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John 17.6-12 STUDY GUIDE

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John 17.6-12 STUDY GUIDE THE GOSPEL OF JOHN Small Group Discussion Guide Text: John 17:6-12 Theme/ Big Idea: Jesus prays the Father's faithfulness towards believers. Context/ Background Information: John 17 is an intimate look into Jesus' prayer with the Father. In verses 1-5, Jesus prayed the glory of God would be seen in the crucifixion of the Son, the will of God would be accomplished, and worship of God would be restored. Now, in verses 6-19, Jesus prays God's continued faithfulness towards believers. This study guide will focus on verses 6-12, which let us in on who Jesus prays for, while the next will focus on verses 13-19, which reveal more of the specific requests Jesus makes to the Father on their behalf. WHO JESUS PRAYS FOR Jesus is praying for "the people whom [the Father] gave [him] out of the world." He is praying for those who belonged to the Father, were given to the Son, and believe (John 17:2, 6, 9, 10). In short, he is praying for his disciples, specifically and believers, generally. Jesus makes it clear he is praying for believers in four different ways. First, Jesus says that he "manifested" or revealed the Father's name. Name, in this case, means "personhood, reality, or identity." As Carson notes, "God's 'name' embodies his character; to reveal God's name is to make God's character known." (1) So Jesus is saying that he revealed the nature and person of God. And the people he is praying for are those who "kept your word" (John 17:6). The Greek word for "kept" is "teterekan," which means "to obey or conform one's life to what they are told." In other words, Jesus made the Father known, and he is praying for those who responded in faith by conforming their lives to that reality. Second, Jesus says he taught the Father's words that he was given to teach (John 17:8). Jesus says the people he is praying for are those who "received" his words as truth. The word Jesus uses for "received," "lambano," is the same word John uses in John 1:12. It means to grasp something. It can mean both to grasp intellectually and to grasp something physically. It is likely not intellectual grasping Jesus is referring to. After all, the disciples regularly misunderstood what Jesus taught. Nevertheless, they received and believed Jesus' words as true. That is the context in which "received" is used in both John 1:12 and here. Namely, to receive instruction as truth upon which one's life depended. This is further expounded in that Jesus says, "they have come to know in truth that I came from you." To know in truth is to know or believe with certainty. Third, Jesus says he "came from" the Father and "they have believed that you sent me" (John 17:8b). To believe in this context means accepting something as true and entrusting oneself to that thing. It is similar to "receive" and carries with it embracing something as one's only hope. Jesus says he came from the Father, revealed the Father, and presented the truth of God, and those he is praying for are the ones who responded in faith, entrusting their lives to Jesus as their only hope. And finally, in verse 9, Jesus makes it abundantly clear, "I am praying for them [or these]. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me…." The "them" in verse 9 refers back to who he says he is praying for in verses 6-8 and is further qualified by the phrase "they are yours." Jesus is praying for the disciples, specifically, and believers in general. If that is not clear, Jesus says, "I am not praying for the world." Remember, "world" in the Gospel of John represents those who do not believe; those who oppose Jesus. In all four cases, those Jesus is interceding for are those who received the gospel, entrusted their lives to the gospel, and conformed their lives to the gospel. It should be quickly noted that when Jesus says, "I am not praying for the world," he is not expressing disdain for the world. No, the world is the object of God's love for whom the Father sent his Son to die (John 3:16-19). Furthermore, as we will see in verses 20-26, Jesus is praying for God's sustaining power and protection for believers in order that the world would hear the good news of the gospel through the very believers God protects and sustains. WHY JESUS PRAYS FOR THEM Why, then, does Jesus make this distinction between those who believe and those who oppose? Why does he repeatedly emphasize that he is praying for those who believe? The setting and context help us understand. We must remember, in John 13-17, Jesus gave his disciples final instructions. In those instructions, they were told Jesus was leaving them and that they were being commissioned to go into a hostile world that would vehemently oppose Jesus' disciples (John 15:16, 18; 16:2). Jesus reiterates this commission in John 17:18 when he prays to the Father, "As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world." We also learn in John 13-17 that news of Jesus' departure and their impending persecution filled them with "sorrow" (John 16:6). Therefore, as Jesus departs and as the disciples enter a hostile world, they desperately need protection, provision, unity, and encouragement. We cannot forget that as Jesus offers this prayer, the disciples are within earshot of Jesus. They, and the reader, are let in on Jesus' intimate request to the Father on their behalf. In addition to praying for them, Jesus is also encouraging them. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to their side to teach and direct them. Now the Son of God is interceding on their behalf before God the Father. The entire Godhead stands at their side for their protection, unity, and spiritual growth in the midst of a hostile world. When taken together with verses 13-19, Jesus is praying that believers be protected, united, sustained, and sanctified, and he prays this openly for them to hear so that they are encouraged. Again, this request is rooted in his intimate love for them. WHAT JESUS PRAYS FOR THEM In John 17:1-5, Jesus prayed for the glory of God to be displayed in and through his crucifixion. Now in John 17:6-12, Jesus begins to pray for his disciples, specifically and believers, in general as they enter a hostile world. Jesus prays three things in verses 6-12. First, Jesus prays for their protection. In light of his departure and their impending persecution, Jesus prays that God the Father would give all his attention and power to "keep[ing] them in [his] name" (John 17:11) Jesus is praying that God the Father would watch over (lit. keep) and protect the disciples. This request carries a double meaning. On the one hand, Jesus is asking that God "protect them by his name" or by his powerful character and nature. While on the other hand, Jesus is asking that the Father "keep them in his name" or in loyal alignment to the Father's name.(2) When coupled with "Holy Father," Jesus is asking for God's fatherly care, compassion, protection, and provision for his children (lit. those who believed and received the right to become children of God according to John 1:12). Second, Jesus pleads with the Father that he guard their unity (John 17:11). Guarding their faith is directly linked to guarding their unity. Turmoil and persecution can quickly divide even the most loving of brothers and sisters. However, unity among believers is one of the distinguishing marks and powerful displays of the gospel (John 13:35). Jesus' request in verse 17 is echoed and explained further in verse 21, where Jesus again prays "that they all may be one…so that the world may believe." Jesus' concern for their unity is linked to the display of their faith and gospel transformation. And his motive is rooted in his own love, care, and protection for them (John 17:12). Finally, Jesus prays that believers would be protected from the schemes of the "evil one" and his activity. It is implied in verse 12 and made explicit in verse 15. In verse 12b, Jesus' reference to "the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled" is a reference both to Judas who rejected the light (John 13:26-30) and Satan who tempted and entered him (John 13:2, 27, 2 Thess 2:3). Judas' defection referenced in verse 12 is not a mark of failure on Jesus' part, as Jesus acknowledges in John 6:64, 70; 13:10–11, 18, 21–22 and 17:12, but rather he is an example of the callousness of man's heart and of the deceptive power of the evil one.(3) “Everyone born of God” is protected by God and cannot be touched by the evil one (1 John 5:18). However, this does not mean they are immune from attack and deception. For this reason, just as Jesus taught the disciples to pray, he now prays for them, "deliver [them] from the evil one" (Matt 6:13; John 17:15). Jesus knows the disciples are entering a hostile world and that they will face attack from two "formidable foes," the world and the devil.(4) Because they have been redeemed out of the world and yet still live within it, they are out of step with the world and will be persecuted for it.
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