John 17 - Introduction

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

This is one of the most precious Chapter s of the Fourth Gospel. Here the Incarnate Son pours out His divine heart in prayer for Himself, for His intimate friends and for all believers. He prays for you and for me. This is really the Lord's Prayer. The prayer in Luke 11:1-54 commonly known as The Lord's Prayer, is not His prayer but one He taught the disciples to pray. In the synoptic gospels there are many references to the prayer life of Jesus but only a few (and those in Gethsemane) tell us of the content of His prayers. But in John's gospel this one prayer gives special emphasis to the content of His prayers, This is uniquely the private prayer of the Lord Himself. He does not teach the disciples to pray this prayer, He prays things that no man could possibly presume to pray and, in fact, He does not even invite the disciples then present to join Him in prayer.

It has also been called the High-Priestly Prayer of Jesus Christ. First, it was offered by Him when He was about to give Himself a ransom for sinners. Second, this prayer gave further occasion to consecrate Himself as both High Priest and sacrificial victim in the approaching sacrifice on the cross. Third, it fulfills the typical rites of the high priest in Israel on the Day of Atonement as he prayed for himself, his fellow priests, and the covenant people (cf. Leviticus 16:6; Leviticus 16:33). Fourth, the parallel terms in the Epistle to the Hebrews and John 17:1-26, have in common the priestly concepts of cleansing, sanctification, perfection and priestly ministry in general.

Hendriksen expresses, to our way of thinking, the real theme of this chapter when he says, The mission of Jesus Christ and of his followers on earth, unto the glory of God, is the theme throughout. In each distinct division of this prayer the glorification of Father and Son is mentioned. Jesus prays that He may be glorified and the Father thus glorified (John 17:1-5); He prays that the eleven disciples may be sanctified and united in order that He may be glorified in them (John 17:10); He prays that all believers in all ages may be one by abiding in His glory (John 17:22).

The prayer of our Lord here is one of the most distinct teachings of the New Testament on the unity of all believers. More than just a mere formal, doctrinal statement, this is a prayer from the very heart of God in the flesh. Most certainly the unity of believers is one of the things with which God is most concerned!
We shall outline this chapter as The Lord's Intercessory Prayer and place it in our continuing outline as follows:

III.

The Word Manifested to The Disciples And Their Acceptance of Him, John 13:1, John 20:31

A.

Private Instructions and Encouragements, John 13:1, John 17:26 (cont-'d).

5.

The Lord's Intercessory Prayer, John 17:1-26

a.

Prayer for Himself, John 17:1-5

(1)

To be glorified in the Cross

(2)

To be glorified in revealing God to men

(3)

To be glorified with former glory

b.

Prayer for the disciples, John 17:6-19

(1)

That what He taught them should end in His glorification

(2)

That they may have His joy fulfilled in them by remaining in His name

(3)

That they may be sent into the world by being sanctified in truth

c.

Prayer for all believers, John 17:20-26

(1)

That they may be one

(2)

That they may have His glory

(3)

That they may have the love of the Father

SPECIAL STUDY NO. TWO

Excerpts from an essay by Seth Wilson, Dean, Ozark Bible College, entitled,

OUR LORD'S PRAYER FOR UNITY IN John 17:1-26

Why Must We Have Unity of Christians?

1. Jesus wants it that way. It should be enough that Christ prayed for unity of the church, who gave Himself for her, who will claim her for His bride, who will give to her all His inheritance.

2. The Holy Spirit through the apostles urged unity. Read 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1-6; Philippians 2:2; 1 Peter 4:8-11.

3. The practice of division will condemn us. Read Galatians 5:20-21; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

4. We are commanded to avoid or turn from those who cause division. Read Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:10-11; 2 John 1:9-11.

