NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 64
J ohn 1 7
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page 1838
13“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this
world so they would be filled with my joy. 14I 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.
15I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil
one. 16They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17Make them holy by your
truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18Just as you sent me into the world, I am
sending them into the world. 19And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can
be made holy by your truth.
Jesus Prays for Future Believers (221)
20“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me
through their message. 21I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as
you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will
believe you sent me.
22“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23I am
in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will
know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24Father, I want
these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory
you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
25“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know
you sent me. 26I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love
for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
17:13 Joy is a common theme in Jesus’ teachings—he wants us to be
joyful (see 15:11; 16:24). We find immeasurable joy when we keep in
intimate contact with Jesus, the source of all joy. Then we will experience
God’s special care and protection and see the victory God brings even
when defeat seems certain.
17:14 The world hates Christians because Christians’ values differ from
theirs. Because Jesus’ followers don’t cooperate with the world by joining
in their rebellion and hostility to God’s Word and his will, they are living accusations against the world’s immorality. Without God, the world
0
0
0.1 mi
0.1 km
Antonia Fortress
(later Praetorium?)
N
Temple
Mount of
Olives
Garden of
Gethsemane
Hasmonean
Palace
Herod’s
Herod’s
Lower
Royal
Palace
Palace
JERUSALEM
Traditional
Upper Room?
LOWER CITY
VAL
LE Y
UPPER CITY
KIDRO
N
Caiaphas’s
House?
BETRAYAL IN THE GARDEN After eating the Passover meal in the
upper room, Jesus and his disciples went to Gethsemane, where
Judas led the Temple guard to arrest Jesus. Jesus was then taken to
Caiaphas’s house for his first of many trials.
17:13
John 7:33; 15:11
17:14
John 15:18-19
17:15
1 Jn 5:18
17:17
John 15:3
17:18
John 20:21
17:19
Heb 2:11
17:20
John 17:9
17:21
John 10:38
Gal 3:28
17:22
John 17:11
17:23
John 16:27; 17:5
17:24
John 1:14; 12:26
17:25
Matt 11:27
17:26
John 15:9
slides into Satan’s agenda, and Satan is the avowed enemy of Jesus
and his people.
17:17 A follower of Jesus becomes pure and holy by believing and
obeying the Word of God (also see Hebrews 4:12). He or she has already
received forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrificial death (Hebrews 7:26-27).
But daily application of God’s Word has a purifying effect on our minds
and hearts. Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess it, renews our
relationship with God, and guides us back to the right path.
17:18 Jesus didn’t ask God to take believers out of the world but instead
asked to use them in the world. Because Jesus sends us into the world,
we should not try to escape from the world, nor should we avoid all
relationships with non-Christians. As salt and light to the world (Matthew
5:13-16), we must find ways to be more loving, more creative as we share
our faith, and more consistent in staying in touch with unbelievers. God
sent us to do this kind of work.
17:20 Jesus prayed for all who would follow him, including you and
others you know. He prayed for unity (17:11), protection from the evil
one (17:15), and holiness (17:17). Knowing that Jesus prayed for us gives
us confidence as we work for his Kingdom.
17:21-23 Jesus’ great desire for his disciples was that they would become one. He wanted them unified as a powerful witness to the reality of
God’s love. Are you helping to unify the body of Christ, the church? You
can pray for other Christians, build them up, work with them in humility,
be generous with your time and money, avoid gossip, exalt Jesus, and
refuse to get sidetracked arguing over divisive matters.
17:21-23 Jesus prayed for unity among believers based on the believers’
unity with him and the Father. Christians can know unity among themselves if they are living in union with God. Each branch living in union
with its vine is united with all other branches doing the same.
18:3 The Jewish religious leaders were given authority by the Romans
to make arrests for minor infractions. The Roman soldiers may not have
participated in this arrest but just accompanied the Temple guards to
make sure matters didn’t get out of control.
18:4-5 John does not record Judas’s kiss of greeting (Matthew 26:49;
Mark 14:45; Luke 22:47-48), but Judas’s kiss marked a turning point for the
disciples. With Jesus’ arrest, each one’s life would be radically different. For
the first time, Judas openly betrayed Jesus before the other disciples. His
betrayal must have devastated them. Then, also for the first time, Jesus’
loyal disciples ran away from him (Matthew 26:56). The band of disciples
would undergo severe testing before the Holy Spirit transformed them
from hesitant followers to dynamic leaders.
