John 17 – The High Priestly Prayer (preached today at my Church) 📢⛪📣

Note: Our church never closed for Covid. But unfortunately, our landlord required that we meet outside the building they owned.

In this chapter we will see God’s sovereignty and the Doctrine of the Trinity throughout. We will also see the doctrines of predestination, election, limited atonement (a particular atonement), intersession, the preeminence of Christ, and the perseverance of the saints.

We will divide this ‘priestly prayer’ and this sermon into three parts,

• In verses 1-5 is the prayer concerning Himself
• In verses 6-19 is the prayer concerning His disciples
• In verses 20-26 is the prayer concerning future believers.

And much more.

I have provided a transcript of this sermon below the video.

Correction: The word “omnipresent” should have been omniscient.

John 17 ‘The High Priestly Prayer’

J.C. Ryle said the following of this grand chapter. “This is one of the most wonderful chapters in the Bible. It is a chapter in which we see our Lord Jesus Christ addressing a long prayer to God the Father. It is wonderful as a specimen of the communion that was ever kept up between the Father and the Son during the period of the Son’s ministry on earth.”

As we know and understand, Jesus is Prophet, Priest, and King. And that He did not just rise from His grave, but that He also ascended into heaven, and as the High Priest, He intercedes with the Father as our intercessor.  

In this chapter are Biblical examples as to how Christians ought to pray. To the Father, thru the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

This prayer is Christ’s “Priestly prayer,’ but is also known as ‘the last prayer.’

In this chapter we will see the Doctrine of the Trinity throughout. We will also see predestination, election, limited atonement, and the perseverance of the saints.

This prayer is a summarization of Jesus’ relationship with the Father, and the relationship He wishes His disciples to maintain with Him and the Father, as well as a prayer for those whom will become saved.

We will divide this ‘priestly prayer’ into three parts,

• In verses 1-5 is the prayer concerning Himself
• In verses 6-19 is the prayer concerning His disciples
• In verses 20-26, is the prayer concerning future believers.

Verses 1-5 ‘the prayer concerning Himself’

“Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, ² even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. ³ This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴ I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Verse 1 records – ‘Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You:’

Jesus “lifted up His eyes to heaven.’ Since God is omnipresent, looking up into the sky (or towards heaven) is not necessary. But it was customary for Jews to lift their eyes upwards into the heavens as they prayed. In the Greek this epairō means to raise one up, to lift up, to exalt self, to raise on high, or to exalt one’s self.

Similarly to when one might ‘lift their hands’ to worship or exalt our Lord.

Jesus then gives His announcement. His announcement signifies the importance of His prayer.

Many times in the Scriptures the enemy attempted to capture Jesus, but He said ‘My hour had NOT come.’ But here Jesus said “The hour (or time) HAS come.” Death is knocking on Jesus’ door (though temporarily).

As clearly seen in the Scriptures Jesus was driven by a Theological timeclock or calendar (so to speak), and was doing His Fathers will, in His Father’s perfect timing. The Father and the Son were well synchronized.

Dr. RC Sproul said this of this “hour.” “Here in the upper room, on the night of His betrayal, Jesus was staring at the cross. The hour was no-longer remote; it was looking right in front of him. The moment planned by the Trinity from all eternity was at hand. Therefore, Jesus needed to say certain things to God, so He went to prayer.”

Jesus asks the Father to glorify thy Son.” Why? So that “thy Son also may glorify thee” (thy Father).

We must always glory God in our efforts, and never receive it for ourselves.

About ten years ago I attended a men’s conference in Chino. When Pastor Allister Begg walk onto the stage, and to his pulpit, the thousands of men gave him a standing ovation. I have never heard a pastor or a speaker rebuke the attendees as Allister did that day.

He told them to “NEVER EVER” applaud him like that again, as only God should receive an applause like that.

Remember Paul Washers famous “Shocking Youth message” sermon, as he tells the crowd “I don’t know why you’re laughing, I’m taking to you!”

