The Passage
      v20. Christ has prayed for the unity of his disciples and now he turns his attention to those who will come to believe in him through their preaching. This prayer is for those who hear the gospel, turn to Jesus and put their trust in him.
      v21. Christ's prayer for broken humanity is that we may continue to be one. The meaning of this oneness is unpacked for us in verses 21 to 23. The oneness that Jesus desires for us is the same oneness that binds together the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is the sum of God's character; it is unifying love, merciful compassion. Jesus prays that we continue in the unity of love; that we be one, that we be in the Father and the Son. A consequence of knowing and experiencing the love of God in Christ is that God's ultimate plan of gathering a people to himself is progressed when broken humanity sees something of the divine in Christ's people, and seeing they believe.
      v22. Jesus' prayer that we continue to know and experience the love of God, both in our relationship with Jesus and each other, is guaranteed by the gift of glory. The radiance of the divine, his glory, exhibited in the person and work of Jesus, is revealed to us in the scriptures. So we continue in God's love through the renewing power of Biblical truth.
      v23. Finally, Jesus prays that this unifying love, evident in the relationship between the members of the Trinity and in brotherly fellowship, might soon be complete, perfected. The world will see this divine love "because" Christ was sent and "because" the Father's love for believers is evident to all.
      v24. Jesus now winds up his prayer for his disciples and for those who believe through their preaching. Jesus affirms the Father's will that those who believe will share eternity with Christ and see the nature of his glory in all its wonder. This glory is divine, an expression of the reciprocal love that exists within the Godhead.
      v25. Addressing the Father, Jesus makes a simple observation: only he knows God and only in him is God known. The disciples have recognized the divine in Jesus and so have come to know God. The world, on the other hand, has not recognized the divine in Jesus and so has failed to come to know the living God.
      v26. Jesus concludes with an affirmation of fact. He has made known his Word, the gospel, and will continue to make it known through the apostolic witness and the Word ministries of the church. The purpose of this ongoing revelation is that believers will continue under the abiding influence of divine love, and so retain the intimate involvement of Jesus Christ in their life.

Abiding in divine love
      I remember when I was a youthful member of my local church fellowship, that once a term, at the evening service, we would have a special evangelistic outreach. This was a time when people could give their life, or rededicate their life, to Jesus. Our old minister used the "alter-call" method which involved moving to the front of the church in plain view of everyone; a bit embarrassing. There was this young girl, a sad case really, who rededicated herself every time there was an altar call. I remember thinking at the time that the heads bowed and hands up routine would have been less embarrassing. Mind you, we all would have peeked anyway.
      Of course, the truth is that when it comes to rededication, it wouldn't hurt any of us. In fact, there is a sense where going to church on Sunday serves this very purpose. We are always falling from some great height, slipping on slushy ground, continually short of our spiritual goals. Yet, as the Sundays go by, will we always focus on rededication, or will it wear thin?
      In the upper room on the Thursday evening before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed for his disciples, not just his apostles, but all disciples in every age. He prayed that we continue in unity, continue in him and continue in love. These three ideas are most likely facets of the one jewel; each speaks of the same reality; each in itself is that reality. Union with the divine and inclusion in the divine, are rather difficult ideas to comprehend, but love, in the sense of a divine merciful compassion, now that is an idea we can comprehend. Jesus prays that we continue in love, that we continue to bask in God's radiant love for us and in the radiant love of the brotherhood, that we take it in and give it out.
      Jesus prays for those who believe in his Word and who by believing, are caught up in the love of God. This love, this divine compassion which brings with it forgiveness and eternal acceptance in the sight of God, in turn prompts forgiveness and acceptance within the brotherhood. He prays, not that we just continue in this divine love, but that it be ultimately perfected in us. More than this, Jesus tells us that he provides the wherewithal for its perfection in us. He has displayed before us his radiant glory, the revelation of God's mind, and this to progress our ultimate perfection.
      So here then is the truth, we are kept in God's love by God's word.

