The prayer that Jesus prays in chapter seventeen takes up the entire chapter. The prayer was prayed in the room where they had eaten, the room from which Judas had departed after supper, where they had been speaking throughout chapters thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen. This all occurred, as is said in verse one of chapter thirteen, “before the feast of the Passover.” It is a beautiful and moving prayer but when it is broken down into its various points, it is a prayer that is both telling and essential. To show just how important it is to the seeker of truth, I will list the points in order. My treatment follows a somewhat topical approach when it comes to such concepts as 'glorification' and 'sanctification'. For that, I have grouped certain verses together.
I am not bringing into this study any elements other than the language the Bible presents us with and the meanings of the words used. In other words, why was that particular word chosen for the passage and what does it mean? Many people, I am aware, read the Bible-sounding words and accept them as just that. They do not research or consider the use and meaning of a particular word. What does it mean to sanctify, for example? Did you know, for instance, that if you have been sanctified, in effect, you have been made Holy? I think that an understanding of the definitions of the words used in scripture brings the message home and makes it more accessible.
The glory of the son and of the father. In verse one, the indication is that Jesus could not glorify God until the condition of Jesus' glorification was established. That is to say that it was precisely the glory of Jesus that effected the glorification of God. It was a simple matter of the letter A coming before and thus, leading to, the letter B. We see a circular logic in a dual glorification. It is a conundrum. It is an enigma in which the 'self' wins the victory over an obstacle but, in so doing, the 'self' turns and reaches down to help the 'self' up just as the 'self' puts his shoulder into boosting the 'self' up and over.
Jesus glorified God by finishing the work God gave him to do. In verse four, Jesus stated that God had given him a work to finish and in the accomplishment of that work, Jesus effected the glorification of God. That is to say that Jesus proved the high renown and honor of God. Synonyms for the word glory include such words as fame, prestige, distinction, magnificence, splendor, grandeur, majesty, greatness, nobility, and beauty. The wording of verse four leads one to understand that the works and accomplishments of Jesus, with the resulting glorification of God, were no mere mental exercises, neither exaggerated claims or opinions. The work that Jesus finished and the glorification of God that Jesus accomplished was on the earth. They were done in real-time and in a solid and fact-based reality.
The return of glory to Jesus. In verse five, Jesus asks that the favor be returned. He asks that God prove the high renown and honor of his only begotten son. All of the above synonyms apply. The language infers that such glorification is to be accomplished on the earth, in real-time, in a solid and fact-based reality. Jesus is not asking for anything new but, rather, for a return of the glory, he had with his father before the world was. Those who look closely will see how the asked-for glorification will be accomplished. God will not glorify his son with some off-the-wall accolade. God will not glorify his son with or through anything that is of the created world or the aberrant stand of sinful souls. God will take of his “own self” to glorify his son. We see in that a called-for union, a merger, a marshaling. We see the oneness of a dualism.
Joint custody of separated men and the glory that Jesus found in his disciples. In verse ten, Jesus mentions his disciples. Three facts are brought up in connection with the people that have followed and believed in Jesus. First, they belong to God. Second, they belong to Jesus. It is a sort of joint custody by which it is said, 'what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine.' Third, Jesus is glorified in the disciples. The third fact is mentioned in a particular connection to the first two facts. It is appended to them by use of the conjunctive 'and.' It is presented in such a manner as to infer that it is the result or natural outcome of the first two facts. In turn, the union of facts one and two seems to raise another, more subliminal fact, mainly that Jesus is glorified in his disciples for the very reason that they belong jointly to the father and the son.
The passing on of Jesus' glory to the disciples and why. In verse twenty-two, we are presented with the passing on of a standard and the purpose of it. The standard of which I speak is glory. It is a kind of trickle-down effect. Think of the perfect investment. Let us say that by giving you access to my dollar bill, I gain access to your dollar bill. We each have access to the full spending amount. Then, we, together, grant access to our two dollars to a third party. In like fashion, all three of us have access to the full spending amount. But wait, there's more. If both of the original parties have access to the full amount – that is, I can spend two at the same time you spend two – the amount is actually double in value – that is, not two but four. With the addition of the third party, the actual value is not three, it is nine.