R.C. Sproul said this about the “glorify” in verse 1. “When we seek glory, we do so at the expense of the glory of God. But when Jesus asked the Father to glorify Him, it was not at the expense of the Father, because the glorification of the Son is the glorification of the Father.”

Next in vs 2 we see the ‘scope’ of salvation (a limited atonement), and in vs 3 we see the nature of eternal life.

Verse 2, “even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”

God the Father has given ‘God the Son’ the power and authority to “give eternal life” to every man that God gives to Him (aka God’s elect).

Christ’s atonement is limited to only those whom the Father gives Him.

In John 6:35-40 Jesus said onto them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Verse 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Jesus Himself said in His prayer that the Father is “the only true God.” Which means there are false Gods.

Today many professing believers believe in God, and even in Jesus, but they are not the ‘God and Jesus’ of the Scriptures. Their false gods and unbiblical Jesus are in direct violation of the first two commandments…

Chapter 2, paragraph 1 of our Confessions says this. “The Lord our God is but one only living and true God; whose subsistence is in and of Himself, infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself; a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and withal most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.”

Jesus uniquely refers to Himself by ‘name and title,’ because Jesus is His name and Christ is His title.

In Verse 4 He said “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.”

CH Spurgeon said of vs 4, “Jesus regards his work as already done, although he had yet to die, to pay the ransom price for his people, yet by a leap of holy faith he [Jesus] says, “I have finished the work which thou gave me to do.”

Verse 5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Spurgeon said “Jesus had laid aside his glory for our sakes, now he asks that, his work being regarded as done, his glory may be given to him again.”

Next in verses 6-19 is Jesus’ prayer concerning His disciples (or the intersession), but first I will do an exposition of verses 6-10.

In verses 6-10 Jesus said, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷ Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; ⁸ for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. ⁹ I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; ¹⁰ and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.”

In vs 6 Jesus said “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.”

Here again we have Jesus recognizing that the Father gives His elect to the Redeemer. Jesus redeems those whom the Father chooses.

As John Gifford Bellett said, “They were ‘the Fathers’ by election before the world was, and became Christ’s by the gift of the Father, and by purchase of blood.”

Jesus said” they have kept (tēreō) Thy Word.” 

This keep (tēreō) means to guard (from loss or injury), to keep the eyes upon, to hold fast, to preserve, to attend to carefully, to keep one in the state in which he is.

So if we are His, that must be our desire, to tēreō His commandment (though we all fall short).

But this tēreō isn’t just for the big shot disciples, it’s expected from every Christian in this sanctuary.

As Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you loved Me, you will keep My commandments.” This is the same tēreō.

Jesus said in Verses 7-8 says, “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; ⁸ for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.”

What are these “words” that Jesus said His disciples believe in. This is most likely the Gospel (minimally).

God’s elect, the ones whom Jesus redeemed (atoned for), they believed the Gospel. They trusted in the Person of Christ Jesus. That God conceived Jesus of the Holy Spirit, He was born of a virgin, and He died on a cross for His bride, He was buried, and on the third day He bodily rose from His gave. They thrusted and entrusted themselves upon Christ for salvation.

In verses 9-10 Jesus said, “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; ¹⁰ and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.”

In today’s Americanized evangelicalism, many professing Christians will pray universal ‘prayers of salvation’ for everyone. But that is not necessarily Biblical, regretfully I am guilty of that in the past. Though we can pray for everyone, but it would be more Biblical to pray “Lord let Your will be done.” Lord let Your elect be saved.

Today when I get ready to preach to a crowd of unknown people in the public, I pray minimally for the following.

1. That the Father would be glorified
2. The Christ would be exalted
3. That the Holy Spirit fertilizes the soil
4. That Gods elect (His remnant present) would be edified, and
5. That God’s ‘future elect’ would be saved.