v21
      iJna + subj. "that" - that. In this verse we have three noun clauses formed by hina followed by the subjunctive, with one in v22, and two in v23. In v21 the first two have as their object the verb "pray" and as such are epexegetic, explaining the substance of the prayer. The third hina clause defines the goal of the oneness prayed for in the first and second hina clauses.
      panteV eJn wsin "all of them may be one" - all one may continue to be. The substance of Jesus' prayer is that his disciples be one. This request is first mentioned in verse 11 where Jesus prays that his disciples be kept safe, probably in the sense of eternally safe by firmly holding onto the gospel of God's grace during their life's journey. The consequence of their security in the gospel is their being "one as we are one." Actually, since the verb is a present subjunctive the sense is "may continue to be one as we are one." The disciples are already one, just as the Father and Jesus are one, and Jesus acts for their security so that they may continue to be one. This then is the substance of Jesus' prayer for all believers. Yet, what type of unity/oneness is Jesus praying for? Verses 21-23 serve to explain something of the nature of this oneness: i] it is a character of the godhead; ii] it links the godhead with believers; iii] it is observable to unbelievers; iv] it prompts faith; v] it exhibits divine glory; vi] it will one day be perfected. It is possible, of course, that the second hina clause is a separate prayer, namely: Jesus prays that believers continue to abide in the divine. Yet, it is more likely that being one and abiding "in" the divine, refer to the same reality. The Father abides in the Son and the Son in the Father, and they are one. This reality is possessed by all believers. We abide in the divine and in that abiding we are one with the divine and one with each other. Jesus prays that this reality will continue for his followers and be ultimately perfected in the last day. So again, what is it? Obviously, something more than organizational unity is intended. It is likely that the nature of this oneness is revealed in the message which Jesus and his followers proclaim. Jesus prays that those who have heard the "message" (the gospel) and believed, may continue one. Verse 23 seems to imply that oneness is evident in love (divine compassion): the Father's love for Jesus and for those who believe in Jesus, cf. also v26. "It is the Divine unity of love that is referred to where all wills bow in the same direction, all affections burn with the same flame, all aims are directed to the same end - one blessed harmony of love", Moulton and Miligan. Nicely put! So, we can probably define this oneness/unity as a unity of love - united in a common understanding and experience of God's gracious mercy displayed in the person and works of Jesus Christ. In short: one in love.
      kaqwV "just as" - as. This conjunction introduces a comparative clause which serves to provide an example, or model, of the unity Jesus is praying for. It is repeated in v22 and v23. Brown suggests that the clause is also causative, but this is unlikely. The model of the unity prayed for by Jesus is found in the very existence of God, of his being. God's being is revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ, the radiant center of whom is divine love: grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness.... The unity of the godhead is expressed in gracious love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and by extension, to us. So, the unity Jesus desires of us is a common understanding and experience of love between believers. This understanding and experience of love prompts graciousness, mercy, forgiveness, acceptance, ....
      iJna kai aouto en hJmin wsin "may they also be in us" - that also they in us may continue to be. The clause further explains the substance of the prayer that "we may continue to be one". Being in the Father and the Son further explains what it means to be one. "That they may continue in the love of Christ in both experience and understanding."
      iJna + subj. "that [the wold may believe]" - in order that [the world may believe]. This third hina clause is probably final (a purpose clause), and is probably not functioning as an object of the verb "pray". This being the case, Jesus is not praying that the world may believe through the apostolic preaching. Of course, if he did so pray, the world would believe. Bultman says the clause represents the goal of the oneness prayed for in the first and second hina clauses. As such it functions as an object of "may they be" [in the divine].
      oJ kosmoV pisteuh/ (pisteuw) pres. subj. "the world may believe" - Note, in John "believing" is "knowing", cf. v23. A textual variant has "believe" as an aorist. The aorist would imply a belief and knowing at its inception, "that the world may come to believe/know", rather than an ongoing belief/knowing. The consequence of a church infused with love (the grace of acceptance, forgiveness ....) is that the gospel of grace is set before the world in sign, as well as word, and where the gospel is manifested, people believe.
      oJti su me aposteilaV "that you have sent me" - that you me sent. The statement is repeated in v23. By itself it seems rather light-weight, but takes on weight in the context of Jesus' prayer in 11:41-42, where the exact same words are used. Here, at the raising of Lazarus, Jesus says, "did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?", 11:40. Jesus is on about revealing the very person of the living God such that the lost may come to know him, to come to know him through the one who was sent, and now through the words of those who proclaim him, cf. v22.

