Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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John
Book: John
Chapter: 17
Overview:
Christ's
Prayer for himself.
(1-5) His
Prayer for his
disciples.
(6-10) His
Prayer.
(11-26)
1-5 Our
Lord prayed as a
Man, and as the
Mediator of his
people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and
equal to the
Father. Eternal
Life could not be given to
believers, unless
Christ, their
Surety, both glorified the
Father, and was glorified of him. This is the sinner's way to
eternal
Life, and when this knowledge shall be made perfect,
Holiness and happiness will be fully enjoyed. The
Holiness and
happiness of the redeemed, are especially that
Glory of
Christ,
and of his
Father, which was the joy set before him, for which
he endured the
Cross and despised the shame; this
Glory was the
End of the sorrow of his soul, and in obtaining it he was fully
satisfied. Thus we are taught that our glorifying
God is needed
as an evidence of our interest in
Christ, through whom eternal
Life is
God's free
Gift.
6-10. Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me,
as
Sheep to the
Shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the
Physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught:
thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction
to us, in our reliance upon
Christ, that he, all he is and has,
and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of
God.
Christ offered this
Prayer for his people alone as
believers; not for the world at large. Yet
No one who desires to
come to the
Father, and is conscious that he is unworthy to come
in his own name, need be discouraged
By the
Saviour's
declaration, for he is both able and willing to save to the
uttermost, all that come unto
God By him.
Earnest convictions
and desires, are hopeful tokens of a work already wrought in a
Man; they begin to evidence that he has been
Chosen unto
Salvation, through
Sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of
the
Truth. They are thine; wilt thou not provide for thine own?
Wilt thou not secure them? Observe the foundation
On which this
plea is grounded, All
Mine are thine, and thine are
Mine. This
speaks the
Father and Son to be one. All
Mine are thine. The Son
owns none for his, that are not devoted to the service of the
Father.
11-16 Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in
the world, but that they might be kept from
Sin, strengthened
for their duty, and brought safe to
Heaven. The prosperity of
the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy
Father, that he would keep them
By his power and for his
Glory,
that they might be united in
Affection and labours, even
according to the union of the
Father and the Son. He did not
pray that his disciples should be removed out of the world, that
they might escape the rage of men, for they had a great work to
do for the
Glory of
God, and the benefit of mankind. But he
prayed that the
Father would keep them from the evil, from being
corrupted
By the world, the remains of
Sin in their hearts, and
from the power and craft of
Satan.
So that they might pass
through the world as through an enemy's country, as he had done.
They are not left here to pursue the same objects as the men
around them, but to
Glorify God, and to serve their
Generation.
The
Spirit of
God in true Christians is opposed to the
Spirit of
the world.
17-19 Christ next prayed for the disciples, that they might not
only be kept from evil, but made good. It is the
Prayer of
Jesus
for all that are his, that they may be made holy. Even disciples
must pray for sanctifying
Grace. The means of giving this
Grace
is, "through thy
Truth, thy
Word is
Truth." Sanctify them, set
them apart for thyself and thy service. Own them in the office;
let thy
Hand go with them.
Jesus entirely devoted himself to his
undertaking, and all the parts of it, especially the
Offering up
himself without spot unto
God,
By the eternal
Spirit. The real
Holiness of all true Christians is the
Fruit of
Christ's
Death,
By which the
Gift of the
Holy Ghost was purchased; he gave
himself for his
Church, to sanctify it. If our views have not
this effect
On us, they are not Divine
Truth, or we do not
receive them
By a living and a working
Faith, but as mere
notions.
20-23 Our
Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be
as one body under one head, animated
By one soul,
By their union
with
Christ and the
Father in him, through the Holy
Spirit
dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the
more they throw doubts upon Christianity. Let us endeavour to
keep the unity of the
Spirit in the
Bond of peace, praying that
all believers may be more and more united in one mind and one
Judgment. Thus shall we convince the world of the
Truth and
excellence of our religion, and find more sweet
Communion with
God and his saints.
24-26 Christ, as one with the
Father, claimed
On behalf of all
that had been given to him, and should in due time believe
On
him, that they should be brought to
Heaven; and that there the
whole company of the redeemed might behold his
Glory as their
beloved Friend and
Brother, and therein find happiness. He had
declared and would further declare the name or character of
God,
By his doctrine and his
Spirit, that, being one with him, the
Love of the
Father to him might abide with them also. Thus,
being joined to Him
By one
Spirit, they might be filled with all
the
Fulness of
God, and enjoy a blessedness of which we can form
No right idea in our present state.