5. That the world may believe. Division among the churches makes it impossible for the schools to teach the certain truths of Christianity, and it gives to every common-school pupil the false impression that religion is not a matter of fixed truth, but only matter of feelings and that every one makes his religion for himself, and it is just as respectable as any one else's religion, However much we may wish and agitate for the public schools to teach Christianity, they simply cannot do it while divisions continue to exist. The world discounts or disregards the testimony of a divided Christendom, just as we discount the so-called scientific conclusions which differ from and contradict one another while all are represented as assured results. The less we care about contradictions in our testimony, the less the world cares about our affirmations. If it does not make any difference what one believes, it probably does not make any difference whether one believes. If one church is as good as another, possibly none is as good as any, since both statements rest upon the assumption that falsehood is as good as truth, disobedience as good as obedience.

6. Because division comes from putting human authority in the place of Christ. At least in some part it displaces Christ as the head of the church, and that is blasphemy. See Ephesians 1:20-23.

7. Because division comes from putting the words of men in the place of the infallible word of God, At least in some part it displaces the Holy Spirit as the revealer and spokesman of Jesus Christ and His covenant. See 1 Corinthians 2:1-16.

8. Because Christ is one and not divided. We cannot be perfectly united in and with Him without becoming united with each other. If we have the mind of Christ we will have the same mind, and so on through all the characteristics of the Christian which we receive from Christ Himself. Unity is natural and inherent in Christianity; and division among Christians misrepresents its nature.

9. Because division wastes and dissipates the energies and resources of evangelistic workers and supporters; furthermore, it turns a great bulk of religious effort from evangelism to party promotion and party regulation and party contentions. If all the printers-' ink, if all the hours of study and conference, if all the money and men that have been employed to keep up human institutions had been used to bring men to their Savior, what glorious results might have been! As it is five centuries of vigorous denominationalism leave the churches far from holding their own against an avowedly pagan world. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

To sum up, all the causes of division are sinful; all the results of division are shameful; all the characteristics of division misrepresent Christ and despoil the godly character. Surely division is of the devil and is his best implement for hindering the church from victory. The faith, devotion, obedience and brotherliness that produce unity are godly. The practice of unity is sweet and blessed (Psalms 133:1). The results of unity are faith and its glorious victory. Its goal is that all should be perfected into one in Christ. Can any man doubt that unity is of God and is a prerequisite to a victorious church?

What is the Unity for Which Christ Prayed?

1. Jesus in His prayer describes it briefly, but exactly: as thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee. We in them and they in us.
2. Such as the world can see: that the world may believe. The purpose of unity is faith and conformity to Christ. A union without faith and obedience defeats its own purpose.
3. A fellowship of those who are called of God and set apart for His name, to do His work by His Spirit, using His Wordall in every place that are sanctified. Study the word sanctify and its other forms with a concordance, or see the article Sanctification in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

4. It is such a vital relationship as is described by figure of the members of the body in relation to the head (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Romans 12:4-5), or of the branches to the vine (John 15:5).

5. Such as existed in the apostolic church when the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul-' (Acts 4:32).

6. Such as prompted the Gentile Christians to send help to Jewish Christians in time of need (2 Corinthians 8:1-9; especially John 17:5).

7. Such as is indicated in the following words used in apostolic exhortations: speak the same thing, Be perfectly joined together, same mind, like-minded, same love, of one accord, preferring one another, and with one accord and one mouth. See 1 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 2:2; Romans 12:10; Romans 12:16; Romans 15:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12:25-26.

8. Such as is characterized by one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one body, one Spirit, one hope, one God and Father over all, in all and through all (Ephesians 4:1-6).

Can any man imagine that the state of Christendom today is the unity that pleases the Lord?
Note particularly that it was unity in faith, the faith once for all delivered unto the saints. Jesus prayed that those who believe might be one. It was He that said, but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned (Mark 16:16). Paul, who so earnestly urged the Corinthian brethren to unity and love, closes his great letter of correction with this: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema (1 Corinthians 16:22). In Galatians 5:20-21 divisions under every name are condemned, but in Galatians 1:8-9, Paul writes: If any man preach unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema. In the first Epistle of John, Christian love and fellowship are upheld in their true nature and necessity, but in 2 John 1:9-11, Christians are strictly commanded to refuse fellowship to anyone bringing not this teaching. Jesus commended the church at Ephesus because they could not endure evil men and did try false apostles (Revelation 2:2). He held it against the churches at Pergamum and at Thyatira that they had there some that held injurious teaching (Revelation 2:14-16; Revelation 2:20).

