   1 - Glorify Your son Glory received would enable Christ to better show the glory of the Father. Glory is beauty of character although it may have been accompanied by light. Christ had been glorified before three disciples mt1701. Apparently the honor would now be now given to the eleven (Judas had left).
   3 - That they may know A profound statement worth prayer and meditation 1jo0520, 1ch2809.
   4 - Glorified thee on the earth Christ came to reveal the father jn1409 — to glorify Him is4903.
   5 - Glory ... before the world was Apparently Christ humbled Himself from the time before the creation of this planet when He was destined to be our sacrifice on the cross for our sins! re1308b.
.6 ¶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
 7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
.8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
.9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
.10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
  6 - Name Here the character of the Father jn0114. The eleven disciples then with Jesus had been faithful.
  8 - They ... have known Literally, "They have come to know and are now aware."
  8  - That thou didst send me Jesus was really the Messiah. It had taken time for the concept to soak in. It seems more obvious to us, but let's not forget the importance of the cooperation between Christ and the Father.
  9 - Not for the world That is, not for those who had chosen the way of the world mt1626. He was sent that those in the world who chose to believe would be saved jn0316.
  10 - Mine are thine Father and Son work inseparably for our salvation. The Spirit does, too, but not as visibly.
  10 - Glorified in them Those who accept His saving power to overcome sin disprove Satan's claim that sin is unavoidable is6203. It is on the basis of His righteousness in us that He is victor in the preadvent judgment and is awarded the kingdom da0714.
.11 ¶ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
.12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
 13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
.14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
.15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
  11 - No more in the world Speaking of the immediate future.
  11 - I come to thee The Greek tense is futuristic present. He was about to go to the Father.
  11 - Holy Father Term of reverence. In v17 the disciples (and we) are made holy (sanctified) through the Father's truth. Compare le1144.
  11 - Keep We, too, may claim this keeping power 1co1013, jude24.
  12 - Son of perdition Judas who was destined for destruction. See on 2th0203.
  12 - That the scripture might be fulfilled This sounds like Judas had to choose evil. Since this is not the case re2217, we take the other way to translate the phrase "in fulfillment of the Scripture." The Bible had simply predicted his free choice.
  13 - Joy jn1511, jn1624.
  14 - World hath hated While we are to strive for peace even among those who do not love God he1214, we may ultimately expect to be hated.
  15 - Keep them from the evil According to the Greek, the "evil" may refer either to the evil person or the evil atmosphere. Either is appropriate. From v14, we might prefer the evil atmosphere.

Burning of books from John Wycliffe - He translated the Bible.
.17 ¶ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
.18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
 19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
  17 - Sanctify The Bible doesn't sanctify us (make us holy). Christ does through the Bible. We are thus prepared for the holiness of heaven.
  17 - Truth Not defined by church fathers or people like me who write comments, but by the Word of God. Also in v6.
.20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
.21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
 22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
  20 - Which shall believe on me through their word The disciples with Jesus when He prayed the prayer of this chapter include authors of the NT books. Matthew, Peter, and John were there. Because Jesus said that future readers would believe through their word, we may trust Him that the Scriptures we have today are inspired. Jesus trusted the OT books jn0539 and so can we. This doesn't mean that there are no minor scribal errors, but we can trust the OT and the NT for a clear picture of Christ and the way of salvation.
   On the canon and the apocrypha - click.
  21 - All may be one This verse is and will be used to urge all to join the massive, end-time religious movement re1308. But notice who "they" refers to. Those united with each other and Christ will not be swept up in world-power movements v16. They are sanctified through the truth expressed in the word. v17,19. Compare jn1014.
  21 - One in us Other translations omit the "in us." Being united is not enough. Our unity must be in Christ. There will be no glory as promised in the next verse if unity is based on simple commonness of purpose.
.23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.   23 - I in them, and thou in me Notice that our connection with the Father is through Christ who stands in our place before Him. Compare re0321.
  23 - That the world may know How would this unity reveal that Christ was sent by the Father? Meditate on this.
  23 - Loved them as thou hast loved me This is a concept to keep us meditating and praising throughout eternity!
.24 ¶ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
 25  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
 26  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. 
  24 - That they ... be with me Such love is beyond our comprehension. When will we be with Him? When He personally comes to take us jn1403; at the resurrection of the dead when He comes in glory 1th0416.
  26 - Love ... in them Let us pray for that love 1jo0408, jn1510.

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