So I don’t always pray for salvation for everyone, but I do pray for everyone, and more-so, for God’s elect (in the present & future tense). And that’s what Jesus demonstrated in this Priestly prayer.

Calvin said, “There is only this difference between the two cases, that we pray for the salvation of all whom we know to have been created after the image of God, and who have the same nature with ourselves; and we leave to the judgment of God those whom he knows to be reprobate. But in the prayer which is here related there was some special reason, which ought not to be produced as an example; for Christ does not now pray from the mere impulse of faith and of love towards men, but, entering into the heavenly sanctuary, he places before his eyes the secret judgments of the Father, which are concealed from us, so long as we walk by faith.”

Nonetheless, in the meantime we need to share the Gospel with everyone.

In Vs 10 Jesus said, “and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.”

Jesus displays His equality with the Father, a ‘perfect union’ is prayed and displayed. 

Next is Jesus’ specific prayer for the protection of His disciples.

Next is verses 11-19

Beginning in verse 11 Jesus said, “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. ¹² While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. ~

¹³ But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”

In vs 11 He said, “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.”

Jesus’s prayer is in preparation of Him soon being removed from this world system (the cosmos), “And now I am no more in the world.”

But He is very concerned for His disciples whom will be left behind, as He said “but these are in the world,” and so “I come to Thee.”

Jesus calls the Father “Holy Father.” Jesus whom has been given authority to impute His holiness and righteousness to God’s elect (Christians), calls upon thee Holy Father. The Father is Holy (hagios) He is the ‘most righteous’ One.

Jesus asks the Father to “keep” His disciples. This ‘keep’ is the same Greek word as seen in John 14:15 where Jesus said, “If you love Me keep My commandments.”

This keep is the same tēreō as in vs 6. But God never fails, and will perfectly preserve His elect. If we’re His, He will keep us to the end, and if we’re His, by His grace, we will tēreō His commandments.

Some of your translations use the word to “protect.” It is God whom has the power and authority to save our souls, and to continue our present lives, but many scholars believe this verb to keep (or to protect) also has an implication of self-defense.

Though our souls are in His hands, we can defend ourselves, our family, and our church.

Self-defense is recorded in Luke 22. Jesus said in vs 35-38, “And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

However I believe those weapons were for self-defense, not as an offense.

Jesus ended vs 11 praying “that they may be one, as we are.”

Unity amongst ourselves is very important, and so we’ll revisit that later.

Verse 12 Jesus prayed, “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.”

Since Jesus was leaving this world, He asks the Father to watch over His disciples. The Father will keep them, and protect them. He will protect them externally, and He will keep them eternally. And none of them will be lost, except for one.

Jesus prayed that “none of them is lost, but the son of perdition;”

Out of all of them, they lost Judas. But Judas didn’t slip thru the Lord’s hands. Judas did not lose his salvation. Judas was never saved to begin with. Judas was described as a ‘son of perdition’ (a son of the Devil), and was predestined to be lost. In the end, Judas committed suicide by hanging himself.

And why did this account occur? Because Judas’s betrayal of Jesus fulfilled prophecy. So “that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

It says in Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”

Next we will see a contrast between His disciples (and His Word), and the lost world.

Jesus prayed in verses 13-14, “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

The world hated them because of ‘thy Word,’ and so the world ought to hate us as well. If we are bearing His Word out in the world, and if we’re “not of this world,” the world will hate us.

In vs 14 Jesus said He gave them the Fathers Word, and they received it. As a result the world turned on them, even hating them.

But Jesus doesn’t coddle or cuddle them, nor ask to give them an ‘easy way out.’

In verses 15-16 Jesus prayed, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” 

Jesus prays to keep them in this world, because they have a mission to accomplish (as we do ourselves).

As one scholar put it. “Jesus does not, however, ask that they be removed from a disagreeable and dangerous environment. Like him, they have a mission to discharge and must remain to fulfill it, however perilous it might be; but he does ask for protection for them from the evil one.”