v22
      Verses 22 and 23 restate 21, but unpack the prayer a little more by further explaining the nature of oneness.
      thn doxan hJn dedwkaV moi dedwka autoiV "I have given them the glory that you gave me" - the glory which you have given to me I have given them. The "given" is in the perfect tense which implies a timeless given. The giving of "glory" concerns the manifestation of the being of God, the content of which has prompted much debate (see Beasley-Murray). For John, Christ's glory is displayed in his crucifixion, in his lifting up, and this as the ultimate act of love, therefore, the glory is the manifestation of a redemption bought with a price, but freely given by grace through faith. The glory is the manifestation of God's gracious love toward broken humanity. It is "given" in that it is "offered" and so can be received and experienced. God's revelation in Christ encapsulates this glory, initially in the person and work of Christ, but now in the inspired record of God's revelation to the world, namely, the scriptures. So, for us, God's Word is the radiant source of that glory, and as noted below, it is this Word which most likely function to maintain unity/oneness, ie. to keep us in God's love.
      iJna wJsin eJn "that they may be one" - that we may continue to be one. It does seem that this clause maintains the syntactical structure commenced in v21, namely, as a noun clause formed by the conjunction hina and followed by a present subjunctive, functioning as an object of the verb "pray". If this is the case, the sentence would more properly be translated "I have given them the same glory you gave me; may they be one as we are one." On the other hand, it can be treated simply as a purpose clause, where the purpose of the giving of glory is the maintenance of unity/oneness. Most translations take this tack and so begin the clause with "that" or "so that." The "they" is most likely all believers, rather than just the apostles.

v23
      egw in outoiV kai su en emoi "I in them and you in me" - In v21, oneness is explained as: Christ "in" the Father, the Father "in" Christ and disciples "in" the Father and Son. Here it is the Father "in" disciples, with Christ "in" the Father again. All depict the unity of love that is the subject of Christ's prayer.
      teteleiwmenoi (teleiow) perf. pas. part. "complete" - [that they may be] perfected [into one]. The perfect tense can imply an attaining of oneness (perfect love) in this life - an example of John's realized eschatology? On the other hand, Paul's perspective of pressing on toward an eternal goal should probably control our understanding of when completeness is attained, cf. Phil.3:12. "That they may attain perfect oneness / be brought to completion as one."
      oJti su ..... hgaphsaV autouV "that you ...... have loved them" - because you ..... loved them. The world will see in Christ and his disciples, the very character of God, his infinite love, and this "because" Christ was sent and "because" the Father's love for believers is evident to all. The Father's infinite love is evident in his forgiveness of those who believe through Christ's death and resurrection.

v24
      Pater (Pathr) voc. "Father" - Barrett suggests that the better reading is nominative.
      oJ dedwkaV (didwmi) perf. "those you have given me" - that which you have given to me. The gift being believers.
      qelw "I want" - I wish, will. Christ wills what the Father wills and so therefore, there is no need to ask, concerning those whom the Father has given, that they may share eternity.
      iJna oJpou eimi egw kakeinoi eJsin met emou "to be with me where I am" - that where I am those also may be with me. Jesus has made the point that his disciples can't come with him at the moment, but they will be with him in eternity.
      qewrwsin (qewrew) subj. "see" - [that] they may see, observe. "Behold the glory of the divine, a glory evident in Jesus", although his disciples could only glimpse this glory through human eyes. We are inclined to see glory in the terms of "divine radiance / transfigured radiance", although again God's glory is most evident in his love for us; his kindness, mercy, his redemptive nature. "That they may behold the glory of the divine."

v25
      pater dikaie "righteous Father" - O just Father. The vocative produces a strong "O Father most just."
      ouJtoi egnwsan aor. "they know" - these [men] know. Referring to the disciples, as distinct from the world that does not know.
      oJti su me aposteilaV "that you have sent me" - that you sent me. The disciples have recognized the divine in Christ, and in recognizing it, have come to know/believe in God. The world, on the other hand, has failed to recognize the divine in Christ, and so God remains unknown to them, and this because God is only known in Christ.