Jesus’ Prayer for Disciples:  Manifestation, Belief, Protection, Sanctification, and Commission

John 17:6–19 (NKJV)

Christ Prays for His Disciples

⁶ “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷ Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. ⁸ For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

⁹ “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰ And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. ¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

I. Jesus' Manifestation and the Disciples’ Belief (6-8)

See v6-8.

⁶ “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷ Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. ⁸ For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

What is meant by ‘Your name’ here? The 'name' represents the characteristics and abilities of a person. God is glorious, gracious, righteous, just, fair, faithful, holy, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. God is Love, Truth, Life, Light, Wisdom, and Spirit. Jesus has manifested God’s characteristics and power (6^a).

Who belongs to the Father (‘They were Yours’)? They are those who listen to the Father (John 8:47, John 6:45) and learn from Him (John 6:45, Isaiah 54:13, Jeremiah 31:34, Micah 4:2, Hebrews 8:10). When they believe and follow Jesus, it is the Father who gives them to Jesus (6^b).

No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). And, no one can come to the Father without through Jesus (John 14:6, *Jeremiah 30:21 NLT).

They have kept God’s word (6^c). God’s word in our hearts is like a seed planted in soil (Matthew 13:1-23, Jeremiah 4:3 NLT). Who has sown the seeds in them?

Jesus has given them the words the Father has given Him (8^a), and they have received them (8^b) by faith, believing that all things the Father has given Jesus are from the Father (7). They have known for certain that Jesus came forth from the Father and have believed that the Father sent Him (8^c).

II. Jesus' Prayer for Protection and Unity in the World (9-15)

See v9.

⁹ “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

Jesus prays for those whom the Father has given Him and who belong to the Father.

See v10.

¹⁰ And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

They belong to both the Father and Jesus (10^a). Jesus is glorified in them (10^b). Proverbs 14:28 says:

²⁸ In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,

But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.

Additionally, in the Parable of the Marriage Feast, the master compels them to fill the house with guests (Luke 14:15-24).

Jesus bore much fruit by having many followers, and He is glorified in them. He taught how to bear much fruit in John 15:7-8 NLT.

See v11.

¹¹ Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

Jesus was about to leave the world and return to the Father. So, He prayed to the Holy Father to keep His disciples in the world through the Father’s name.

See v12.

¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

While Jesus was with His disciples in the world, He kept them in the Father’s name. He protected those the Father gave Him, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction (Judas Iscariot), so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

See v13.

¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

As Jesus prayed, He asked the Father to protect His Disciples by His name after His return to the Father. Reflecting on the greatness and power of God’s name in the Old Testament fills us with awe and causes us to rejoice in His protection over us!

See v14-15.

¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

Giving them God’s word signifies that the seed of God has been sown in their hearts. This simple yet profound act changed everything—it transformed children of the devil into children of God. They are no longer of the world, and as a result, the world has hated them. The world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19), a spiritual force in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus’ prayer for their protection was a plea for God to shield them from the evil one.

III. Jesus' Prayer for Sanctification and Commissioning of His Disciples (16-19)

See v16.

¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus spoke twice, saying, 'They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world,' in v14 and again here in v16. While His disciples live in the world, they are not of the world.

Jesus prays for their sanctification. How are they sanctified? It is through God’s truth—God’s word (17).

Jesus sends His disciples into the world just as the Father sent Him into the world (18). A believer is like a small representation of Jesus in this world. Jesus set the model. By following Him, we can learn from His example and experience His life and relationship with the Father.

Jesus sanctifies Himself for their sake so that they may follow His example (19). To better understand this, we can consider Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1. For brevity, let us focus on 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1 NLT:

³¹ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. ³³ I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. ^11:1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.