John 17

John 17:1

John Knox, great Scottish reformer of the sixteenth century, called John chapter 17 the “Holy of Holies in the Temple of Scripture.” So much did Knox love this chapter, that as he lay on his deathbed, he had it read to him over and over again. I believe John Knox’s choice was a good one, for in John 17, we see Jesus approaching His own death. About to be crucified, He pauses to talk things over with His Father, giving a report concerning what He did in the three years He was here on earth in public ministry. And in His evaluation, I see eight areas Jesus identified as the foundations of His success. The world names money, power, and prestige as foundational. Jesus shows us an entirely different way of evaluating life and ministry… After talking about the Father to His disciples in the Upper Room, Jesus talks to the Father about His disciples. Prayer is not the way to get God to do our will in heaven. Prayer is the way to get man to do God’s will on earth. Once this is understood, you will find yourself praying in an entirely different manner. And that’s what Jesus is doing here. “Glorify Me,” He prays, “so that You might be glorifiedeven if that means that I will be pinned to the Cross of Calvary.” “That sounds sadistic,” you say. But it isn’t because on the other side of the Cross is a crownjoy unspeakable, full of great glory. We only see five months or ten years down the road. But God sees the next ten zillion years. You see, Jesus’ allowing the Father to be glorified through Him ultimately bought a bride for Him for all eternity. It’s so radical when a believer finally gets the big picture and stops saying, “God do it my way.” God is not Burger King. We can’t give orders about how things should be done, and then complain when we don’t get the lettuce and onions we asked for. God is not Burger KingHe’s the King of kings, and He sees what is going to be absolutely best in the long run.

John 17:2

“I have glorified You on the earth.” This is the first point in determining how successful in life you are. It is said that former Mayor Ed Koch used to walk the streets of New York City asking everyonethe garbage man, the meter reader, the businessman"How am I doing?" So, too, I think it’s sometimes good for us to say, “How am I doing, Father? Who has received the glory?” Maybe you’re an excellent mother, a gifted musician, a deep Bible teacher, a wonderful neighbor, a hard worker. But who has received the glory? Jesus had a way of working where, without exception, every time He showed power, Scripture says the people saw it and glorified God in heaven. How about you? Jesus said, “Let your light so shine among men that they might see your good works and glorify the Father in heaven” (Mat_5:16). Are you getting the glory, or is God? God chooses to use the foolish things of the world (1Co_1:27) because then people say, “Wow! God is good to use a foolish weakling like him.” Jesus didn’t say, “I started the work,” or, “I thought about the work,” or, “I was going to get to the work.” He said, “I have finished the work.” The roads from Bible studies and Bible conferences are strewn with the broken commitments of men and women who began but never finished what God told them to do. I’m sure glad that after Noah finished the frame on the ark, he didn’t say, “Close enough. We don’t need a roof.” No, he finished the work. He completed the task. If he hadn’t, we would all be sunk. What about you? If you knew you only had a few hours to live, could you say, “Father, I finished the work You gave me to do”? Or would you have to say, “I know you put this on my heart last year and I meant to get to it, but …”? Have you finished the work? Saul didn’t. “Let not one Amalekite remain,” Samuel told Saul (1Sa_15:3). And Saul killed almost every onebut he decided to keep Agag, king of the Amalekites as a trophy. Twenty-five years later, wounded in battle, rather than being captured by the enemy, Saul turns to a young man on the field and says, “Kill me.” And the young manan Amalekitedid just that. Where did he come from? Somewhere along the way, Agag fathered a son. “Don’t leave a single Amalekite alive,” Samuel said. “I gave it a pretty good shot,” said Saul. “Ninety-nine point nine percent isn’t bad.” But the one he didn’t finish was the one who did him in. What has God called you to do? What has He spoken to your heart about? Maybe it’s a certain sin that’s got to go, and you think, Well, I’ve got it pretty much taken care of. I know the Lord’s told me not to do this, but I’ve cut way back. “Have you finished it?” “No, but I’ve got it under control.” Watch out. Agag is out to get you. “It is Finished,” cried Jesus from the Cross. I’m so glad He didn’t say, “I almost did it, but I’m going to come down now"because if He came down from the Cross, we would go down to hell. He paid the price. He finished the work. “The whole city wants You,” Jesus was told in Mar_1:37. Having spent the morning in prayer, however, He knew that the directive of His Father was for Him to minister in the backwoods region of Galilee. Thus, He went in the opposite direction of the clamor of the crowd. I believe this is why you never see Jesus accused of being busy. His enemies accused Him of being a winebibber, a glutton, demon-possessed, and crazybut never busy. Jesus moved with a paced peace and an ordered steadiness because He knew the heart of the Father. People’s burdens will give you an ulcer. People’s expectations will drive you crazy. Whenever the burden’s not light, I know I’m not doing the will of the Father. But when He directs me morning by morning, I find His yoke easy (Mat_11:30).