That is what we see in the transfer of glory. God has a glory that he shares with Jesus. Jesus, then, adds his glory to God which no longer counts as two singles but the combined effect times two. Next, Jesus adds that combined glory to the disciples. We recall that Jesus said of his disciples, in verse ten, “and I am glorified in them.” Them is plural, there were at least eleven of “them.” So – no, it's not three, it's not even thirteen. It's more like nine times eleven. At nearly one hundred percent gain, that is a lot of glory being shared. Heavenly math is simply divine. However, it is not math for the sake of math. It has a purpose which is clearly stated in verse twenty-two. That purpose is solidarity, it is unity, it is oneness on a level of strength and greatness in numbers. It is not merely the coming together of so many individual units but without order. Rather, it is the weaving of cords into stronger cords and, then, the weaving of stronger cords with other stronger cords to make greater cords.
God's sanctification, the word, the truth. In verse seventeen, we are presented with three concepts – complete with all of the implied undertones and overtones. These concepts are sanctification, truth, and the word. By sanctification, truth, and the word, I mean God's sanctification, God's truth, and God's word. These are the areas in which God shines and this is exactly where we may realize the renown of God. This is God's glory, this is what God has in common with his son Jesus Christ. This is also what Jesus passes on to the disciples. Here is where we need to remember the trickle-down effect of heavenly math. While we are at it, we should go ahead and connect the dots. Sanctify means to set apart as or declare Holy. When God sanctifies the disciples through his truth, he is, in effect, doing so through the agency of his son. Names for Jesus Christ knowingly portray him as both the Word and the Truth. As when a pendulum swings to and fro, God makes Jesus Holy, Jesus makes the disciples Holy and, then, the disciples magnify Jesus who, in turn, magnifies God. All of us are magnified. All of us are sanctified. All of us are Holy.
The bridge that was Jesus' sanctification. In verse nineteen, Jesus presents himself as a bridge between God and man. The goal of this particular verse seems to be the sanctification of the disciples and, pointedly, a sanctification effected “through the truth.” The word sanctify, when used as a verb, means to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use, to consecrate, to free from sin, to purify. In this verse, such accomplishments are achieved through the truth. Now, as we recall, truth is another name for Jesus. Sanctification is not a result that may be granted by one's equals, much less by one's inferiors. It is bestowed from above. It must come down the chain of command. We see that in this verse. It came down from the Son of God – however – we also see that Jesus first had to sanctify himself, which means to qualify himself with the authority to sanctify another. In order to offer consecration to another, in his present state, he first had to be consecrated in his present state. As such endowments go, Jesus had to place himself as the middle link of the chain between God and man. For Jesus to claim the position and place of a bridge, the sanctification, consecration, and authorization he received from on high would have to be, of necessity, a quality that was fit for not only the spiritual Jesus but the man he was, as well.
Like Father like Son like disciple. Verse eighteen gives us that 'sacred purpose' mentioned above. Just as God planted his son in the world, Jesus planted his disciples in the world. His disciples would take up the sacred purpose that had been given to Jesus. The torch would be passed to them. Everything Jesus had taught them had been a preparation for them to continue his work in the world. A deputy under a sworn marshal is someone who has trained for a particular job. The plan of action, the purpose, the lifestyle, are all known and accepted by the deputy. One thing remains. The marshal must swear him in and give him his badge of authority. If the chain of command is a series of three candles, the intent is that all should burn with the same fire. If the chain of command is a series of three light bulbs, when the switch is thrown, all will light up with the same power. The same power, the same purpose, the same authority, the same spirit, the same mind – these are the substance of oneness.
God's name, separated men, and the keeping of God's word. Verse six teaches us the word 'manifest.' To manifest something means to display or show by one's acts or appearance, to be the evidence of, to reflect accurately and completely. Jesus said, “I have manifested thy name.” That is to say that Jesus displayed the accurate reflection of God's name in his own actions and words – it was there in Jesus' physical and real presentation. But, I must ask, what is in a name? This verse has as its structure a perfectly matched beginning and end. By that, I mean that God's name, at the beginning of the verse, and God's word, at the end of the verse, are presented as one and the same. The disciples are not said to have kept God's name, they are said to have kept his word – and that in direct relationship to the manifested name. A person's name is what that person is all about and the power that makes it so.
