Part-2“THE INTERCEDING CHRIST

JOHN 17:5-12 (Savior's Words in Red)

We begin this second part of our study from the 17th chapter of John in the 5th verse; “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”  This verse of scripture takes us to a heighth which we could not attain without knowledge having been imparted to the writers of scripture by God the Holy Spirit. What we must learn to do as we study scripture is to humbly ponder the words in the light of the context, and parallel scriptures and through fervent prayer. When our Saviour says “glorify thou me” He speaks as the mediator Jesus Christ, and this is the name of Him in His humiliation or at the time He was nailed to the Cross. He was resurrected as both man and Jesus Christ and He was to be glorified in His ascension as “Christ Jesus”. If we pay close attention to scripture we notice that the gospel writers use Jesus Christ while in the main, the writers of the epistles use Christ Jesus. The reason behind this is, in the name Jesus the very thought of salvation weighs more heavily, and in the title Christ it is the glory. We must leave this subject of His name or names for now but we have done a study previous to this which is available. However on second thought we should add here at least this bit of information. We read in Acts 2:32 “This Jesus hath God raised up.. .let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ”. .vs36, read also Philippeans 2:9-11

That Christ asked to be glorified demonstrated His perfection, for not even as the risen Christ did He glorify Himself. Even though it is a fact that His glorification had been promised and earned by Him, we can still find reasons why He asked for it. One reason was for the comfort of His apostles who were troubled over His humiliation; Second would be for our instruction, to teach us that suffering for God is the highway to glory; Third would be for the benefit of His Church, Christ must be glorified before it could prosper.

In our first study we found that Jesus had prayed for Himself, now in this second study we will find Him as He prays for the disciples then alive and with him. In praying for Himself, His own glorification, we see that the great end in view was the Fathers glory. In 17:1 His words were, “glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee,” and in 17:5 He adds, “glorify me with thine own self” Note this; this is done before He asks for one single thing for His people. Just as in what we refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” we read “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” so here in this prayer of the 17th chapter, does the Fathers interests come first. Here we find two things inseperably connected, the Fathers glory and the Son’s glory.

What we need to express at this point is, the careful study and the student alike will note that Christ was most particular to describe the ones whom he intercedes for in terms which should be common to all believers. John 17:6, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.” Four things are to be noted here and in the following verses; 1. the persons for whom Christ intercedes; 2. the characters in which they are presented;  3. the petitions offered on their behalf;  4. and the particular pleas by which each petition is urged.   In this study we see that the first thing Jesus did was to describe and present those for whom He was in prayer (vs 6-10) and in vs 11-12 His prayer changes to one of supplication or for the divine protection of Yahweh to be given them. Here in vs-6 it is beautiful to see the Saviour come before the Father as Intercessor, where He presents “His own” along with “Himself’.. .Isa 8:18 “Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of Hosts..” Exodus 28:29 “And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgement upon his heart when he goeth in from the holy place, for a memorial before Yahweh continually.” So, here in vs-6, when Jesus Christ our great High Priest entered the presence of the Father, He bore our names on His heart before Him. And that which made this possible was His own glorification which was consequent upon His “finished work”.. (17:4-5).

“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.” Here is proof that Jesus had more than the eleven apostles in view. He employed language here that was applicable to all of His believing people at that time, for during His life and ministry He had made His Fathers name known to far more than the eleven. I Cor 15:6 speaks of the risen Saviour having been seen by over 500 brethem at once. Matt: 5, speaks of the multitudes that were present at the sermon on the mount. Here in vs-6 those who were recommended to the Father were those who were acquainted with the Fathers name; they were the subjects of His Grace and they were obedient to His will. We see Jesus speak here of three things; that which He had done, what the Father had done and what the disciples had done.

When He spake these words that we read in vs-6 we realize that Christ has fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 22:22, “I will declare thy name unto my brethern; in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” To make known the Father’s name was to reveal Him, manifest His character and display His perfectness. We are told in John 1:18 “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him.” The Son alone, Jesus Christ, had made manifest the Father’s perfections in His own perfect life on earth, the wondrous miracles and sublime teaching. But only those who had been given Him by the Father were able to receive this manifestation. Who is inclusive here you may ask? Christ has made known the Father to all of the Elect, in all ages, I John 2:13 “...I write unto you little children because you have known the Father.” My friend, if you will but read II John 1:1 you will see who these little children of whom he speaks are; “The elder (John) unto the elect lady (Israel) and her children (the progeny of that elect seed-line down thru the annals of time) whom I love in truth.” So perfectly did Christ discharge this office of Intercessor that He could say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” John 14:9.

