In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and for all believers. Today, I will explore the middle prayer for the disciples (verses 6-19).
This is such a beautiful prayer, and there is nothing I can add to it. How can anyone add to the words of Jesus? Well, no one can, but this is merely my commentary.
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."
Notice first that Jesus acknowledges that the disciples were picked by His Father, God. I take the phrase "out of the world" to be mean just as 2 Corinthians 6:17 states, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” His disciples were to be separate from the world; to live pure and clean lives as an example to those they taught.
Next, it states that the disciples "kept Your word." They received the words for Jesus as Truth from God, and they believed that Jesus and God (along with the Holy Spirit) are one with God (although they are a trinity and not one being). Their beliefs remained steadfast and their conduct honorable; a goal I pray to emulate.
" I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."
Here, Jesus acknowledges again that God chose the disciples for Jesus' mission and again reminds us that He and God are one.
While Jesus is praying this heartfelt prayer, He knows He will soon be crucified. In fact, right after this prayer, Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane. Yet, in the midst of His fear, knowing what torture He was about to face, He takes the time to pray for His faithful followers. He knows He is about to die when He says, "I am no longer in the world."
When Jesus asks God to "keep through Your name" the disciples, I believe He was asking God to bestow strength upon the mortal men to endure to the end. Matthew 10:22 & 24:13, Mark 13:13 all state that "he who endures to the end shall be saved." In fact, when you finish reading this blog, look up the word "endure" on Bible Gateway or some other search engine and see how many scriptures remind us that we must endure, or as Jesus also puts it, be kept in God so that we can become one with Jesus after we die.
"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."
This section here is, of course, about Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus. Yes, Judas' betrayal was predicted by David in Psalm 41:9 "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me."
Notice first that Jesus acknowledges that the disciples were picked by His Father, God. I take the phrase "out of the world" to be mean just as 2 Corinthians 6:17 states, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” His disciples were to be separate from the world; to live pure and clean lives as an example to those they taught.
Next, it states that the disciples "kept Your word." They received the words for Jesus as Truth from God, and they believed that Jesus and God (along with the Holy Spirit) are one with God (although they are a trinity and not one being). Their beliefs remained steadfast and their conduct honorable; a goal I pray to emulate.
" I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."
Here, Jesus acknowledges again that God chose the disciples for Jesus' mission and again reminds us that He and God are one.
While Jesus is praying this heartfelt prayer, He knows He will soon be crucified. In fact, right after this prayer, Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane. Yet, in the midst of His fear, knowing what torture He was about to face, He takes the time to pray for His faithful followers. He knows He is about to die when He says, "I am no longer in the world."
When Jesus asks God to "keep through Your name" the disciples, I believe He was asking God to bestow strength upon the mortal men to endure to the end. Matthew 10:22 & 24:13, Mark 13:13 all state that "he who endures to the end shall be saved." In fact, when you finish reading this blog, look up the word "endure" on Bible Gateway or some other search engine and see how many scriptures remind us that we must endure, or as Jesus also puts it, be kept in God so that we can become one with Jesus after we die.
"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."
This section here is, of course, about Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus. Yes, Judas' betrayal was predicted by David in Psalm 41:9 "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me."
"And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 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. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."
These last sentences of Jesus' prayer are so rich and beautiful! Jesus (as well as other writers of the Bible) reminds us many times over that we will be hated when we choose to follow Him. However, Jesus did not pray that the disciples be removed to a separatist colony to live in safe little bubbles. No, instead He prayed for protection more so spiritually than physically, which is why He asks His disciples be kept away from "the evil one" (Satan), so they would not fall away from their salvation. Again, we are reminded that the disciples are to be an example of sanctification (or holy living) while they are a part of the world. I am sure you have heard the saying, "be in the world but not a part of the world."
Consider also this quite from the late Pastor Leonard Ravenhill, "The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world and make him holy, then put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it.”
The disciples were called to minister and set up churches after Jesus died and rose again. They had missions that went on after Jesus ascended back into heaven. One cannot be called to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15) if one stays hidden away from those in need of the gospel!
We should all try to imitate Jesus' disciples. As a Christian, being a part of the world does not mean we act and dress like the world, it means we have the courage to be separate in our lifestyles and actions. Then we can be like the disciples and, most importantly, like Jesus Christ, and "be sanctified by the Truth" and be a light unto those walking in the darkness.
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