John 17:5

“I have manifested Thy name.” The word translated “manifest” is phaneroo, which means “to shine forth.” It doesn’t mean so much declaration as it does illustration. When Jesus said, “I have manifested Your name,” He wasn’t saying, “I have preached about it verbally,” but rather, “I have lived it out observably.” “Great is the mystery,” Paul would later say, “that God was manifest in the flesh,” (see 1Ti_3:16). Truly, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Joh_1:14). Jesus said, “This is what I’ve done FatherI have fleshed out, lived out Your Name and Your Nature before these men You’ve entrusted to Me. They have seen You by seeing Me.” As the law came down from Mount Sinai, it read, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not covet.” It was heavybut the people received it because it was delivered to them by a man whose face glowed (Exo_34:29). So, too, if you come down on your friends, colleagues, or kids, and you’re growling instead of glowing, they’ll resent you and reject the law you bring. Your kids will rebel; your friends will leave; your employees will quit because they’ll resent what you share. But if, like Moses and like Jesus, you’re spending time with the Father, you will be able to correctly manifest Him.

John 17:8

I have given them thy words.” The word translated “words” in this verse is rhema, and refers not to the written word, but to the spoken word. Rhema is also found in Eph_6:17, in conjunction with the sword of the Spirit. In this context, rhema refers not to a theological, scriptural, doctrinal statement, but to a particular word for a particular person. “You have said well you have no husband. You’ve had five husbands and the man you’re living with now is not your husband at all” (see Joh_4:18) said Jesus, as He tenderly wielded the daggerlike, Spirit-inspired rhemathe particular word for a particular person. Maybe you’ve been following the story that has been in the news several times lately about a group of kids who preach at the top of their lungs on their way to school, using their Bibles for megaphones. Recently kicked out of school because they refused to quit preaching, they’re now being home-schooled. “Obviously what they’re doing doesn’t seem right,” people say. “But they are preaching the Word.” Ah, but it’s not the rhema word. It’s not the exact word. It’s not the right word at the right time. It’s offending, not convicting. When people justify obnoxious behavior under the guise of preaching the Word, we need to say, “Wait a minute, brother. The Word of God is exactfor the right person at the right time in the right way. And what you’re doing is not right.” “I pray not for the world,” said Jesus. The term “world” has three references scripturally. First, it speaks of the planet, of the earth (Job_37:12). Second, it speaks of humanity (Joh_3:16). But the world Jesus is talking about here is neither the planet nor the people, but the system. Consequently, He is praying not to transform the system, not to politically organize to change the system, but rather He is praying for those the Father has called out of the world’s system.