Neither are the disciples just any old rag-tag group of commoners. They belonged to God before Jesus manifested God's name to them. They had been separated out of the world. They had been prepared for discipleship. Jesus did not convince worldly-minded men to follow him. They already had a predisposition to seek the messiah and to readily accept Jesus as such. Where were the first two disciples, for example? They were disciples of Jesus' cousin John. They were in the wilderness looking for the way when the way just walked up and got himself baptized. Look at how easily they deserted their discipleship with John to follow Jesus. The tax collector easily left his lucrative position because his heart was not in it – he had been separated out of the world beforehand – he belonged to God. You can look at all of the disciples in the same way, God had prepared them for their respective roles as disciples.
Someone might bring up the disciple, Judas Iscariot. You might have just concerns about his being separated out of the world and prepared in advance, for even Jesus said of him in verse twelve, “but the son of perdition; ( downfall ) that the scripture might be fulfilled' ” Perdition may be described by the synonym downfall. Downfall, basically, is defined as a loss of status. It must be noted that for the major part of Jesus' three-year ministry, Judas was a disciple of equal standing with the other eleven. When Jesus sent the disciples out two by two to heal the sick by the power of God, Judas was one of them. He returned just as excited as any of the other eleven about the power of God working through him. It was only in the end, despite his hopes and best intentions, that Judas lost that power.
Men separated out from the world belong to God. Verse nine shows us as much by the definition Jesus gave for separation from the world. As we recall, this is chapter seventeen – a chapter that only contains the spoken prayer of Jesus. Jesus was praying for his disciples and he set them apart by saying they were not of the world. His prayer was not for the world. He said in his prayer, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world.” Who were they exactly? They were men that, in Jesus' words, even in the transfer from God to Jesus, still belonged to God. The phrasing is, “them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” They were accepted into God's ownership from the world. In other words, they were acceptable in God's estimation. You might say, they were hand-picked. When God turned them over to Jesus, all of them had the approval of God. It is an accolade of the highest order that a man belongs to God. In that Judas lost the honor of belonging to God, that is something a man may accomplish only through deliberate choice. The current Coronavirus pandemic teaches us that our bad choices, even our common choices, have dire consequences.
Separated men being one with God and Jesus as a sign to the world. In verse twenty-one, being one with the Father and Son is not just some feel-good epithet, it actually has a purpose. The believer is not just a believer but a believer toward a specific end. Jesus compares them to the “us” relationship between God and Christ which is a unity and a solidarity of higher purpose, a oneness of forward momentum. Jesus, being one with the Father, was planted in the world to bear fruit. Likewise, believers are not here to simply be what we are – we are no idle window dressing – but to bear fruit, to grow the oneness. It is a sign to the world that Jesus was actually sent into the world by God for the ongoing purpose of spiritual magnification. Believing that God sent Jesus into the world, believing that Jesus is the Christ, is the first step toward induction into the higher ranks of spiritual reality.
The full and timely knowledge of the disciples. Verse seven is a snapshot of that initial step toward induction. It is to know, it is to realize that every facet of the Christ in the body of Jesus was deliberately and purposefully God-sent and God-ordained. Knowledge is not an opinion. It is not conjecture or theory, it is a certainty. It is a realization of reality. It is the impetus for a one-up.
Jesus, the messenger of God's word and the knowledgeable faith of the disciples. Verse eight shows us the mechanics of God's ongoing spiritual magnification in the persons of the original disciples. Everything that Jesus said, he received from God. Jesus' words were actually God's words. Jesus took those words and passed them on to the disciples – men with a preexisting connection to God and, in turn, a connection to Jesus. These men who belonged to God and were given into the care of Jesus received the words of God that were passed on by Jesus. They did not reject them; their acceptance of the words that Jesus gave them was not cavalier. Rather, as Jesus noted, they knew “surely” through those words that Jesus “came out from” God in response to God's purpose.