Unity of believers with unbelievers is so impossible that intermarriage of the two is not to be attempted (Read 2 Corinthians 6:14, John 7:1). They could have a form of union, but not unity sanctified in Christ. What portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? Or what communion hath light with darkness? How can we hope to promote true unity in Christ while we disregard Christ's will and harbor unbelievers within the fellowship? Study and apply the following scriptures: Roman. John 16:17-19; Galatians 1:6-9; Titus 1:9-16; Titus 3:10; 1 John 2:18-26; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Timothy 6:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:5; Ephesians 5:7-12.

PROPOSITIONS from an article by Ernest Beam, CHRISTIAN STANDARD, October 8, 1949

Proposition 1. All sincerely immersed into Christ, with manifest purpose to be governed of Him, are one body in Jesus Christ, though some are now also in denominational churches and others also in church of Christ sects.
Proposition 2. All of those in next above are commanded of God to receive one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Proposition 3. The receiving of brethren in Christ is never an endorsement of weakness, immaturity, and error even as Christ's reception of us is not His endorsement of our weakness, immaturity, and error.
Proposition 4. Those who will not receive the brethren but do disfellowship them, or some of them, are, on that account, to be marked, avoided, and rejected, even as the man under the old law who did kill was himself to be put to death.
Proposition 5. The Scriptures forbid any sincere brother to violate his own conscience in religious acts and devotions whether that conscience is at present properly taught or not; and the Scriptures forbid the rest of us to ignore that conscience. Nor is our own liberty to be judged of another conscience.
Proposition 6. It is not necessary for the brethren to be of the same mind upon meats, days, circumcision, the law, colleges, missionary organizations, orphan homes, instrument, pastor system, cups, war, premillennial views, tobacco, classes, uninspired literature, names, or other such, as conditions of salvation and of receiving one another. Those of Proposition 1 are one body notwithstanding these and like differences.
Proposition 7. Division in the body of Christ is always made by the brother who will not fellowship his brother. (This does not mean there are not times that a brother must disown a brother; there are. But the brother who disfellowships always and everywhere makes the divisionthose that should never be, as well as those that must be.)
Proposition 8. The brother, though right about every item in Proposition 6 above is not permitted to bind that right, as a condition of receiving, against his brother who does not yet perceive the right.
Proposition 9. The receiving of all those sincerely in Christ, by Paul, did not stop him from successful labor to overcome the wrongs of those received, but did enhance the working of it. The receiving by all of us, each of the rest of us, in Proposition 1 above, by the wonderful grace of our God, can and should work the same way.
Proposition 10. No more grace is required in my heart to receive my brother, as set out above, than is required in Christ to receive me now and hereafter. (Yea, the comparison is an unworthy one, but is used to turn the mind toward working of grace from us as it has come to us.)

Proposition 11. The Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the apostles were not compromisers and betrayers of the gospel in receiving brethren with error of whom we read in the New Testament; we are the compromisers and betrayers of their gospel when we do not so receive one another.

Proposition 12. The Holy Spirit as certainly commands not to own all those who come among us not of genuine faith in the whole mystery of Christ revealed in Scripture (2 John 1:7-11; 1 John 4:2-3) or who are not of mind to consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness (1 Timothy 6:3) as He does command us to receive the brethren of genuine faith. (We may together own the authority of the dictionary, but fail of meaning, proper usage, and pronunciation in keeping with that authority. We must together own the authority of Jesus and of His Word, or oneness is neither possible nor permitted.)