John 17:12

“I have kept them,” Jesus said. According to the teaching of Jesus in John 10, we are in the Father’s hand and no man can pluck us out. Nothing can loosen us from His grip. Therefore, while we must not be ignorant of Satan’s devices, the key to overcoming darkness is to walk in the light and to realize that Jesus Christ promises to keep us (Jud_1:24). Yes, there is a danger in demon possession or demon oppressionbut I believe the greatest danger right now is demon obsession. We should be obsessed not with darkness, but with Jesus. He should be the subject of your study, the passion of your ministry. “I have kept them,” Jesus said. What about us? In one sense, in order to apply this to our lives, we need to realize we cannot keep our children, grandchildren, or people to whom we’re linked in ministry because they’re not ours to keep. They’re His. You have opportunities one day at a time to be a blessing to your children and others to whom you ministerto serve them, discipline them, and love them. But you can’t cling to them because they’re not yours (Eze_18:4). I cannot keep people selfishlybut I must keep them in my heart tenderly. This is what Paul speaks of in virtually all of his epistles when he says, “I have you in my heart.” Old Testament priests wore stones representing each tribe both over their hearts on a breastplate and on their shoulders because there’s a connection between the burden of intercession and the heart of compassion. When you pray for people, you will find that as you bear them on your shoulders in intercessory ministry, they will become jewels on your heart. The word “perdition” means “wasteful.” What did Judas say when Mary anointed Jesus with oil? The son of waste himself said, “Is not that wasteful? Couldn’t it have been used more practically?” (see Joh_12:4-5). This son of perdition could not understand the reason one would bestow anything of worth on Jesus. “Have not I chosen you, yet one of you is a devil?” Jesus said (see Joh_6:70). Judas was never saved. That is why he was not kept.

John 17:13

Unlike in verse Joh_17:8, the word translated “word” here in verse Joh_17:13 is logos. “I have given them the Scriptures,” Jesus says. “Thy Word is truth.” Truth comes in a three-volume set. The first volume is the Scripturesa Book you can learn from. The second is the Son (Joh_14:6)a Person you can love. The third is the Spirit (1Jn_5:6)a Power to live by. If you are learning from the Scriptures, loving the Son, and living in the Spirit, you will be walking in truth.

John 17:18

“I have sent them.” Jesus not only kept those entrusted to Him, but He sent them out. He made opportunities for them. Earlier, He had said, “They are not of the world,“but yet He sends them into the world. Christian, listen carefully. We are not to be of the worldbut we must be in the world. The mistake of the monastery movement lies in isolation from the world.

You can get away, yes, but don’t stay away. Jesus ripped into that wrong understanding when He told the parable of the Good Samaritan. You can’t walk on the other side of the street to avoid the stench and infection of the world. The answer lies not in isolation, but in incarnationfor just as God became Man yet retained His deity, so we are a people who, although we live among humanity, are linked to eternity. We’re here in the flesh, but we are really living in the heavenlies. That’s where our hope, our destiny, and our source of strength lie. In the aftermath of the December seventh bombing of Pearl Harbor, divers were sent to rescue the survivors. In one compartment of the USS Utah, however, it was impossible to get to the men trapped inside. The divers could hear men tapping “Is there any hope?” in Morse Codebut rescue was impossible with the technology then available. We’re deep-sea divers, gangdown here on earth, but connected to heaven. We don’t fit in here, we don’t belong here, and we ain’t gonna stay here. But the Lord has allowed us to be here, pumping the oxygen of the Spirit and the Scriptures to us, saying, “There are people to rescue. Do what you can as I guide and lead you.” If you’re of the world, you’re in big trouble. You’re going to try to boogie eighty feet underwater, and it’s just not going to work. We’ve got souls to save, people to reach, things to do. Let’s get movingand let’s go home to heaven.

John 17:19

Jesus prayed not only for those with Him at that time, but for those who would believe later onfor you and me.