Jesus prays not for the world but for the men separated from the world. Chapter seventeen, in its entirety, is a prayer. Jesus prayed aloud. He prayed so that his disciples heard. They followed along in their hearts silently. They were impressed with the prayer enough so that they remembered it in the following years. They spoke about it, recounted it to one another, and revealed those substantive words to new converts. Ultimately, those words were recorded for posterity. In verse nine, we see that just such was the purpose of the prayer. It was part of the forward momentum. Jesus took from God and moved the plan forward. Likewise, the disciples took from Jesus and moved the plan forward. “I pray for them” who are part of the plan. “I pray for them” who mind higher things than the things of the world.
A clarified definition of Jesus' present prayer and why. Jesus prayed for the believer, the person separated out from the world, the person whose nature was predisposed toward higher, more spiritual, matters. In verses fifteen and sixteen, we get a clarified update on the prayer that Jesus prayed. Jesus explains what he is doing and why. Jesus really cared for those whom he had received from God. They were his now, they were his charge. You or I might pray for our loved ones to be spared all the pain and suffering, we would ask that they be protected. Jesus made it clear that he was not asking for that. Indeed, their protection would have thwarted the plan. It would have halted the forward momentum. Jesus did not pray for their bodies, he prayed for their minds. It was not the intent of Jesus that his disciples should be removed from harm's way but, rather, while they remained in the world, that God should strengthen their resolve to move forward and upward. Jesus asked for God's help for the believers to be of a righteous mind, to resist evil, and move the plan forward. It is interesting and comforting that Jesus compares the believer to himself in verse sixteen. These are the words of comfort and inspiration for you and me: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
The reach of Jesus' prayer. Jesus received God's word and gave it to the believer. The believer received the word and knew it with certainty. The seasoned believer helps the new believer to “surely” know. God's plan moves forward. In verse twenty, Jesus extends his prayer beyond the original disciples to those people who enter the oneness through the words of the disciples. This statement shows us the scope and the reach of God's reality. The plan is structured to move forward from one generation to the next. It is like an unstoppable snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger as it moves forward.
Jesus no longer in the world but coming to the Father while the disciples remain. Verse eleven presents a conundrum. While Jesus is standing physically among his disciples, he says in prayer, “now I am no more in the world . . . and I come to thee.” What has changed so that he can make such a claim? When I graduated High School, after the last class and the last test, I could have rightly said, I am no longer in school. I could have truly said such a thing even though I stood there in a school building. By saying, I am no longer in school, I would have simply meant that I was done with it and that I could move on. It was a point in my progress in which I found myself at the end of one thing and somewhere at the beginning of something bigger and better. That is what I think Jesus meant. He had taken the last class and passed the final test. His works were done. As he stood there physically, he found himself at the beginning of something bigger and better. “I come to thee.” Now came the rite of passage. Synonyms for a rite of passage include trying experience, initiation, a test of courage, trial by fire, and martyrdom.
How God retains the disciples on Jesus' departure and the beginnings of solidarity. Still, in verse eleven, Jesus prayed, “but these are in the world.” The works of the disciples would continue past Jesus' passing. They had a long way to go to reach their final exam. It is, for the disciples, as if they had graduated Grade School and would soon begin High School. It would be like going from basic math to calculus and algebra. What would they need to face the more arduous task of higher education? What they already had was a good foundation in basic knowledge. They knew surely. They had the word of God that Jesus had passed on to them. They had a working faith. Still, what they were up against would test their resolve and task their strength. They needed a superpower that would battle dissolution. They needed unity. They needed oneness. In his prayer, Jesus asked, “keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” Jesus asked for oneness on a par with that which existed between God and his only begotten Son.
Jesus' track record. In verse twelve, we see what Jesus claimed to have achieved. While he was in the world, Jesus, as the duly authorized representative of God, kept them, held them together, protected them. That was his track record. Of twelve disciples, one was lost. Yet, even so, his success rate stood at 100%. The loss of the “son of perdition” was meant to be. It was deliberate and had a purpose. What was the intent behind deliberately losing one of those whom God had given to Jesus? It was so that the scriptures would be fulfilled. God's word is true from beginning to end. It does not fail.