Sproul said “Jesus did not pray that the Father would give His disciples the safety of isolation, the He would remove them entirely from the theater of operations. Martin Luther said that Christianity has to be a “profane faith.” The word profane literally means “out of the temple.” Luther meant that the church is not to spend all of its time gathered together in a “holy huddle,” basking in the glory of God. Yes, there are to be times of worship and fellowship, but then we are to go back into the world, where we are to bear witness to the glory of Christ. Jesus prayed that the Father would protect His disciples as they went forth, especially from the wiles of the Evil One, Satan.”

We exist to glorify God, to build-up the church, to disciple eachother, and to evangelize the lost. We’re not called to hide from a virus. We’re commanded to go, stand, and preach (or share) His glorious Gospel. 

In vs 16 Jesus said He was not of this world, they were not of this world, and so nor should we be of this world. However while being NOTW, we’re have His great Commission.  

As another said, “We should remember this when tempted to engage in some worldly pastime, or enter into worldly associations where the name of Jesus is unwelcome.”

In Verses 17-19 Jesus asks the Father, “¹⁷Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”

Once we’re saved by grace alone, the process of sanctification begins. Jesus asks the Father to sanctify them.

This word sanctification (hagiazō) is a verb which means to make holy, to purify or consecrate, to be set apart from the world. And so that we may glory God, and be set apart for ‘the service’ of God.

And how is this accomplished? Through “thy truth, thy word is truth.”

Though Christians (aka ‘saved sinners’) will never obtain the holiness of Jesus (or the Father), but Holy Spirit willing we ought to grow as we become co-cooperative in sanctification.  

As Peter said in 1 Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Jonathan Edwards said “True salvation always produces an abiding change of nature in a true convert. Therefore, whenever holiness of life does not accompany a confession of conversion, it must be understood that this individual is not a Christian.”

God’s Word does not merely ‘contain’ truth, Jesus said God’s Word is Thy truth.

For more on ‘sanctification,’ please study chapter 13 of our Confession.

Verses 20-26, the prayer concerning future believers

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; ²³ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ~

²⁵ “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; ²⁶ and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

In Verse 20 Jesus prayed ““I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;”

Jesus says He not only prayed for them then, but He also prays for those that ‘would’ believe, and for Christians now, and for the entire body of believers.

Grasp onto this thought. If you’re regenerate, Jesus prayed for you over 2,000 years ago.

As another said, “In a very real sense, we, as believers, were in the mind of Jesus on that night He prayed this prayer of intersession. His words give us an idea of what He does in His ongoing ministry of intersession at the right hand of the Father, where He intercedes for us daily.”

Today, on this Lord’s Day, Jesus is seated at the right of the Majesty on High, and He is praying for His church. 

JC Ryle said, “This special intersession of the Lord Jesus is one grand secret of the believer’s safety. He is daily watched, and thought for, and provided for with unfailing care by One whose eye never slumbers and never sleeps. Jesus is able to save them to the uttermost who come onto God by Him, because He ever liveth to make intersession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

If we’re going to have a believable testimony, we must be in unity as a local church, and other churches alike. Why is this important?

In vs 21 Jesus prayed, “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Upon salvation a general unity will take place. When God chooses His elect, the elect naturally agrees upon the beginning essentials.

Though we should never attempt to emulate the world, nor appease the world, not should our efforts be pragmatic. But we should care that the world sees us a being different than them, and that our unity with each other is in opposition to them (the world). 

Jesus said “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

Jon Gill said, “either the rest of God’s chosen people in the world, not yet called; or rather the wicked and reprobate part of the world, particularly Jews and Deists: they shall see the concord and agreement of the saints in doctrine, worship, and affection in the latter day; and when all the elect shall be gathered together, and not only their union to each other, but to the divine persons, shall clearly appear; they will then believe, ant be obliged to own, that Jesus is the true Messiah, was sent of God, and is no imposter.”

