#1531 John 17 Part 2 A Praying Lord

 

6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. 19 For their sake I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17: 6-26 LSB

John 17: 6-26

V. 6 You gave Me out of the world - Just like God came and made Himself known to a man named Abram, a man in the land of the Chaldeans, which became Babylon, and took him from there to a place he had not known. He changed his name to Abraham, from a pagan culture to becoming the father of many nations. He told him that in Isaac his seed would be called, and he did things for Abraham that increased the man's faith. Abram didn't go looking for God, he only knew of gods, idols made with the hands, the gods of his fathers. He probably had the flood story and that of Babel, possibly knew that some of the prior patriarchs believed in a Creator God, the God of Noah, but then everyone in the world became quickly lost once again. God has to make Himself known to us because we will only get more lost on our own, the Father has to call these to the Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit open their eyes. 

27 This is the account of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran. Genesis 11: 27-32

…5And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”… Genesis 15: 5-7

V.8 Truly understood that I came forth from You - Many heard Jesus preach, but few came to saving faith. Who are the ones that truly believed, truly understood? They are the ones that v. 9 speaks of, "those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours." 

…43“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied. 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—… John 6: 43-45

…26But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. 27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.… John 10: 26-28

V. 9 I do not ask on behalf of the world - Don't lose the context hear, Jesus is praying to the Father, this is His priestly work, His intercession, and a good model for us. It is salvatory, and yet not broad as some have come to believe, that Christ came to make salvation merely possible. He speaks efficaciously, asking the Father for those that belong to Him, those that He has called, set apart. There is nothing indicative of potential, but a prayer inside the will of the Father, applying the actual atonement of the Son's obedience, specifically to His elect. Paul and other apostles will continue to explain these doctrines throughout the NT.

…10Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. 11Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, 12not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”… Romans 9: 10-12

V. 10 And all things that are Mine are Yours - Jesus was glorified by those who believed and professed that He was the Son of God, this glorifying the Father as well by those He had given to the Son.

…23They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God because of me. Galatians 1: 23-24

…19because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.… Philippians 1: 19-21

…8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.… 1 Peter 2: 8-10

V. 11 Holy Father, keep them in Your name - He continues to intercede for His people, knowing that He will soon be no longer present with them physically, but He ask for the Father to hold them to the day, through the struggles of living here, of being sojourners, of telling the truth to a lying world. He ask that they be made one with Them, that sinful man be reconciled, basically given life as partakers in the eternal. This is a prayer for the regeneration of those called by the Father and given to the Son. 

…5Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus, 6so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.… Romans 15: 5-7

V. 12 And not one of them perished but the son of perdition - Christ protected them along the way, the one's that God the Father had given Him did not fall away, but there was one destined for destruction. 

The one destined to destruction refers to Judas. Clearly in John’s Gospel Judas is portrayed as a tool of Satan. He is described as “the devil” in 6:70. In 13:2 Satan put into Judas’ heart the idea of betraying Jesus, and 13:27 Satan himself entered Judas. Immediately after this Judas left the company of Jesus and the other disciples and went out into the realm of darkness (13:30). Cf. 2 Thess 2:3, where this same Greek phrase (“the son of destruction”; see tn above) is used to describe the man through whom Satan acts to rebel against God in the last days. - Precept Austin

V. 14 The world has hated them - Men are born at enmity with God. We like to pretend at autonomy, that we don't have to answer to a Creator, that He should have to answer to us, and it is all foolishness on our part, thinking that we are not speaking above what we know. When God gives them His word, He tells them to guard it, to study it, and to correct each other by it. Today men want to take the practical applications, only what they agree with, and loosely at that. When you say, "God says here in Scripture", and you challenge the sin they want to hold onto, then they accuse you of making an argument from authority, that you are placing God's word above human understanding, feeling, and want, and this assaults their self love. They say, "worship yourself and the world will follow, have your best life now, manifest things with your thoughts, envision yourself as the little god you think you are", and then we say, "Jesus says, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him." We tell them that the praise of men is inferior, and that they should fear God above all. They hated Christ when He said it, so they will hate His true disciples when they refuse to alter His word. 

…24A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.… Matthew 10: 24-26

16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 17Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.… Matthew 5: 16-18

…34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. 36No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.… Matthew 24: 34-36

V. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one - We are on a mission; we are not here without purpose, we are the light. It's easy to become obsessed with the wrong and injustices here, to want to hide in the mountains, remove oneself from the world to what ever degree you can here, but that's not the Great Commission.

…38The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying, 39“Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him. 40When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.… Luke 8: 38-40

V. 17 Sanctify them by the truth, Your word is truth - Naturally they won't want to hear this, but faith itself comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, not someone saying, "God told me", but what He actually says in His word. God always operates through His word, that is where we grow in knowledge and sanctification, that is why the Word of God is always under attack, why in China the government wants to print their own version of the Bible, because it comes from a higher power than themselves, and One they would like to deny. 

14Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin. 15Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth. 16But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,… 2 Timothy 2: 14-16

“Sanctify (hagiazo) them in the truth Hagiazo in the pagan world meant “to set apart for the gods,” and for Christians clearly means “set apart for God.” And just as the worshipper of the pagan god acquired the character of that pagan god and the religious ceremonies connected with its worship, so too the follower of Christ is to be gradually "transformed into the same image (OF CHRIST) from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2Cor 3:18). The Spirit uses the written Word to transform us into conformity with the Living Word (Jn 1:1)! Note that in the Truth is locative of sphere which simply describes the "atmosphere" in which a disciple is to live and breathe and have his or her being. A fish in the "atmosphere" of water functions as a fish should function, but a fish in the (literal) atmosphere is dysfunctional and eventually will expire.