John 17:21

Keep in mind that it was after talking about truth in verse Joh_17:14 that Jesus prays His people might be one here in verse Joh_17:21. Eph_4:15 says we are to speak the truth in love because love without truth is hypocrisy, while truth without love is brutality. You see, if I speak the truth without love, it’s like a fire without warmth. Who wants to be in a room on a cold night with light but no warmth? If I speak love without truth, however, it’s like a blaze without light. And who wants to be in the dark? The idea is to have light and warmth. Unity is based upon telling the truth in lovenot always easy, but absolutely necessary. Such a powerful evangelist was George Whitefield that thirty thousand people would regularly attend his open-air meetings. So anointed and eloquent was he, history records many orators and actors would come just to watch him. Charles Wesley, a contemporary of Whitefield’s, was also preaching to multitudes. Yet so diverse were the views of these two men on certain doctrines, they took out advertisements in the newspapers explaining why they believed what they didand why the other was amiss. People thought these men hated each otheruntil one reporter asked Whitefield, “Tell me, Mr. Whitefield, do you expect to see Charles Wesley in heaven?” “No,” answered Whitefield. “He’s going to be so close to the throne, and I’m going to be so far back, I’ll never see him.” I like that! Here these guys had very different views doctrinally, and very different flavors in ministry, but they had unity through love in their diversity.

