John 17 is an interesting chapter. It's one of those passages I think needs to be taken in full context. Many Bibles call this chapter "The High Priest prayer of Jesus".
I see this chapter as Jesus praying for three different groups of people. (four if you count Jesus praying for Himself to be glorified).
John 17:1; 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,
John 17:2; even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.
John 17:3; "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 17:4; "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
John 17:5; "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
First, what is Jesus asking for here. To be glorified. (With the glory that He had "before" the world even existed). Jesus said He glorified the Father, and now He is asking the Father
to glorify Him. This passage is often taken two ways.... "the men whom You gave Me out of the world"... who is Jesus talking about here. All believers? Or just the twelve disciples
in particular. It's possible Jesus is talking about all believers up to this point.... but there are some clues coming up that narrow it down.
John 17:6; "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.
John 17:7; "Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You;
John 17:8; 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.
The second thing that stands out to me here is... these people that the Father gave to Jesus... "kept Your word". They "received" these words, accepted and "understood" them.
John 17:9; "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;
John 17:10; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.
John 17:11; "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.
John 17:12; "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.
Jesus does make an important distinction here. His followers are "in the world", but they
are not "of the world". Jesus guarded over them, and the only one that had died up to this point was Judas ("the son of perdition"). Remember even Judas was chosen by Jesus.
Jesus says "I guarded them them and not one of them perished.." well obviously believers died during this time. John the Baptist, Lazarus, etc... that leads me to believe Jesus isn't talking about
all the believers in the world, but rather the disciples in particular. He even points out that one of the disciples did die (Judas) but he doesn't mention John the baptist or Lazarus.
John 17:13; "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.
John 17:14; "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.
John 17:15; "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.
John 17:16; "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Again Jesus says twice more here... His followers "are not of this world". Yet they are in this world. Jesus goes on to say... I'm not even asking that you take them out of this world,
but rather "keep them from the evil one". The thought here is that the disciples were vulnerable for a short period of time... until the Holy Spirit came.
John 17:17; "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
John 17:18; "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
John 17:19; "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
John 17:20; "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
Now Jesus's tune changes a little bit here. I do not ask for "these alone" (the disciples) but for everyone who believes in Me (through the word of the disciples).
The first prayer was just for the disciples. The second prayer is also for all "who believe in Me".
John 17:21; 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.
We are getting near the end of the chapter and Jesus asks "that the world may believe". So I see this prayer in three parts...
First just the apostles. second, all believers in the world, and finally the entire world, even non-believers (so that they might believe).
Men are harder for the task. And can take more I believe that makes them stronger through engagement and wiser for a greater force they must engage.
