15.01.08 Jn. 17:6-19
JESUS PRAYS FOR DISCIPLES
6 I have revealed Your name to the men You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that all things You have given to Me are from You, 8 because the words that You gave Me, I have given them. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me.
9 I pray for them.
I am not praying for the world
but for those You have given Me,
because they are Yours.
10 Everything I have is Yours,
and everything You have is Mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
11 I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to You.
Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one. 12 While I was with them, I was protecting them by Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. 13 Now I am coming to You, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have My joy completed in them. 14 I have given them Your word.
The world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world.
15 I am not praying that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world,
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 have sent them into the world.
19 I sanctify Myself for them,
so they also may be sanctified by the truth.
“I have revealed Your name.” The term name is not the sound or word by which one is identified, but in the Hebrew Bible it reflects one’s character. This is especially true of the name of God, and there are more than a hundred names of God. For example Psalm 20:7 clearly describes the trust one can place in God. Yet the name of God was deemed so sacred that it was not mentioned. When Jews spoke of the name of God, they used a four-letter symbol called a “tetragrammaton,”[1] which was “YHVH.” It represents the name Jahweh or, in English Jehovah, which is the word for Adonai, meaning Lord.[2] Only the high priest said it once when he entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. The name Elohim is the name of God associated with strict judgment while the name YHVH is associated with mercy, love, compassion, and forgiveness. The characteristics of YHVH are demonstrated in Exodus 20:6, Psalm 103:17-18, and John 14:15. Jesus came as YHVH – full of grace, love, and mercy, but when He returns, He will rule as Elohim, yet His characteristics of YHVH will be present.[3]
Nonetheless, when Jesus said that He revealed the name of God, He referred to His character and personality. It was His glory that men could see His special relationship with God, and that relationship was available for anyone. He prayed for His disciples, those who knew Him, and for those who would believe in Him in the future. He prayed for two important issues:
- He prayed for their preservation (Jn. 17:9-15), since there would be times of extreme difficulty and anxiety.
- He prayed for their sanctification (Jn. 17:16-19).
“I have revealed you.” This phrase could also be translated to say, “I have manifested your name.” In Hebrew the word “name” is not singular but a plural in the sense that God has many names, each of which reveal His character. Jesus revealed God the Father by love and compassion, as well as concern for justice. Furthermore, the terms “lift up” and “glory” as found in the Old Testament account of Joseph point to this time in the life of Jesus.[4] His character and personality revealed the character and personality of God.
“So that the Scripture may be fulfilled.” What Scripture? At times Jesus spoke of the broad sense of a passage rather than a specific quotation. Ironically, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the Apostle Paul implies this, even though that passage was not written at this time. This proves that the Apostle Paul had the same thought as did Jesus.[5]
[1]. See Appendix 26.
[2]. Barclay, “John.” 2:209-11.
[3]. Chumney, Eddie. “Understanding John 1:17.” Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l. Newsgroup Email Newsletter. June 10, 2004. See also 15.01.08 Jn. 17:6-19.
[4]. See video comments by messianic scholar Timothy Hegg in 01.01.02.V.
[5]. A partial list of other problematic passages is listed in Appendix 13.