Jesus said in verses 22-23, “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

Back in vs 11 Jesus prayed for unity in ‘fellowship,’ then in vs 21 He prayed for unity in ‘witness bearing,’ but now in vs 22 He prays for unity in ‘glory.’

In vs 22 Jesus begins with “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them.”

Jesus was glorified in His resurrection and ascension. And one day we will be glorified in our resurrected body.

One commentary reads, “The glory the Father has given Jesus, is the triumphant task of redeeming the human race to God” (Heb. 2:9-10).

And why? “That they may be one, even as we are one.”

In vs 23 He said, “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

Though we will never have a total unity with the vast universal church (nor should we), and certainly not with false teachers, but there’s no reason why we as a local church cannot have a strong sense of unity. Especially a confessional church, whereas our Doctrines have been comprehensively laid-out before us.

I believe that ‘unity’ (or our lack of) is something that we must self-examine ourselves, especially before we partake in the communion.

It says in 1 Cor. 10:16-17, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.”

Jesus said “the world may know that thou hast sent me.” But it will be too late.

Paul said is Philippians 2:9-11, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In vs 24 Jesus prayed, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

While here on earth our (the Christians) mission is to unveil the glory of Christ, to make Him famous everywhere, as we boast in Christ and His cross.

As another said, “People will save money to go to a rock concert or a professional sports contest so that they can see some celebrities for an hour or two. But we are going to see the King of kings one day in all of His glory. That joyous moment is as good as guaranteed because of our Lord’s intersession.”

Jesus prayed “that they may see (or behold) my glory,”

What is this “that they may behold my glory?”

To “see” or “behold My glory” is the Greek word theōreō – which means to be a spectator of, to discern, to experience, to intensively acknowledge, to look on, to perceive.  Or to attentively take a view of, to survey, to perceive with the eyes, to enjoy the presence of one, to ascertain, or to find out by seeing.

Perhaps you’ve see those videos on the internet of a person on their deathbed in a hospital, or a hospice situation.

The video usually will depict a professing Christian (a nurse or loved one) either singing to the dying person, or playing a guitar.

But the most important ‘music to their ears’ ought to be theōreō (to behold His glory). To gaze their eyes and thoughts upon our Triune God, and His deity that saved them (IF they’re saved).

And if they’re not saved, they need both the Law and Gospel (tell story about Betty in hospice).

Throughout this prayer we ought to be seeing the monergistic work of the Godhead, way before we see ourselves.

One commentary says it better. “The Son desires to have His people with Himself in glory. Every time a believer dies, it is, in a sense, an answer to this prayer. If we realized this, it would be a comfort to us in our sorrow. To die is to be with Christ and to behold His glory. This glory is not only the glory of deity which He had with God before the world began. It is also the glory He acquired as Savior and redeemer. This glory is a proof that God loved Christ before the foundation of the world.” (1526-1527).

In Vs 25 Jesus prayed to the Father, ““O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;”

Jesus did not pray for the lost here, but He mentioned the lost in His prayer, that “the world hath not known Me.”

But Jesus knows Thee, because the Father sent Him.

We mustn’t dwell on our family members, friends or loved ones that are not saved. But we must theōreō, and ‘behold His glory.’

During this Coronavirus “pandemic” some professing Christians are wearing a medical mask that have the following depicted (printed) on the mask. JOHN 3:16 – JESUS LOVES YOU!

That might be cute amongst our westernized Christendom, but it’s not sound doctrine, it’s not Biblical.

This amazing ‘love’ that Jesus has, is for God and His elect, not for the lost and dying world.

In Vs 26 Jesus said, “and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

We can only know the Father thru the Lordship of His Son, and it is only then that God’s elect can know God’s amazing love.

As the old hymn sings, “So dear, so very dear to God, I cannot dearer be; The love wherewith He loves the Son, such is His love for me” (Catesby Paget).

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