John 17:22

“I have given them the glory,” Jesus said, speaking of the chabod, the substance, the reality of holiness. Jesus gave the glory to His disciples? To men who would deny Him and abandon Him? Yes. And that same glory has been given to you, for whom He justified, He glorified (Rom_8:30). Listen carefully, saint: The Father looks at you and says, “You are not only elected and predestined, called and justified, but you are already glorified.” I’m so glad the Father doesn’t see me in my frailty and my flesh, my carnality and stupidity. I’m so thankful He sees me glorified in His Son. Wouldn’t it be radical if you looked at your sons and daughters, husband or wife in their glorified state? Think about the person who bugs you the most. Now, ask the Lord to show you how He views him. You see, it’s not that love is blind. It’s that love sees more. And because love sees more, it is willing to see less. Filled with glory, the eyes of love don’t have room for shortcomings and failure. Unity in the Family A Topical Study of Joh_17:20-23 We are part of a family, a big familythe family of God. And according to the Scriptures, our Father is proud of us. Are we perfect? Well, it depends on how you look at it. Oh, I know we still have flaws and faults and shortcomings. No doubt about it. But Heb_10:14 says that by one offering, God has perfected forever those who are sanctified. So, by the offering of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, we have been perfected positionally. We are familyand as family, it is the intention of our Father that we dwell together in unity. Why is the Lord so concerned about unity? I suggest a couple of reasons… Pleasure in Unity Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!Psa_133:1 Parents are blessed by seeing their kids playing together, sharing toys, and being kind to one another. Conversely, they’re grieved when they see their kids fighting and bopping one another. The same is true of the Heavenly Father. Seeing His kids together, with all of their various personalities and characteristics, yet dwelling together in unity, causes Him to say, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Power in Unity The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands.Pro_30:27 If a single cricket or grasshopper lands in your garden, you simply brush him off. Locusts, however, have a secret: They move together in vast numbers. They don’t have a king, but instinctively they travel across a country into a community and are able devour everything in sight simply by their unity. So, too, the world says to us as individual believers, “Quit bugging me, you little cricket,” as they brush us off and put us down. But when God’s people, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, move in unitywithout king, pope, or denominational headquarterswe can storm the very gates of hell and make a lasting, permanent impact. The Christian community is splintering and that is why, more than ever, we need to hear the heart of the Lord in this areathat we might be one as a family in our homes, as a congregation, as a body. Now, if the prayer of Jesus is for unity and cohesion, what is the program of Satan? Division. What does Satan intend to do to disrupt the unity in your family, in your church locally, or among the church universally? Lacking creativity or innovation, he seeks to divide and conquer the same ways he has since the beginning… Competition And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.Gen_4:3-5 Here we see the first tactic of the Enemy: getting brothers to compete against each other. Although the world exalts competition as a key component of its system, such is not the way of the kingdom. We’re one body, one family, (1 Corinthians 12). Therefore, when one part of the body is blessed, the whole body should rejoice. If good things are happening to a brother or sister, don’t be intimidated, but rejoice because you’re being blessed as well. Jesus showed us what He thought of competition at the pool of Bethesda. The conventional wisdom of the day was that whenever the water stirred, the first one in would get healed. When Jesus came on the scene, He went to a guy at the very backthe one who was not fighting to get ahead, the one forgotten by everyone else and said, “Rise, take up your bed. Let’s get out of this place of competition,” (see John 5). And I suggest to you that’s still the heart of Jesus. Exposure And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.Gen_9:20-22 The Flood over, Noah became a vinedresser. It is possible Noah didn’t know that, due to the collapse of the water canopy that had surrounded the earth before the Flood, fermentation would occur under the damaging rays of the sun. But as he drank the grape juice that perhaps had been sitting out for a few months, maybe he did indeed know exactly what he was doing. Either way, drunk and naked in his tent, he was exposed by his son. Why do we expose the nakedness of others? I suggest it’s for the sense of camaraderie that follows. You see, if Rick says to Roger, “I can’t believe what Peter did last week,” initially there’s something in human nature that produces a bond between Rick and Roger as they talk about Peter. They might sound very spiritual, as in, “Did you hear what happened to Peter? I know you’ll pray about it, so I want to share with you what he did…” but cut through all the piety, and gossip is at the root. A day or two later, however, when Rick sees Roger talking with Peter, he thinks, Uh, oh. I bet they’re talking about me. And paranoia creeps in. Thus, exposure produces a false fellowship because you can be sure that if someone has listened to you gossip about another, they will also be involved in gossip about you. “Oh, but I didn’t say anything. I was just listening.” According to Pro_17:4, even if you listen, you are a partner in that sin. Proverbs goes on to say, “Where there is no wood, there can be no fire” (see Pro_26:20), because if you refuse to listen, guess what. The gossip stops. Proverbs goes even further in saying, “He that covers a transgression seeks love” (see Pro_17:9). And that’s what is seen in Genesis 9. Ham exposed his father’s sinbut his brothers covered it. Shem and Japheth walked in backward with a blanket between their shoulders lest anyone walking outside look in and see Noah’s nakedness. It’s tragic when Christians talk about the dirty laundry that’s in the tent and expose the nakedness of their brothers and sisters, because those outside the tentthe ones who aren’t savedsay, “I don’t want to go in there.” Instead of talking and gossiping, Shem and Japheth covered the iniquity carefully and completely. And they were blessed as a result (Gen_9:26-27). Legalism And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.Gen_21:8-9 Galatians 4 gives us the interpretation of this event: Ishmael represents the law, the Old Covenant. Isaac represents grace, the New Covenant. The law always mocks grace. The law will always come down on grace, find fault with grace, belittle grace. Watch out for this third attack of the Enemywhere we come down on others, make fun of others, separate ourselves from others when they don’t keep our prescribed rules. Beware of legalism. Don’t let cultural traditions or personal convictions cause division between you and any other believer. Favoritism And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.Gen_25:27-28 Isaac grew up, married Rebekah, and fathered twin sonsJacob and Esau. As Esau grew up, Isaac said, “I like this kidAll-State in hunting.” But Rebekah loved Jacob. Thus, because of favoritism, seeds of division were planted, which caused life-long tension between these two brothers. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul warns of the same danger. “You’re carnal,” he said to the Corinthians believers, “not because of some gross and obvious sin, but because you each have your favorite teacher. Some follow me; others follow Apollos; others Peter. This ought not be.” Jealousy And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.Gen_37:4-5 Whenever we look at someone else’s power, position, or possessions and think, That would make me happy, jealousy is the inevitable result. Such was the case with Joseph and his brothers. After Joseph was bestowed with a coat, signifying a position of prominence, and after he prophesied that they would one day bow to him, so angry did his brothers become that they tossed him into a pit to die. Then, seeing a band of slave traders traveling through the region, his brothers picked him up and sold him as a slave in Egypt, where he was eventually thrown into a dungeon before finally rising to the position of prime minister. Keep Joseph in mind when you see someone who seems to have more prowess spiritually, more power vocationally, more possessions materially than you. As was Joseph’s, the path of their prominence is often strewn with pits and prisons about which you know nothing.

