John

17:11b-19

The glory of the Messiah, 13:1-20:31

1. The farewell discourses, 13:1-17:26

xiii] One with the Father and the Son

In this section of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, he prays that his followers will be infused with the truth of the gospel and that the powers of darkness will be powerless to undermine their salvation.

The use of a prayer in a farewell discourse is common in antiquity cf. Deuteronomy. Although a prayer, this section in John's gospel has long been recognized as a teaching discourse as well as a record of Jesus' intercession for himself, his disciples and the church. Because of its character, it is often used as a source text for some of the liturgical elements used in the Lord's Supper, eg., one with Christ, standing firm with Christ, love of the brotherhood, evidencing God's glory to the world.... Most commentators still follow Westcott's structure, namely, v1-5, 6-19, 20-26 - Jesus' prayer for himself, his disciples and the church. Of course, numerous other structures have been proposed, eg. Brown, v1-8, 9-19, 20-26.

pater aJgie voc. "Holy Father" - father holy. "O Father most holy", other than the word "Father", this is a normal Jewish way of addressing God in prayer. The title conveys both the transcendence and imminence of God.

thrhson (threw) aor. imp. "protect" - keep safe, guard. Used in the sense of: i] watch, observe, ii] keep safe, protect, iii] observe, obey. Possibly "keep safe", by the power of God, from the world's power to deceive and lead a believer from faith. Brown suggests kept from "contamination", but this would imply that the prayer is ineffective in that it is not answered. It may also mean "keep in", identify with God's name, his character, his person and thus, his wondrous words, "the truth." As Jesus received God's name, so he received God's words, which is much the same thing. So, Jesus prays that his disciples are kept in the truth of his divine revelation, kept in the gospel of God's grace in Christ.

en tw/ onamati sou "by the power of your name" - in the name of you. Either "marked out / identified in union with God", a local sense, or "protected by God", an instrumental sense, or both, Brown. The NEB covers both meanings with "protect by the power of your name" in the text, and in the margin, "keep them in your name" (in the sense of "keep them loyal to / in adherence to Jesus' teachings"). Beasley-Murray suggests a local sense is best, "keep in / identify with."

w|/ pro. rel. dat. "the name [you gave me]" - which [you gave me]. Many manuscripts have a masculine plural relative pronoun here meaning that the antecedent is "them", the disciples, eg. NEB. The NIV reading is best, even though this verse and v12 are the only times John says that the divine "name" is given to Jesus. Of course, it makes better sense if the giving of the name is the bestowal of power; "protect them with your personal protection as you did with me", Barclay.

dedwkaV (didwmi) perf. "you gave" - you have given. Some manuscripts have an aorist here, but the perfect tense is the preferred reading. "The name" was given in the past and is still possessed by Christ.

iJna + subj verb to-be "so that [they may be one as we are one]" - Normally, hina, followed by a subjunctive, forms a purpose clause. A number of important manuscripts omit this phrase. It does seem incongruous with the instrumental sense of "by the power of your name", but works better with a local sense where "in your name", means "in the truth." The unity then becomes a unity of truth, "one in truth."

eJn "one" - Barrett argues that the neuter here implies that the disciples will be kept as a unity, not units, although one wonders why John didn't use the abstract form of the noun, "unity". As above, it possibly means a "unity of truth."

As with v11, note textual varients, identified by some translations, cf. TEV.

ethroun (threw) imperf. ind. "protected" - was keeping [them in the name]. "I was keeping them in the name / in the truth of the gospel / in the knowledge of God's sovereign grace in Christ" and therefore, "I was preserving them for the day of salvation."

efulaxa (fulassw) aor. "kept them safe" - I kept guard, kept watch. As the disciples are "in the name" they are guarded against evil, cf. v15. The evil could be some evil-like temptation, or Satan himself, seem unlikely. A guarding that preserves the believer from a loss of their salvation, a guarded unto the day, is better.

w|/ "which" - The same textual problem exists with this relative pronoun as in v11. As noted above, some manuscripts omit the whole clause.

apwleto (apollumi) aor. "has been lost" - lost, destroyed, perished. By keeping his disciples in the truth of the gospel of God's grace ("in the name"), "not one of them perished." The gospel has the power to save and all who believe are saved, 3:16.

thV apwleiaV (a) "the one doomed to destruction" - the child of hell, the son of perdition, the one destined to perish. He is the one who belongs to the realm of damnation and is destined to perish. The term is used by Paul in Thessalonians of the antichrist, although John is using it of Judas. "The son of destruction", Phillips; "the man who for whom there was nothing else but to suffer ruin", TH.

iJna + subj. "so that" - This hina clause may be consecutive, denoting result, or a final clause, denoting purpose. Christ's life necessarily fulfills scripture. The problem here is, what scripture? John quotes Psalm 41:9 in 13:18, but possibly the term "child of hell" is in mind, Proverbs 24:22a. The other major problem concerns how scripture determines the damnation of Judas apart from his own will. If scripture foretells the betrayal, persecution and death of the messiah, does this necessarily impose upon the will of those who play a part?

tauta "these things" - Possibly the whole discourse, but more likely the points Jesus has just made.

en tw/ kosmw/ (oV) "in the world" - Jesus has taught these truths while in the world, before leaving the world; "while I am still in the world", Barclay.