Which scripture was referenced? I take this from Wikipedia: Various Old Testament origins have been suggested for "that the scripture might be fulfilled." These traditionally include Psalm 41:9 "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." Also Psalm 109:8 "Let his days be few; and let another take his office." which is interpreted by Peter in Acts 1:16-20 as having been prophetic of Judas.
Of course, there are other associations. Antiochus IV Epiphanes is one such association to the “son of perdition” or “man of sin.” Antiochus was the man who attacked the second Temple in Jerusalem and is recognized by some theologians as a prototype. Then, there are Satan and the fallen angels who left their first estate but what does being a son of perdition entail, especially concerning Judas Iscariot? As a man, Judas first believed and followed Jesus along with the other eleven disciples. He belonged to God and was given of God to Jesus. He went out with the other eleven disciples, two by two, healing the sick and casting out demons. He might have considered himself to be religious – definitely a warning here to church-going Christians everywhere. It only takes one instance of contrary intent, one bad choice, to bring the faithful to the point of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thank God for salvation.
Passing on the joy. Verse thirteen is interesting. Again, Jesus claims, “And now come I to thee.” What comes next is kind of the whole point of Jesus. Why not just exercise divine powers from heaven? Many other results were achieved after that fashion. God said thus and thus and it was so. What we have learned from the old testament is that on many of the more important matters, God sent a physical presence among men – and that was the thing that worked. The burning bush was a physical presence for Moses. The fiery and smoky pillars were a physical presence for the escaping children of Israel. The angels were a physical presence for Lot and his family. There is a long list of such immediate contacts that got men in on the game plan. God's very history is always set forth in association with mankind. Things can be accomplished from heaven but it seems that God's preferred method is to get stuff done in the world. After an agricultural fashion, it is like the farmer that rolls up his sleeves, gets down on his knees, and gets his hands into the soil. If you want something done right, you do it yourself. Right? So, here we are, included in the prayer that Jesus prayed in the world. Why? Jesus said, “and these things I speak in the world.” There was a real and immediate reason. He was passing on the joy: “that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”
Let's think about joy for a moment. Let us try to picture in our mind's eye the joy that Jesus exhibited in his person. What picture did you come up with? Historically Jesus has been portrayed as solemn and aloof. There are no specific examples in scripture of Jesus laughing or being happy. What is the general consensus about joy? I get this from the dictionary, a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Synonyms for joy include words like jubilation, exultation, exhilaration, and exuberance. When you look up images of joy on the internet, you see people laughing and jumping up and down. That does not match up well with our mental image of Jesus but Jesus did have joy. I think most of us usually confuse joy with happiness. I want to suggest a joy that is less frenetic, a joy that is a deep well of refreshment. A source of strength.
Jesus made the disciples like himself, not of the world, by the giving of the word of God. In verse fourteen, we see believers made great. We see believers made like Jesus himself. We are the augmented people, we have received a one-up. Even as Jesus is not of this world but has ascended to the preliminary stages of a higher plane, so, we too, have evolved upward in our spirit. By achieving this in himself, Jesus achieved the same in every individual who assumes the name of Christ. Christian is not just a word, it is the definition of higher being. The method by which Jesus achieved such a grand feat in and for all believers from the original disciples down to you and me is not lost on us. It is clearly stated. All of us are one-upped through the word of God. Jesus gave the word of God to his disciples. That made them like him. What a kind gift. That same word of God was passed on by the disciples to as many who willingly received it and they, too, received the gift of a spiritual one-up. The gift has been passed down to our current generation and as many as willingly receive it become like Jesus. We can not help but pass that gift on to those we care about.
How it would all play out. In verse twenty-three, Jesus shows us the mechanics of the spiritual one-up. He shows us how it operates, how it plays out. Do you think it is mere word-play that I say we are like Jesus or that we have received a spiritual one-up? Jesus had said of himself, 'I and my Father are one.' He had said of his own one-up, 'now I come to thee.' Jesus had said, 'don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words I speak to you I speak not on my own but the Father who lives in me does the work.' Now, Jesus ties together all the loose ends of mankind's connection to God as he says, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;” to the end that “the world may know that thou hast sent me, and loved them, as thou hast loved me.” Clearly, the purpose was twofold. What good would be accomplished by providing such a wonderful gift as oneness with God only to reach a few men? No, the spiritual one-up is a gift for all men and women. It is there for you and you and you. There are but two simple requirements – you must want to be one with God and you must avail yourself of the gift through the one channel God has provided. You must be one with Jesus to be one with God.