So be thankful where you are. Like Paul, learn to be content wherever the Lord has planted you (Php_4:11). Competition, exposure, legalism, favoritism, jealousy all constitute the plan of the Enemy to cause division. What, then, is the pathway to unity? It’s not crusades. It’s not saying, “Let’s get all of the churches together and have a unity rally.” Neither is it causes. It’s not saying, “We’ll all stand together for a certain cause politically or morallyand that will unify the body of Christ.” I don’t see any hints in Scripture that indicate crusades or causes unify the body. I only see one force that does: the Cross of Christ. Revelation of the Cross Some believers sense the presence of God through high liturgy. That is, when they hear the swishing of robes and the chanting of choirs, when they smell the burning of incense, and see the flickering of candles, they think, Wow. I’m with God. I feel His presence. Other churches employ what is called a “low” liturgical order. “Forget formality,” they say, for unless there’s prophecy, tongues, an interpretation, some healings, and some spontaneous sharingthey don’t sense the Spirit moving. Others say, “It’s not high or low liturgy that matters. Rather, the church should be caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless.” We might put them on the left side of the spectrum. They’re social activists, caring about people practically. Fundamentalists, who tend to congregate on the right side of the spectrum, say, “We’re going to ground our people in the Word, in the importance of doctrine.” Put all these flavors togetherthe height, the depth, the left, the rightand they form a cross. And that’s where fellowship is found. Not in doctrine, not in activism, not in causes, not in crusades. True fellowship is found when we finally say, “The Lord is bigger than I thought.” You see, gang, the Lord looks at those in high liturgical churches as a reflection of His holiness; at those who worship sans liturgy as a reflection of His power; at “left wing” activists as a reflection of His compassion; at “right-wing” fundamentalists as a reflection of His righteousness. There’s room for all who truly name the Name of Jesus. Catholics, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Episcopalians, even renegades like usthere’s room for everyone at the Cross. God made all kinds of different people. He loves them all and He’s provided churches to minister to the way He made them. It’s not a matter of better or worse, right or wrong. It’s not a matter of finding oneness doctrinally or trying to get together politically. It’s a matter of joining together at the Cross of Calvary. Appropriation of the Cross How do we come to the Cross practically? At Communion. Just as my family gathers around our table, so, too, the family of Christ gathers around His table. No matter where we’ve come from, or what our flavor might be, we all eat of the same Bread, we all drink of the same Blood. Communion, how important it is because it is there we find all the dials set back to zero, all of the divisions melted away as we are reminded that His Body and Blood are our common ground. Application of the Cross With every church, with every brother or sister who names the name of Jesus, we must come to the realization that we are all sinners saved by grace. Therefore, our prayer must be, “Lord, remind me of what I am, and of where I’ve been in order that I might look lovingly and mercifully on every sister, on every brother, on every church who is preaching Your name and has received You as their Savior.” May we truly, practically, daily walk in unity. We’ll do it to the extent that we live in the shadow of Calvary.

John 17:24

I know for a fact we’re going to heaven because of the promise Jesus made in Joh_14:1, the prayer He prayed here in Joh_17:24, and the price He paid (1Th_5:10).

John 17:26

“I have declared thy Name,” said Jesus. Unlike manifesting God’s Name, which involves living it out (verse Joh_17:6), declaring His Name refers to speaking it out. “I AM the Bread of life,” Jesus declared. “I AM the Door. I AM the Way. I AM the Vine. I AM the Truth. I AM the Light. I not only showed people illustratively, but I declared Your Name verbally.” Gang, as we treat people as though they are already glorified, as we speak the truth in love that we might be unified, as we keep those the Lord has given to us on our hearts through intercession, as we manifest as well as declare the nature of the Father, as we give people the exact word, and share with them the Scriptures, as we finish the work He gives us to do, we will be doing the very things Jesus said our lives should be about. But as you who are students of management know, this measurement of success is radically contrary to what is propagated in our American culture. It doesn’t chart well in popularity polls, on financial fact sheets, or resumes. It won’t produce trophies in your case or plaques on your wallonly a voice in your ear, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”