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. 7 Now they have
known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 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. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world,
but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine;
and I am glorified in them.
As Christ teaches us and gives us an example of prayer He
continues to pray to God the Father. He states that He has taught the Apostles
about God, that they belonged to God, that God the Father gave them to Christ,
and they were faithful and kept His word. They now know that Christ is over all
things and the only way to God is through Him for He is God. They know His
words come directly from God the Father.
Christ is praying for them, not for the world that rejects
Him, but praying for them, those that God the Father has given Him, for they
belong to the Father. Every one that belongs to the Son of God belongs to God
the Father, as well, and every one that belongs to God the Father belongs to
the Son of God. Christ is glorified in those who believe in and trust in Him.
11 ¶
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. 12
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. 13
And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they
might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14
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. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out
of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not
of the world.
Christ will no more be walking in the world of men and
women, no more walking on the earth. He is going back to Heaven, the abode of
God. Christ calls God the Father, Holy Father, which is not a title to give to
men. Like the word reverend it has a
particular application to God alone.
Psalm 111:9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath
commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
Christ prays for unity among the Apostles. Unity is one of
the most important attributes that God wishes for the body of Christ.
Romans 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the
same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through
strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than
themselves.
Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that
ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness
and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and
one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is
above all, and through all, and in you all.
This unity of purpose is
essential for a church to grow inwardly as the congregation draws closer to God
through the Scriptures and outwardly as people are drawn to the church by the Holy
Spirit using the atmosphere created by the congregation becoming closer and
closer to God.
Jesus kept every one of
the Apostles except for Judas Iscariot, who is called here the son of perdition. This epithet is used
again, by Paul, in 2Thessalonians 2.
2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the
son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God.
This poses the question
as to a further meaning of the following verses with regard to Judas Iscariot
whom we have already been told is a devil in John 6:70, 71.
Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from
which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
(See also 1Samuel 5:11)
Revelation 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of
the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the
Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Some believe the spirit
of Judas will return in the form of someone at the end in the beast of
Revelation as John the Baptist was imbued with the spirit of Elijah, the
Prophet.
Read Psalm 109 for
prophecies that will assigned to Judas in Acts, chapter one. Also see other
passages that will be illuminated in Judas’ behavior;
Zechariah 11:12 And I said unto
them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed
for my price thirty pieces of silver.13
And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that
I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them
to the potter in the house of the LORD.
Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own
familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up
his heel against me.
Psalm 55:12 For it was not an
enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that
hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from
him: 13 But it was thou, a man mine
equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 14
We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in
company.
There are other verses
that refer to Judas in the Old Testament.
Christ spoke these words
the Apostles so they might not despair, but have joy as John wrote in his first
letter in 1John 1:4 that he was writing that those Christians’ joy might be
full. Believing the Bible does not lead you to despair but to joy. We may not
understand everything now but we will. Trust God.
We do not belong to this
world any more. It doesn’t own us even though we often try to let it. As Christ
is not of this world, neither are we.
Why can we not be
removed from this world as soon as we believe and are saved by God?
Jesus asks the Father
not to remove His disciples from the world, but as they have a part in saving
those of the world that can be saved, He asks that God protect them from the evil. What would, “the evil,” refer to specifically
in this particular context?
Perhaps the evil is Satan, whom we will find out
in Luke 22:31, has desires to do much damage to the Apostles.
Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired
to have you [the plural you for all off the disciples], that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee [the
singular you, for Simon Peter specifically],
that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
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