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Scripture: John 17
Translation:
17.1Jesus spoke these things. And then after lifting up His eyes to
Heaven, He said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, so that the Son
can glorify You! 2Just as You gave to Him authority over all flesh,
so that in accordance with everything that You gave Him He would give them
eternal life! 3And this is eternal life, namely that they would know
You, the Only Real God and who You sent, Jesus the Messiah! 4I
glorify you on the earth having completed the work that You gave me, so that I
would do [it]. 5And Now glorify Me—You Father, in Your Presence with
the glory, which I had in Your Presence before the world existed! 6I’ve
revealed Your Name to the men, who You gave me from the world! They were Mine,
and You gave them to Me! and they are in a state of keeping Your Word! 7Now
they know that everything that You gave to Me is from You, 8because
the spoken-words, which You gave me, I gave to them, and they received and know
truly that I came from You! And so they believe that You sent Me!
9I
ask for them. I don’t ask for the world, but for who You gave Me, because
they’re Mine! 10And all the things that are Mine are Yours, and all
the things that are Yours are Mine! And I’m glorified in them! 11And
I’ll no longer be in the world, and they will be in the world, and I’m coming
to You, Holy Father! Keep them in Your Name, which You gave to Me, so that they
will be one just as we [are]! 12When I was with them, I kept them in
Your Name, which You gave to Me! and so I protected, and none of them was
destroyed, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be
fulfilled! 13And now I’m coming to You and these things I’m speaking
in the world, so that they will have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14I
will give them Your Message, and the world will hate them, because they aren’t
from the world, just as I am not from the world. 15I’m not asking
that You would take them out from the word, but rather that You would keep them
from the evil one! 16They’re not from the world, just like I’m not
from the world. 17Make them Holy by the Truth! Your Word is truth! 18Just
as You sent Me into the world, I too sent them into the world! 19And
for them I make Myself Holy, so that they themselves will also be made Holy by
the Truth!
20But
not only am I asking for them, but also for those who will believe in Me
through their message, 21that they all would be one, just as You,
Father, are in Me, and I am in You, so that they also would be in Us, so that
the world would believe that You sent Me! 22And I gave them the
glory that You gave Me, so that they would be one, just as We are One! 23I
am in them and You are in Me, so that they would be completed into one, so that
the world would know that You sent Me and You love them, just like You love Me!
24Father, what You gave Me, I will that wherever I Myself Am, those
people would also be with Me, so that they would look at My Glory, which You
gave Me, because You loved Me before the creation of the world! 25Righteous
Father, the world also doesn’t know You, but I know You, and these people know
that You sent Me. 26And I made known to them Your Name, and I will
make [it] known, so that the love, with which You loved Me would be in them and
I would be in them!
The Point I’m Stressing: Jesus teaches
us how to prayer with His prayer, as well as teaching us what to pray for, and giving
us hope for a unified and loving future in the church, as well as practical help
in reaching the lost with the Gospel: He teaches us to be honest with the Father,
and interact with God the Father like He is our Father, in Jesus’ Name, as well
as teaching us to pray for God’s Glory, His Own Glory, and Unity and Love among
believers, and that loving unity among believers shows unbelievers that God loves
us and that He is with us and that we love and serve the Triune God, the God who
is eternally Three Persons, but One God, just as the church is many people, but
one Church deeply connected to each other in Christ!
Interpretation
1.
Structure
a.
Jesus Prays for Himself
b.
Jesus Prays for His Current
Followers/Apostles
c.
Jesus Prays for His Future
Followers/Coverts
2.
Themes
a.
Jesus was faithful
i.
This theme is threaded throughout
the passage and in some ways provides the basis for the answer of the prayer request
b.
Truth
i.
This theme is tied in, especially
from 14.6 “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father, except
through Me”
ii.
This theme also comes up many
other times in 13.31-16.33
c.
Eternal Life
i.
A wider theme found throughout
the book of John, such as 3.16
d.
Glory
i.
This is Jesus main concern in
17.1-5 and in 17.24
e.
Unity
i.
This is a core theme to this
chapter, being discussed from 17.11-23
ii.
f.
