Joh 17:6-12 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 6. Have manifested thy name . The word name here includes the attributes or character of God. Jesus had made known his character, his law, his will, his plan of mercy--or, in other words, he had revealed GOD to them. The word name is often used to designate the person, . Which thou gavest me . God gave them to him in his purpose. He gave them by his providence. He so ordered affairs that they heard him preach and saw his miracles; and he gave them by disposing them to follow him when he called them. Thine they were . All men are God's by creation and by preservation, and he has a right to do with them as seemeth good in his sight. These men he chose to designate to be the apostles of the Saviour; and he committed them to him to be taught, and then commissioned them to carry his gospel, though amid persecutions, to the ends of the world. God has a right to the services of all; and he has a right to appoint us to any labour, however humble, or hazardous, or wearisome, where we may promote his glory and honour his name. (k) "manifested" (l) "the men which thou gavest" (m) "they have kept thy word"

John 17:6-12

Verse 6. Have manifested thy name. The word name here includes the attributes or character of God. Jesus had made known his character, his law, his will, his plan of mercy--or, in other words, he had revealed GOD to them. The word name is often used to designate the person, Jn 15:21, Mt 10:22, Rom 2:24, 1Timm 6:1.

Which thou gavest me. God gave them to him in his purpose. He gave them by his providence. He so ordered affairs that they heard him preach and saw his miracles; and he gave them by disposing them to follow him when he called them.

Thine they were. All men are God's by creation and by preservation, and he has a right to do with them as seemeth good in his sight. These men he chose to designate to be the apostles of the Saviour; and he committed them to him to be taught, and then commissioned them to carry his gospel, though amid persecutions, to the ends of the world. God has a right to the services of all; and he has a right to appoint us to any labour, however humble, or hazardous, or wearisome, where we may promote his glory and honour his name.

(k) "manifested" Ps 22:22, Jn 17:26 (l) "the men which thou gavest" Rom 8:30, Jn 17:2,9,11 (m) "they have kept thy word" Heb 3:6 Verse 7. They have known. They have been taught that and have believed it.

Hast given me. This refers, doubtless, to the doctrine of Christ, Jn 17:8. They are assured that all my instructions are of God. Verse 8. The words. The doctrines. Christ often represented himself as instructed and sent to teach certain great truths to men. Those he taught, and no others. Jn 5:30.

(n) "the words thou givest me" Jn 6:68, 14:10 Verses 9,10. I pray for them. In view of their dangers and trials, he sought the protection and blessing of God on them. His prayer was always answered.

Not for the world. The term world here, as elsewhere, refers to wicked, rebellious, vicious men. The meaning of this expression here seems to be this: Jesus is praying for his disciples. As a reason why God should bless them, he says that they were not of the world; that they had been taken out of the world; that they belonged unto God. The petition was not offered for wicked, perverse, rebellious men, but for those who were the friends of God and were disposed to receive his favours. This passage, then, settles nothing about the question whether Christ prayed for sinners. He then prayed for his disciples, who were not those who hated him and disregarded his favours. He afterward extended the prayer for all who should become Christians, Jn 17:20. When on the cross he prayed for his crucifiers and murderers, Lk 23:34.

For they are thine. This is urged as a reason why God should protect and guide them. His honour was concerned in keeping them; and we may always fill our mouths with such arguments when we come before God, and plead that his honour will be advanced by keeping us from evil, and granting us all needful grace.

I am glorified in them. I am honoured by their preaching and lives. The sense of this passage is, "Those who are my disciples are thine. That which promotes my honour will also promote thine. I pray, therefore, that they may have needful grace to honour my gospel, and to proclaim it among men."

(o) "I pray not for the world" 1Jn 5:19 Verse 10.

(p) "all mine are thine" Jn 16:15 (q) "I am glorified in them" Gal 1:24, 1Pet 2:9 Verse 11. I am no more in the world. I have finished my work among men, and am about to leave the world. See Jn 17:4.

These are in the world. They will be among wicked men and malignant foes. They will be subject to trials and persecutions. They will need the same protection which I could give them if I were with them.

Keep. Preserve, defend, sustain them in trials, and save them from apostasy.

Through thine own name. Our translators seem to have understood this expression as meaning "keep by thy power," but this probably is not its meaning. It is literally "keep in thy name." And if the term name be taken to denote God himself and his perfections (Jn 17:6), it means "keep in the knowledge of thyself. Preserve them in obedience to thee and to thy cause. Suffer them not to fall away from thee and to become apostates."

That they may be one. That they may be united.

As we are. This refers not to a union of nature, but of feeling, plan, purpose. Any other union between Christians is impossible; but a union of affection is what the Saviour sought, and this he desired might be so strong as to be an illustration of the unchanging love between the Father and the Son. See Jn 17:21-23.

(r) "keep through" 1Pet 1:5, Jude 1:24 (s) "thine own name" Prov 18:10 Verse 12. While I was with them in the world. While I was engaged with them among other men--surrounded by the people and the temptations of the world. Jesus had now finished his work among the men of the world, and was performing his last offices with his disciples.

I kept them. By my example, instructions, and miracles. I preserved them from apostasy.

In thy name. In the knowledge and worship of thee. Jn 17:6-11.

Those that thou gavest me, &c. The word "gavest" is evidently used by the Saviour to denote not only to give to him to be his real followers, but also as apostles, It is here used, probably, in the sense of giving as apostles. God had so ordered it by his providence that they had been given to him to be his apostles and followers; but the terms "thou gavest me" do not of necessity prove that they were true believers. Of Judas Jesus knew that he was a deceiver and a devil, Jn 6:70: "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Judas is there represented as having been chosen by the Saviour to the apostleship, and this is equivalent to saying that he was given to him for this work; yet at the same time he knew his character, and understood that he had never been renewed. None of them. None of those chosen to the apostolic office.

But the son of perdition. Mt 1:1. The term son was given by the Hebrews to those who possessed the character described by the word or name following. Thus, sons of Belial-those who possessed his character; children of wisdom -those who were wise, Mt 11:19. Thus Judas is called a son of perdition because he had the character of a destroyer. He was a traitor and a murderer. And this shows that he who knew the heart regarded his character as that of a wicked man--one whose appropriate name was that of a son of perdition.

That the scripture, &c. Jn 13:18. Comp. Ps 41:9.

(t) "that the scripture might be fulfilled" Ps 109:8, Acts 1:20