“Thine they were, and thou gavest them me.”  We know that all of creation belongs to Yahweh but all is not what is in view here. Christ is speaking of a special company which had been given Him. The words of Christ are directed toward the Sovereign Election of Yahweh God, whereby He, God, chose a definite number to be His “peculiar people”, His in a special or a peculiar way. These were eternally His: “chosen in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world”. .Eph 1:4. When we read Romans 11:29 we find that the elect are chosen by the immutability of His purpose of grace, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance”; it cannot be changed, they are always His.. .not one less nor one more! “Thine they were and thou gavest them me” was a plea made by Christ for the comfort of the disciples who while hated by men in general (the anti-christ jews), were the special objects of Satan’s enmity. Doesn’t it give you a special assurance to know that as you approach the Throne of Grace in prayer, that the Father’s heart has been set on you from before the beginning of all things!

Read these words and make your heart humble; “And thou gavest them me.” Thine by foreordination; Mine by special donation. The acts of the three persons of the Trinity, being equal, of the same sphere and latitude, those whom the Father chooses, the Son redeems and the Holy Spirit quickens or makes alive. The Father loves none but those which are given to Christ, and Christ takes charge of none but those that are loved by the Father. Your election will be known by your interest in Christ and your interest in Christ by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in you. All of God’s flock are placed into the hands of Christ, and He leaves them in care of the Holy Spirit. Once again you ask, “who are they?” I Peter 1:2, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” There is a chain of Salvation; It begins with the Father, is dispensed through the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit.

The elect are given to Christ, first by way of reward: Isa 53:10-12, “when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed.. .He shall see the travail of His soul and be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He will bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong.” Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. The elect are given to Christ, secondly, by charge. “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (reject).. .And this is the Father’s will that sent me, that all of which He has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day”. .John 6:37-39. The elect, and none but the Elect were entrusted to Christ. Thus the faithfulness of Christ to the Father is en­gaged on our behalf. Does this tell you how absolute your security really is? If a single one of God’s elect were to perish, the glory of the perfect servant (Christ) would be tarnished for all eternity. The fact that such an event will never happen proves the omnipotence of Yahweh.  We need to note in this section/para also that Yahshua/Jesus stipulates, and does so with no room for any to correct, "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to me"; He did not say that the Father would send "ALL"  or give "ALL" to Him. Neither did He say "WHOSOEVER" the Father would send or give. 

“And they have kept thy word.” This last reference in vs-6 is without a doubt concerned with God’s call, which went forth through Christ. It made no difference where they were or what they were involved m, when the 11 disciples had heard the call they left all, and followed Him. What is even more incredible is, they had continued with Him. We read in John 6:66 that many of the disciples went back and walked with Him no more, vs-67, Jesus said unto the twelve, "Will ye also go away?” And in vs-68 we read the words of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal Life.” Here in vs-6 it is beautiful and blessed to see our Great High Priest ignore the frequent periods of unbelief and febleness of faith in the apostles and present them before the Father according to the perfections of His own love. Though it was done imperfectly, they had kept the Father’s word. While they were imperfect man, we are shown that God’s love does not notice their defects, rather dwells upon their faith, submission and their obedience. Satan the accuser speaks evil of believers, but Christ who is our Advocate takes our part and ever speaks well of us. The highest commendation Christ could give His elect people is: “They have kept thy word.

In vs-7 Christ continues to use commendable terms of His disciples, “Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.” These are rather remarkable words when we consider the character of the eleven men to whom they were applied. Their faith was weak, their knowledge not vast, their spiritual attainments were not deep and strong as yet and their hearts would grow faint in the hour of danger. Even just a short while after Jesus had spoken these words that open this 7th vs to us, they all forsook Him and fled, with one of them denying Him with an oath. No one could read the account of the four gospels and fail to see that.. .never had a great Master had such weak servants as Jesus Christ had in the eleven apostles. Yet these weak servants were the same men of whom the gracious Head of the Church speaks of here in such honorable terms. What a comfort it is to know that Christ sees far more in His believing people than they are able to see in themselves, or than others see in them. The least degree of faith in man is precious in the sight of Jesus. Even if it is no larger than a mustard seed, it is a plant of heavenly growth.. Matt 17:20 and Luke 17:6. Even though they were as weak and unstable as water, the eleven believed and loved their Master while millions refused to own Him.