The special request and the relationship to God. In verses twenty-four and twenty-five, Jesus declares the special relationship he has with God. It is not only a fact that God loves Jesus but the extended truth is that God has loved him since before the world was founded. As relationships go, this one is solid. There are no gaps, no pauses. It was not 'then' and again 'now' but, rather, it is a relationship that defines eternity. It is a love that describes the constant and enduring fabric of divine reality. No one has known God like Jesus has. No one has been more aware of the abiding love that is God. As incredible as that is, there is something even more incredible to be seen in these two verses. Jesus made a special request of God. What he asked goes far beyond his disciples being allowed to see his glory. What Jesus asked of God stretches time and space and boggles the mind. He asked, “I will that they also be with me where I am.” How does that even work out? Examine the words closely. It is not a 'where I will be' or a 'they will be.' Jesus was transcending to a higher plane of existence, the disciples would remain as flesh and blood men. How could they be flesh and blood men and also be in the same place that Jesus was transcending to? The place to which Jesus was going is the eternal place where he is the same yesterday, today, and always. It is beyond the capability of mortal man to be in such a place but it is not beyond the power of God to share his eternal spirit. The one who placed his spiritual son in a body of flesh and blood can also put that spirit inside the spirit of every believer.
The purpose of the declared name of God. In verse twenty-six, we see the power of the declared name of God – that it is more than a mere word. Whether that Holy name is written or spoken or considered in thought, the power of it touches everything it comes in contact with. Even when a non-believer says that he does not believe in God – it is too late, he has already invoked the power of the name. Jesus said that he declared the name of God to his disciples. If the name of God was no more than a word, Jesus could have uttered the name once and moved on. Consider, however, that he declared the name of God for a solid three years. To declare the name of God is to invoke the power of the name, it is to instill the reality of the name. His disciples heard and saw more than just a word, they were made intimately aware of the real and timely presence of the powerful persona that permanently permeates everything that is. God is above and God is below, God is over and God is under, God is outside and God is inside. You are invited to the eternal, the invitation that was sent is real and solid – it is you yourself. The spirit within you is the power of God's name. That is how a flesh and blood believer can be with Jesus where he is in the eternal. Jesus said, “I have declared unto them your name and will declare it: that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
The giving of power and the giving of eternal life. Verse two speaks about the power of God's name and how it is passed forward – to whom it is passed and for what purpose. It is a summation at the very beginning of his prayer. Jesus declared that God empowered him over all flesh to give eternal life. We think of Jesus declaring the powerful name of God to his disciples but it really does not stop with them. The extent of his empowerment is “over all flesh.” That is “as many as” God has given. We saw that before they came into the care of Jesus, the disciples belonged to God. They were acceptable to God and prepared for Jesus. The power of God's name was at work before Jesus declared it. In that manner and, also by extension, others who are acceptable to God, others who are prepared by God, others, also, may come to Jesus through the disciples and through converts of the disciples. To all of us, then, who are prepared, who are willing – the power of the name of God is declared to us, that we also may be with Jesus where he is, that we may see his glory and share the love of God which was given without reservation from before the foundation of this world. To be where Jesus is constitutes the eternal – that is a flesh and blood human being with the spirit of Jesus residing in the spirit God has placed in us for just that purpose. We were prepared and Jesus was empowered for the passing on of eternal life.
The meaning of eternal life. Finally, in verse three, we come to the topic of eternal life. Many people are clearly wrong to view eternal life as somehow surviving death and continuing forward in anything resembling our present form. Bodies of flesh will perish. It is meant to be that way. The soul does not survive death – the soul is a combination of the spirit given by God and the body he has placed it in. Death separates the body from the spirit. Yet, there is eternal life and Jesus defines what that is. We learn in verse three that eternal life is not a complicated issue, it is not beyond us or over our heads. It is quite simple in fact. The explanation that Jesus gives needs no further elucidation. Jesus said clearly enough, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
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