Word/Message/Speaking
i.
This is tied to the prologue
in 1.1-5
g.
Knowing
i.
God
ii.
Jesus
h.
Sending
i.
This has been a main theme in
the book, but it is especially a core theme here
i.
Giving
i.
God the Father Gives to Jesus
ii.
Jesus gives to His followers
j.
Faith
i.
This is a main theme in the
book, but here surfaces only briefly in Jesus’ mention of those that will one day
believe in the message of the apostles, as well as in Jesus’ attitude of faith as
He prays
k.
Love
i.
This is also a main theme of
the section, and here surfaces again with it made clear that God the Father loves
Jesus and that love should categorize the unity of true Christians
l.
Prayer in the Name of the
Father/Jesus/Authority/Power
i.
The theme of authority is focused
on in this section as well, with it stated that Jesus was given authority over the
whole of humanity
ii.
However authority also comes
up in the repeated references to the Name that Jesus has from the Father
iii.
Also some of the references
to “what You have given Me” probably refers back to the Name or the authority, although
sometimes it may refer to the group of believers
m.
Joy
i.
Comes about through prayer,
and here we find that it also comes through hearing Jesus’ words
3.
Doctrines
a.
The Doctrine of the
Tri-Unity of Yahweh God: God is One God, but at the same time at all times is 3
Persons: God the Father, God the Son, Jesus the Messiah, and God the Holy
Spirit
b.
Prayer should be done in
the Name of Jesus, which is the Name of God, that is the Name, Yahweh!
c.
The Church is by definition
to be missional, that is a group of people unified like our Triune God full of
Love like our Triune God and reaching out to the world like our Triune God
d.
The Triune God is the
Possessor of all glory, and is Worthy of All the Glory!
e.
Jesus was humbly and
faithfully obedient on earth, completing His Mission effectively, He was a
faithful Servant (cf. OT prophets)
f.
The Church Should be
Unified
g.
Salvation/eternal life,
consists in knowing God the Father and God the Son, and implicitly also Knowing
the Holy Spirit, thus, having a true relationship with the True Triune God is
what it means to be saved, and it is the culmination of the richness of eternal
life!
h.
The evil one is a threat to
our continued presence and holiness in the world, which means he is real, but
he is also weak, because God can and will protect us from him
i.
Truth is categorically the
Word of God, which is Jesus the Messiah Himself as well as what God/Jesus has
verbally conveyed
j.
God is the Possessor of All
things
k.
Salvation is by God’s
decision, before time began (cf. they are not from the world, like I’m not from
the world, those given to me)
l.
Jesus Christ was sent by God,
which means He is God and the sole authorized spokesman for God!
4.
Notes
a.
This chapter is a
confluence of themes of the section which started in 13.31, the climactic
expression and tying together of the themes phrased in the theme of prayer
rather than that of teaching
b.
Larger, book wide themes
are also pulled in, including “Logos, speaking, Love, Faith, Eternal Life, etc.
Applications
1.
Be Thankful—Pray thanking
Jesus for His Prayer
2.
Be Encouraged, because
Jesus’ prayer will NOT go unanswered, and know that He will be pulling for us
3.
Be Loving, because that is
what Jesus wants
4.
Be Impressed with Jesus,
because that is what He wants
5.
Be Unified, because that is
what Jesus wants, because that is Who He is, and what the World Needs to see to
see Jesus as God
6.
Be Bold, because Jesus has
given You the Message and the Authority to tell it
7.
Be Missional, because You
have been sent, so go and tell people
8.
Be different, because if
You trust in Jesus for eternal life, you are not a part of the world, you
shouldn’t be like it
9.
Be prayerful, because we
have all boldness and authority to pray!
10.
Be happy, because You have
heard Jesus’ Message
11.
Be glorifying God the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, because they are worthy of all the
glory!
12.
Feel Secure, because Jesus
has prayed for Your protection!
13.
Be honest in your prayers,
like Jesus
14.
Jesus seems to be suggesting
that the best way for Christians to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity to
unbelievers is to live out the doctrine in the church, by being filled with unity
with one another and love for one another
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