“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me”.. .vs-8! This is saying that all of that which Christ was given, they knew for He had given it to them. The 11-disciples had entered, by grace, into that of what the world was completely ignorant.. .that the Father was the source of all that was given the Son. Some men wondered at His words and works; others, in their enmity, blasphemously attributed them to Satan/the Devil.. .John 8:48 and 7:20, Luke 11:14-14.. The disciples had learned that Jesus came out from the Father and that the words or means of bringing them into such blessing were also of the Father. Jesus the Saviour had treated them as friends, committing to them the intimate communlcations of God’s Grace which the Father had given to Him. This was so they might know the Divine relationship into which His wonderful love had brought them. They were slow of heart, just as we are today, yet they received the truth, and receiving it they knew that He was the Son of His Fathers love.., just as we have today. In this manner, Jesus has explained how souls are brought into nearness to the Father. We will find more than one of the back-bones of our Christian faith in this 8th vs; It makes manifest that “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.. .Rom 10:17. The lesson here is simple to grasp, If our faith is to be strengthened, deepened and increased it will take diligent attention to prayer and personal appropriation of the words of God. We are also shown here that spiritual knowledge.. .discernment and understanding.. .is the fruit of having received God’s words.

“I pray for them, I pray not for the world; but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. .John 17:9! The world here is a general or generic name for man-kind or the orderly arrangement of things created. There is a “fashion of this world” (I Cor 7:3 1), or a common mould according to which the characters of men are formed. And there is a course of this world (Eph 2:2) in which all walk save those who are on the narrow way which leads to life. These that have a spiritual character moulded or formed in that spirit of iniquity as is of the prince of the power of the air are called the children of disobedience and are not covered under the plea of vs-9. All who are not transformed by the renewing of their minds as is written in Romans 12:2, are as a matter of course conformed to this world. Christ did not pray for the unbeliever. Those for whom He is the propitiation, He is an Advocate; and for whom He died, He makes intercession....and for no others in a spiritual and saving way.

When He sald “I pray not for the world” we find it difficult to harmonize it with His words from the Cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” What we must do is distinguish between His prayers as perfect man and as Christ the Mediator. Christ prayed for the ungodly in answer to His human duties but not officially as their Mediator. He taught His disciples, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, Matt 5:44. Here in John 17,  the prayer is seen as coming from the Great High Priest, therefore He prays only for His own.

Next we look at the words, “But for them which thou hast given me,” and how these words should bow our hearts in adoring worship. What a thankful and wonderful privilege it is to be one of the objects of Christs intercession. Millions have been passed by and left in reprobation; but those who belong to the “little flock” (Luke 12:32) are held up by Him before the Throne of Grace. In John 14:22 Jesus was asked by the one who would betray Him, “Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not the world?” I am sure there are those who ask of this 17:9 reading “How is it thou wilt pray for us and not for the world?” for the finite mind, there is no answer, all that can be said is, “It was the sovereign grace of the sovereign God who singled us out to be the objects of His distinguishing favor. So if a world that cannot understand calls it selfishness, let us express praise to God and show our most profound gratitude while we seek to live as becomes His elect ones. We should also follow the example of Christ and manifest our love for those who have been chosen out of the world and made to be the household of faith.. .Gal 6:10. We are to follow the example of Christ and pray for our enemies, or those of the race of Adam who are outside of the faith. .Rom 10:1,1 Tim 2:1.

The last four words of vs-9 are linked with vs-10, "For they are Thine." Here Jesus is presenting the reason He prays for those for whom He is making intercession... “for they are thine.” Although they have been given to the Mediator as a reward and a charge, they are still the Father’s. He has not relinquished His right over them. Just as those whom a father gives his daughter in marriage, he does not lose his fatherly propriety. Thus, those given to Christ are still the Father’s. “For they,  in contrast from the world,  are thine” fixes the meaning of  "Thine they were”. .17:6, as thine not just by creation but by Divine Election from all eternity. We really need to note the power of this special plea; the ones for whom Christ was in prayer were the Father’s, therefore, for His own Glory and because of His affection for that which belonged to Him, He would keep them.