Proposition 13. It is as hurtfully erroneous to try to make God speak in the field of necessary judgmentthe circumstantials of the gospel left to the judgment of the brethren and the expediency of which changes through the centuries with changing means and agencies of societyas it is not to hear God in the great realm of faith where He does speak.
Proposition 14. In all matters of faith a thing must be lawful before it can ever be expedient; in all matters of necessary judgment a thing is not to be judged of right or wrong but whether it, is a good and useful means to attain the given end.

Proposition 15. The use of any and all humanly adopted means and methods must ever be kept within the realm of enabling what God has commanded and never used upon a par with, as an addition to, as a part of, or exalted above the thing commanded or those appointed of God. (The use of uninspired literature to enable the teaching of God's Word is one thing. But to make use of it as upon a par with, added to, a part of, or exalted above God's Word, is grievous error not to be tolerated. The same is true of all things whatsoever that have been left to the judgment and wisdom of men.

Proposition 16. To charge a brother with an addition to the Word who uses uninspired literature to enable the teaching of the inspired Word; or to the cup who but uses individual cups to enable the communion of the cup; or to sing who but uses the instrument to enable singing, decency, and order; or to the one organization of the New Testament who but uses colleges, missionary organizations, orphan homes, old folks-' homes, organized classes, and journalistic organizations to enable orderly obedience to the commands of Godthis is false accusation against brethren and divides those who are of the same faith.

Proposition 17. The adoption of any test of fellowship not clearly demanded in Scripture is to adopt a condition of salvationa new and added commandmentunto the perversion of the gospel. This is the very sin of Galatians the first chapter, and is the sin which has made a multitude of sects particularly among those who do not use the instrument. It is also the sin to which Paul would submit, no, not for an hour.

QUOTED FROM MISSION MESSENGER NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 1964, EDITOR W. CARL KETCHERSIDE
2. DO YOU THINK THE PRAYER OF JESUS CAN BE ANSWERED BY RESTORING THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT?

No, I do not. The restoration movement launched by the great heroes of the faith in the early part of the nineteenth century was simply a means to an end. It was never intended to be an end in itself. Alexander Campbell wrote, We only profess to work and walk by the rules which will inevitably issue in a pure speech, and in right conceptions of that pure and holy, and celestial thing called Christianityin faith, in sentiment, and in practice. It is too much to expect of these noble pioneers that they would be able to either discover or translate into practice all that was essential to the accomplishment of their aims. The restoration movement was vital precisely because it was a movement. To return to it at any given point and assert we had arrived would be folly. When a movement ceases to move it becomes a monument to past accomplishments and dead hopes.
Alexander Campbell did not believe he had all of the answers. He freely admitted that to enter some areas of consideration we should have to launch upon a wide and tempestuous ocean, for which our slender bark is not at this time sufficiently equipped. This may yet deserve the construction of a larger vessel in a more propitious season. Our task, as I conceive it, is not to restore a movement inaugurated by men but to recapture the ideal of God. We believe that in this we may be aided by restoring to our generation the spirit of the restoration movement. Even this must be regarded as a means to an end.

16. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND WE SHOULD DO TO RESTORE A PROPER FEELING OF UNITY AMONG THE BELIEVERS?

We should confess to one another that we have been partisan and sectarian in attitude and pray one for another that we may be healed of the ravages upon our hearts of this work of the flesh. We should be brought to our knees in tears over our growing sectarianism. We should set the table of the Lord for every sincere immersed believer and invite all such to sit down around it as our brethren. We should call upon all of them, recognize and regard them as children of our Father.
It is time for us to throw off the childish attitude which has characterized the brotherhood and start acting like men. The idea of categorizing those who differ with us as brethren in error, with the implication that we are wholly free from error and know all there is to know, is a little silly when you think about it seriously. The truth is that we are all brethren in error. Not one of us is perfect in knowledge and we all have a great deal to learn. We do not accept one another because we are free from error but because we are free in Christfree to receive one another even while we try to work out our problems together and seek to arrive at a greater understanding. The brethren who accept me will have to overlook a lot of things just as God had to make allowances in order to receive me. I am willing to receive others on the same basis as he received me.