Answered Prayer: Ministering the Way Jesus Prayed We Would

Ryrie

• (15) “The word [evil one] can be neuter (from evil) or masculine (from the evil one, Satan) It should be noted that Christ does not teach withdrawal from the world but, rather, that Christians should be in the world but not of it.”
• (17) “Sanctify means 'to set apart for God and His holy purposes'; so also verse 19. The means of sanctification is God's Word.”
• (18) “A great text for the mission of the church.”
• (21) “All believers belong to the one Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13) and to the same household of God (Eph 2:19). This spiritual unity should be visibly expressed in the exercise of spiritual gifts (Eph 4:3-16), prayer, and exhortation (2 Cor 1:11; Heb 10:25).”
• (24) Jesus “prays for our glorification, that is, being with Him in eternity.”
• (25) “Like 'Holy Father' in verse 11, this form of address occurs only here in the NT and expresses God's distinction from us and His relation to us.”

Reflecting God

• (14) The world = “The world that is hostile to God and God's people”
• (14) To be “not of the world” is to “not have the mind-set of the world, i.e., hostility to God.”
• (15) “The world is where Jesus' disciples are to do their work; Jesus does not wish them to be taken from it until that work is done.”
• (15) “The evil one [is] especially active in the world, making God's protection indispensable.”
• (17) sanctify is from the Greek hagiazo, meaning “set apart for sacred use” or “make holy”.
• (17) “Sanctification and revelation (as recorded in God's word) go together.”
• (18) “Jesus' mission is one of the dominant themes of this Gospel and is given as the pattern for his followers.”
• (18) “We may long for heaven, but it is on earth that our work is done.”
• (19) “I sanctify myself” “appears to be unparalleled. In the LXX the verb is used of consecrating priests (Ex 28:41) and sacrifices (Ex 28:38; Nu 18:9). Jesus solemnly “sets himself apart to do God's will,” which at this point meant his death.”
• (19) “Jesus died on the cross not only to save us but also to consecrate us to God's service.”
• (20) “Jesus had just spoken of the mission and the sanctification of his followers. He was confident that they would spread the gospel, and he prayed for those who would believe as a result. All future believers are included in this prayer.”
• (21) “The unity of believers should have an effect on outsiders, to convince them of the mission of Christ. Jesus' prayer is a rebuke of the groundless and often bitter divisions among believers.”
• (22) “Beleivers are to be characterized by humility and service, just as Christ was, and it is on them that God's glory rests.”
• (22) “Again the Lord emphasizes the importance of unity among his followers, and again the standard is the unity of the Father and the Son.”
• (23) “There are two indwellings: that of the Son in beleivers, and that of the Father in the Son. It is because the latter is a realit that the former can take place.”
• (23) “Again the emphasis on unity has an evangelistic aim. This time it is connected not only with the mision of Jesus but also with God's love for people and for Christ.”
• (24) “I want” = “I will that.” “Jesus said, 'I will' – his last will and testament for his followers. Where he himself was concerned, he prayed, 'not what I will, but what you will' (Mk 14:36) .”
• (24) “The Christian's greatest blessing” is “to be with [Jesus]”
• (24) “my glory” is “perhaps used here to refer to Jesus' eternal splendor. Or Jesus' prayer may have been that in the life to come they might fully appreciate the glory of his lowly service.”
• (25) “Righteous Father” is unique in the NT to this passage.
• (25) The disciples “did not know god directly and personally, but they knew God had sent Christ. To recognize God in Christ's mission is a great advance over anything the world can know.”