ecwsin (ecw) pres. subj. "they may have" - have. Jesus has taught that the truth of the gospel of God's grace both saves eternally and unifies believers with the divine. Jesus has taught these truths that his disciples may share (have) his joy to the full. Possibly "my joy may be yours and your joy may be fulfilled ('complete' is better)", Brown.

peplhrwmenhn (plhrow) perf. pas. part. "full measure" - have been fulfilled, completed. "So that my followers will have the same complete joy that I do", CEV.

ton logon sou "your word" - the word of you. Barratt thinks the singular, as here, means the divine word or revelation (the gospel personified in Christ), while the plural means something like "precepts".

emishsen (misew) aor. "has hated" - hated. "The people of this world hate them", CEV.

oJti ouk eisin ek tou kosmou (oV) "for they are not of the world" - because they are not of the world. John describes believers as born of God, born from above, and therefore called out of the world, 15:19. Not being part of the world prompts distrust and hate, as does the possession of a truth which condemns the world. "Because they do not belong to the world".
      The phrase "any more than I am of the world" is not found in some of the more important manuscripts

iJna + subj. "that" - Introducing a purpose clause. "The intended purpose of my prayer is not to take them out of the world."

arhV (airw) aor. subj. "you take" - lift up, take away. It is not Jesus' intention to remove his disciples from danger or temptation, for they will play a part in the redemption of the world through the proclamation of the gospel. "I do not ask you to remove them from the world", Barclay

thrhshV (threw) aor. subj. "you protect" - you keep. See above. In v11, 12, it was "keep them in the name", now it is "keep them from the evil one"; "keep them safe / protect them from the power of evil", from the power that seeks to overcome a believers faith and thus, their eternal standing in Christ. The phrase "deliver us from evil" in the Lord's Prayer carries the same thought, better translated "free us from the evil one" - "let us not be overcome by the powers of darkness such that we lose our eternal standing in the sight of God."

tou ponhrou (oV) "the evil one" - This can be translated by the abstract nouns: evil, wicked, malicious,.... such that "the evil one / the prince of darkness / Satan", may not be intended.

Some important manuscripts drop this verse. It is virtually a repeat of v14b

aJgiason (aJgiazw) aor. imp. "sanctify" - consecrate, sanctify, set apart, dedicate to. Literally, "make holy." Bultmann defines the word as "to take out of the sphere of the profane and place in the sphere of the divine." In moral terms, which may not be prominent in the use here, the word involves, on one hand, a separation from the world, and on the other, a dedicated conformity with Christ's commands. "Let this truth make them completely yours", CEV.

en th alhqeia/ (a) "by the truth" - in the truth. Most translations take the preposition as instrumental, "by the truth", but a local sense should not be discounted, "in the truth", NJB, NAB. The truth is God's truth, revelation, word, which is a powerful active and personal manifestation of the divine. Jesus prays that the disciples are set apart for mission in the world, "for / in / by", the truth. Schnackenburg and others argue that "kept in your name" and "consecrated in the truth" have much the same meaning as "receiving and living in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ" - living under the gospel of God's grace. "Truth is both the agency of the consecration and the realm into which they are consecrated", Brown.

kaqwV "as" - according to the manner in which, in the degree that, as. The word serves to tie the clause to the preceding verse, such that they are one sentence. Better translated "for". So, Jesus prays that the disciples are set apart in the truth of the gospel, for as Jesus was sent into the world, so he sends his disciples.

apesteilaV (apostellw) aor. ind. "you sent" - send. Some manuscripts have a present tense, but the aorist is the best attested and is possibly proleptic - future referring, given that John is thinking in post resurrection terms. When, in John's gospel, did Jesus previously send out the disciples? "I am sending them", CEV.

egw aJgiazw "I sanctify [myself]" - I sanctify, dedicate, consecrate. In 10:36 the Father sanctifies Jesus, here Jesus sanctifies himself. A further example of Jesus possessing the same authority as the Father. The personal pronoun "I", serving to emphasize that Jesus does the consecrating, is not found in some manuscripts. It does seem that Jesus is here alluding to his death and certainly the word "consecrate" has an Old Testament meaning of "sacrifice." Yet, it is likely that the sense here is the same as v17, so the object of the dedication, although broadly "you (the Father)", is probably his "truth", the gospel, divine revelation. "For their sake I dedicate myself to you", TEV.

iJna + subj. "that [they may be]" - Again we have an Adverbial clause, introduced by hina followed by the subjunctive of the verb "to be", as in 11b. This form is commonly a final clause denoting purpose. Although rare, and certainly not found in classical Greek, it can be taken as a consecutive clause denoting result and this well may be the use here. See below.

hJgiasmenoi (aJgiazw) perf. pas. part. "sanctified" - sanctify. Jesus' dedication / consecration involves a "determination to set himself apart for the Father's exclusive service", This has, as its intended purpose, a similar dedication by the disciples. As noted above, the disciples' dedication may be a consequence of Jesus' dedication. Obviously, for the disciple, this consecration is to the truth of the gospel rather than to a sacrifice that leads to death.

en alhqeia/ "truly [sanctified]" - [sanctified] in truth. Possibly local, "in", or instrumental "by the truth", Moffatt. Unlike v17 there is no definite article. This may mean it is adverbial as in the NIV, but it is more likely a similar usage to v17, except that a singular meaning is implied, namely that Jesus has dedicated his life to the Father's intended purpose, as revealed in the truth of the gospel, so that the disciples may similarly dedicate their lives to the Father's "truth". "So that they may belong completely to the truth", CEV.

John Introduction.

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