THOUGHT - Can you see how vital it is that you be in the Word of Truth daily, that the Spirit might be progressively sanctifying you daily to be more and more like Jesus? This question is clearly rhetorical, but the next one is not! Are you in the Word daily, so the Word might be in you? - Precept Austin

V. 18-20 As You sent Me into the world - Silence is the worst thing we can do as Christians, being shut down for fear of the mob, the culturally so called "enlightened ones". They may call you a bigot, but remember, He already told you to be prepared for that. Do your job anyway. 

…19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.… 2 Corinthians 5: 19-21

…13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”… Romans 10: 13-15

V. 24 Be with Me where I am - Gathered to Him in eternity.

…16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.… 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18

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#1530 John 17 Part 1 Flip The Hour Glass

 

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I glorified You on the earth, having finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17: 1-5 LSB

John 17: 1-5

1A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.… Psalm 121: 1-3

The hour has come - The build up to this is His leaving, going to the cross, that seemingly shameful place, but it is in obedience to Holiness, critical to the redemption of sinners. It will start with the soldiers in the garden, then to the kangaroo courts, to the cross, and there He will say, "it is finished". He will be taken down from the cross and then taken to the grave. This will fulfill what was spoken by the prophets. He has told His disciples that He will come to them quickly, even that they will first be scattered, but He will rise again from the grave and present Himself to them. They will see His glorified form ascend back to where He came, the glory that He knew with His Father. I believe that sums up what He means by "the hour".

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living,

That for the transgression of my people, striking was due to Him?

9 So His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10 But Yahweh was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If You would place His soul as a guilt offering,

He will see His seed,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of Yahweh will succeed in His hand.

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore, I will divide for Him a portion with the many,

And He will divide the spoil with the strong;

Because He poured out His soul to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors. Isaiah 53: 7-12 

V. 1b Glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You - God, from eternity past, has called a people to Himself. They are not called on or of their own merit, but through the Son. They are a gift of the Father to the Son, purchased by the blood of Christ, redeemed from the slave market of sin. 

…8So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,… 2 Timothy 1: 8-10

That to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life - So strange reading passages like this when I was an Arminian. When I just breezed by, didn't think about what I was reading, didn't look at the sentences by study and context, it was easier. When you study it, when you really look at it, God the Father chose people specifically to give to His Son. Those are the people who come to believe, because He also grants them such faith as necessary to do so. We receive the life of Christ's eternal being because He died to satisfy the wages of sin that were owed to us.  

…13In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. 14And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7: 13-14

…26Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. 28Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.… Matthew 11: 26-28

…37Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. 39And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.… John 6: 37-39

…10Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. 11Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, 12not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”……13So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! 15For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”… Romans 9: 10-15

The only true God - This is eternal life, knowing God, and this is through His Son that He sent into the world. 

This is eternal life. The author here defines eternal life for the readers, although it is worked into the prayer in such a way that many interpreters do not regard it as another of the author’s parenthetical comments. It is not just unending life in the sense of prolonged duration. Rather it is a quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God. Having eternal life is here defined as being in relationship with the Father, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent. Christ (χριστός, Christos) is not characteristically attached to Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel; it occurs elsewhere primarily as a title and is used with Jesus’ name only in 1:17. But that is connected to its use here: The statement here in 17:3 enables us to correlate the statement made in 1:18 of the prologue, that Jesus has fully revealed what God is like, with Jesus’ statement in 10:10 that he has come that people might have life, and have it abundantly. These two purposes are really one, according to 17:3, because (abundant) eternal life is defined as knowing (being in relationship with) the Father and the Son. The only way to gain this eternal life, that is, to obtain this knowledge of the Father, is through the Son (cf. 14:6). Although some have pointed to the use of know (γινώσκω, ginōskō) here as evidence of Gnostic influence in the Fourth Gospel, there is a crucial difference: For John this knowledge is not intellectual, but relational. It involves being in relationship. - Precept Austin

V. 4 I glorified You on the earth - He had a very specific mission, a long list of prophecies to fulfill with His coming. Jesus was the crucial part of salvation. God made Adam and Eve responsible creatures in the garden, and gave them a clear instruction of what not to do. He gave the law also through Moses, "do this and you will live", but our first parents fell, seeking human autonomy, doubting the One they knew to be their Maker. Israel displayed man's inability to keep the law, and this law ran in parallel with the sacrificial system, pointing to the satisfaction which could only be met in Christ's life and death. The law taught us our inability, and the sacrificial system showed us our need. It was not animals who were made in the image of God though, and not them who caused the fall, and so the blood of animals could only teach.

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

V. 5 Before the world was - Before time there was only eternity, there was life, and that was in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There was this, I don't have enough words probably, but sort of community. Before time, space, and matter there was eternal life in the Godhead. This was a glory that existed before all else was spoken into being. This is part of the hour, after all is accomplished here, the Son returns to the glory that was His before anything was made. 

NET NOTE - with Yourself - Or “in your presence”; Grk “with yourself.” The use of παρά (para) twice in this verse looks back to the assertion in John 1:1 that the Word (the Λόγος [Logos], who became Jesus of Nazareth in Jn 1:14) was with God (πρὸς τὸν θεόν, pros ton theon). Whatever else may be said, the statement in Jn 17:5 strongly asserts the preexistence of Jesus Christ. It is important to note that although Jesus prayed for a return to the glory he had at the Father’s side before the world was created, he was not praying for a “de-incarnation.” His humanity which he took on at the incarnation (John 1:14) remains, though now glorified. - Precept Austin

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.… John 1: 1-3

…12But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.… John 1: 12-14

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