John 17:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

NIV: I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.

NASB: I am no longer going to be in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.

CSB: I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.

NLT: Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

KJV: And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

NKJV: 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.

Shortly after He completes this prayer, Jesus will cross over Kidron and enter the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1). There, He will be arrested, beginning a process leading to His crucifixion and resurrection (John 12:32–34). As these words are spoken, His ministry "in the world" is over, and the apostles will be left to carry the gospel (John 16:5–11). That world will be hostile to their message (John 16:1–4). However, Jesus has already provided comfort by predicting the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26) and His eventual victory (John 16:33).

This verse is another example of Jesus referring to the use of a "name." This is not a reference to magical spells or incantations. To speak "in the name of" someone is to invoke their authority and power. When a police officer says, "stop, in the name of the law!" the command is only as valid as "the law" to which he refers. As Jesus prays for the disciples to be "kept" in their faith by the power and authority of God, He leverages this idea of God's "name."

The reference to unity here is also important. Christ's prayer is most directly applied to His inner circle (Matthew 10:1–4), other than Judas, who has already fallen away (John 17:12). However, the principles also extend to future Christian believers. Christian unity, expressed by love, is the definitive hallmark of saving faith (1 John 4:20). Jesus commanded love for fellow believers (John 13:34–35), and those who truly love Christ will follow that command (John 14:15).

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.