"And all Mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them." What is shown us here is that the interests of the Father and the Son could not be seperated. That which belonged to one belonged to the other. No man dare question the Deity of Father or Son for here is absolute proof that they have rights and interests no less boundless than common. Even though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in this petition, He is certainly not to be excluded. All whom the Father calls, Christ receives and the Holy Spirit makes alive. There is another, for the Father to preserve those in whom the Saviour was glorified; the Son was the supreme object of the Father’s affections. What a position this is for us, as the subjects of this mutual affection of the Father and Son. The world knew Him not because He was not sent to save the world. Israel was the apple of His eye and was lost, Christ came to seek and save that which was lost...Matt 10:5-6, Ezekiel 34:11-16. These disciples are the very ones whom He commanded in Matthew 10:5-6 to go to the Israelites only, for they were Israelites themselves and heirs of the Promise. By their faith, love and obedience they glorified Him; therefore did He make special Intercession for them. We should understand from what is said here that this applies to us today; the more we glorify Christ, the more confidence should we have of His Intercession for us... Matthew 10:32!

“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 as one, as we are,” 17:11. Jesus the Christ knowing that the disciples would soon be deprived of His presence and personal care which would expose them to the world makes this special plea of the Father. Christ had been their Guide and Guardian, and ever present friend. He had borne their infirmities and upheld them in weakness. He had protected them from all manners of evil, and now that He was leaving them He now commits His own charge unto the Father. If God so wanted, He could take each Saint into Paradise on the very day that he believed, just as He did that thief on the Cross. For reasons of His own He leaves them here for a shorter or longer season. In vs-15 Jesus prayed, “...not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” God gets more glory by leaving believers in the world for a period of time, of His own determining. God’s power is made perfect in our weakness..II Cor 12:9. We are left here that we might be tried, for there is a measure of suffering appointed and each of us must receive His or Her share.. .I Thess 3:3-4.  "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me" John 17:11. The term Holy is (here) descriptive of character. The root meaning of the word is seperate or seperation and as applied here to God it signifies that He is far removed from evil. However, this is too negative when referring to God, for He is not only highiy elevated above all impurity He is absolutely and essentially “Pure” in Himself. That God is “Holy” signifies that He is lifted high above all finite creatures.. .Rev 15:4. What we see Jesus doing here is very striking. He was asking for the preservation and unification of His disciples, and He requests the Father do this in strict accord with His Holy Nature.

To complete this 11-th vs of John 17, we read; “Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” This not only brings out the value Christ sets upon us but also the deep interest that He has in us. About to return to the Father He asks for the Father to preserve those dear to His heart.. .those for whom He bled and died.. He hands them over to the very one who had first given them to Him. It were as though He said or thought, “I know the Fathers heart, He will take good care of them.” Have you asked yourself yet, “why is it that we are so highiy esteemed by Christ?” It is not because of any excellency to be found in us. There can only be one answer; “Because we are the Fathers love gift to the Son.” In John 3:16 it reads “For God so loved the world (His natural creation) He gave His only begotten Son” and in John 17; we behold the Fathers love to Christ; He loved His Son so much that He gave Him a people who would be soon conformed to His image and shall through all eternity show forth His pralses. We are the Fathers love gift to the Christ, His Son. So, what man can estimate the value which He places upon us?

“That they may be as one as we are” does not refer to a manifestation of ecclesiastical oneness; it is rather a oneness of personal knowledge and of fellowship with the Father and Son, therefore, oneness in spirit, affection and aim. It is not the outcome of any human agreement or effort but of Divine and Sovereign Power. If we want to know if this request of Jesus was granted we have but to read Acts 4:32, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.” The words “as we are” shows that the Unlon here prayed for is one that is Divine, intimate, invisible and unbreakable.

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name; those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled,”.. .17:12. All who were committed to the Father and kept in that name while He was here were kept safe. One who was doomed to destruction, went to his destruction. The one lesson that the Social Church in the world need learn here is this; “Even the constant presence of Jesus will not win when God the Holy Spirit does not bring the truth home to that conscience. Judas is one that was on the left hand side of election in that his election was not unto salvation, it was rather election unto reprobation. Judas was not one of those given to Christ by the Father. Though called to be an apostle, Judas was an exception, he was not a child of God, he was a son of perdition. None is lost but that one who was an impenitent sinner,and had no place with the believers.

PASTOR RICK GIESENSCHLAG

CHRIST’S CHURCH MILITANT

Copyright (C) 2004 a.d.