John 17:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

NASB: 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.

CSB: I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

NLT: I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

KJV: I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

NKJV: 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.

In praying for the disciples (John 17:6), Jesus has mentioned His prior teachings (John 17:13). These are the "word" which was part of His earthly ministry. Jesus uses the Greek root word logos here; this is the same term John applied to Jesus at the start of this gospel (John 1:1). Jesus is the Logos of God—the message and truth given by God the Father—and part of His mission is to pass along God's words to mankind.

Some of the truths contained in Christ's preaching won't fully make sense until after His death, burial, and resurrection (John 2:22). Others will become clear thanks to the influence of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13–16).

In this context, "the world" means unbelieving, fallen humanity. No one likes to be called out for their failures (John 3:20). That's even more true when moral truth exposes a sinful world (1 Peter 4:4). Christians are called on to influence the world (Matthew 5:13–16), but not to be tainted by it (Romans 12:2; Colossians 2:8; James 1:27). A cornerstone of Christian faith is following the example of Jesus Christ (John 14:15), and the more Christ-like a person is, the more an anti-Christian world will hate and persecute them (John 16:1–4).

John 17:6–19 continues the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, prior to crossing into the garden of Gethsemane. After asking God the Father to glorify Him, so He may glorify the Father, Jesus now prays for His disciples. Earlier passages included Jesus' warnings about persecution (John 16:1–4). His plea, here, is for the apostles' continued faith in the face of that hardship. While this passage has application for all Christians, the immediate subject is Jesus' immediate circle of closest disciples. After this, Jesus' prayer will continue with an emphasis on all future believers.

In this passage, known as the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus speaks to God about three main topics. First is Christ Himself, asking God the Father to glorify Him so He can glorify the Father. Next, Jesus prays for the faith and courage in His closest disciples. Finally, He prays for those who will come to faith because of the apostles' writing and teaching. This moment occurs before Jesus enters Gethsemane, where the other Gospels will record His final anguished prayers before being arrested (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46).

Over the last several chapters (John 13—16), Jesus has been giving last-minute instruction to His closest disciples. These lessons composed a large part of the Last Supper. Among those teachings were several warnings about persecution, with the encouragement of knowing the Holy Spirit would come. In chapter 17, we read Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, making requests on behalf of Himself, the apostles, and future believers. After this, Jesus will go into Gethsemane where Judas will turn Him over for arrest and His eventual execution.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.