John 17:6-12
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vv 6-8) Jesus’ mission among the disciples
vv 6-8) Jesus’ mission among the disciples
[6] Jesus thought about the three or so years of ministry and teaching with His chosen disciples, and summarized it with this phrase.
The “name” in Scripture means the Person, His attributes, and character. What this implies is that Jesus didn’t simply teach about the name of God, He also manifested that character. Jesus had fully declared the Father’s true nature.
Why is this important?
Jesus lived out the love and goodness and righteousness and grace and holiness of God the Father.
We too have a similar call and duty. Paul wrote that believers are like living letters, read by the world:
2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Our responsibility is to manifest the name and nature of God to a watching world.
The disciples had been given to the Son out of the world. They were separated from the unbelieving mass of mankind and set apart to belong to Christ.
“They were the Father’s by election before the world was. and became Christ’s by the gift of the Father, and by purchase of blood” J.G. Bellett
Jesus chose HIs disciples after a night of prayer, expressing His total dependence upon God the Father in the choosing of the men:
12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Judas had departed from this group of disciples sometime earlier that evening (John 13: 26-30). With Judas gone, Jesus could truly say, “the men you have given Me out of the world.”
“Yours they were, and You gave them to me:” Here we are given some insight into the workings of the Persons of the Trinity in what could be called a division of labor. There was some sense in which the disciples first belonged to God the Father, then were given to God the Son.
“They have kept your word:” In spite of all their failures and shortcomings, He credits them with having believed and obeyed His teaching. Jesus saw a genuine work of God in them. For all their failures and faults, they had kept God’s word.
[7-8] Jesus Christ the Savior had perfectly represented His Father. He explained to the disciples that He did not speak or act by His own authority, but only as the Father instructed Him. So they, the disciples, believed that God the Father had sent the Son.
Its pretty clear that the disciples didn’t understand everything about Jesus and His work, but at this point they were convinced of Divine origin of Jesus and His teaching.
These verses I believe show us salvation from two different views and each perspective is true from its point of view:
John 17:6 explains their salvation in the election of God, seeing it from God’s point of view. (the people whom you gave me)
John 17:8 Explains their salvation in their faith, seeing it from humanity’s point of view. (They have believed that you sent me)
vv 9-10) Jesus directs His prayer
vv 9-10) Jesus directs His prayer
[9] As High Priest, He prayed for the disciple; He did not pray for the world. This shouldn’t be taken to mean that Christ never prayed for the world. On the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they dod not know what they do.”
Because Jesus is the Savior of the world:
42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Salvation of the world depends on the witness of those whom the Father has given Him out of the world, and it is they who need his intercession at this point in time.
Jesus imitates the high priest, the second part of whose prayer, on the day of expiation, was for the priest, the sons of Aaron.
[10] The perfect union between the Father and the Son is shown here. No mere man could truthfully say these words. We might be able to say to God, “All mine are Yours,” but we could never say, “All Yours are Mine.”
Again this shows the equality between the Father and the Son.
What do you suppose He means by saying, “I am glorified in them?”
Despite the fact that these men were going to abandon Jesus shortly. He knew that they were going to be instruments of God to glorify Himself.
In a sense, this is what it means to be a believer, to be born again, to be a true follower of Jesus Christ- to have Him glorified in us. Jesus doesn’t merely want to dwell in or live in the believer, but to be glorified in them.
Paul understood this:
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Noting that God’s work in us moves from:
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
No other than Jesus should be glorified in the believer. That is reserved for our Lord and Savior not for our leaders, or people we look too for inspiration and guidance.
vv 11-12) In the world
vv 11-12) In the world
[11] Jesus anticipated His return to heaven. Such confidence is quite remarkable, He prayed as if He had already gone.
What sticks out to you with the title Jesus gives to His Father, Holy Father?
Holy speaks of One who is infinitely high, set apart (other), and consecrated. It refers to the quality of God who transcendently distinctive, unique, majestic, perfect, and pure.
Father speaks of One who is intimately close.
What makes our relationship with God so special and unique is the fact that He created all things and wants to be intimately close to us as well. There is nothing like our God.
“Keep them” the disciples must be kept. This is an interesting concept for them I’m sure. They needed to continue to be Jesus’ disciples. This was not obvious; in the Jewish world of that day no one continued as a disciple to a dead rabbi. Yet these disciples were to continue, to be kept as disciple to Jesus.
“If you have been redeemed; but you must still be kept. You have been regenerated; but you must be kept. You are pure in heart and hands; but you must be kept.” -Spurgeon
We need Jesus our intercessor to pray for us, asking God the Father to keep us.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Our continuing on in Jesus, praise the Lord, is not left to our own efforts alone. The world, the flesh, and the devil are a mighty force, pervasive, and seductive that we could never keep ourselves in our own efforts.
We need Them from keeping us from division.
We need keeping from error.
We need keeping from sin.
We need keeping from hypocrisy.
Jesus also prays for their unity, “that they may be one.” Jesus knows what they will go through shortly and prays that they remain unified.
There is real application for us as well… As the Father and the Son are One in moral likeness, so believers should be united in this respect too- that we are like the Lord Jesus.
How do we become more like Jesus?
Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and discipleship
[12] When we talk about Judas, he was never one of the disciples that the Father gave to Jesus. The title the son of destruction means Judas was consigned to eternal ruin or perdition.
Judas wasn’t compelled to betray Christ in order to fulfill prophecy, but he chose to betray the Savior and in so doing the Scripture was fulfilled.
Scriptures fulfilled:
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
8 May his days be few;
may another take his office!
20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
“ ‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“ ‘Let another take his office.’
The treachery and treason of Ahithophel against King David was a prophesy of treachery and treason of Judas against the Son of David.