John 17:9-19 CSB
"I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours. [10] Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine, and I am glorified in them. [11] 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. [12] While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. [13] Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. [14] I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [15] I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. [16] They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. [19] I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Safety in Christ
I have had several animals in my life as pets. I loved them all. They were usually rescue pets—those that others had discarded. It would take time for some to accept my love; it would take time for them to know that I truly cared for them. One dog in particular would run behind me and nuzzle close to my leg in my shadow, knowing that he was protected. This especially occurred at the veterinarian’s office.
We are worth much more to our loving Father than a family pet. Jesus used the intimate terms of little children, friends, brothers, and sisters to show His love for us. We do not need to be afraid. Many of us get caught up in the “short view” of life—what is happening in the near term—so much that we forget who we are. When we keep our eyes on the Long View, the view of our citizenship in Heaven, we stop trying to create Heaven with the temporary things around us. As we become grateful for what the Father gives us, our souls are quieted, and we can live for Him.
The Lord is always working in our lives. The new house we buy starts deteriorating the minute we move in. The new car loses its value quickly. Even our relationships are ever-changing; marriage takes work, and friends move away. What does not diminish is God’s love for us and the place of protection that we have in Christ.
Jesus is now turning His prayer toward the disciples. What belongs to the Father also belongs to the Son. Everything is shared between them, and Jesus is glorified in the lives of those He has called. We are called to lift up Jesus to the glory of the Father, recognizing that our lives are the “territory” where His glory is seen.
When Jesus prayed, “…protect them by your name that you have given me,” a powerful request was made. In ancient times, a person’s name represented their very character and authority. This prayer is to protect and unify the followers in the whole truth of the Father revealed by the Son—that they would remain in the protective fellowship of knowing Him.
Jesus continues to pray, asking for the protection of the disciples as He leaves this earthly, carnal world to return to the Father. The disciples are left to continue in the steps of Jesus: to build the church and to shine His light to the world. We remain in the world to carry the truth of the Word to others. Even though the powers of darkness might scream, God puts His arms around us and protects us during these dangerous times.
Jesus says the disciples are not of this world. They have a place in Heaven. The disciples knew this; the world was no longer their home. When this truth was powerfully confirmed by the resurrection of Jesus, they gained the Long View. The draw of the world became dim, and the view of Heaven became paramount as their mission in the world began.
Reflection Questions
- The disciples were about to face the darkness of the crucifixion and the scattering of their group. How did Jesus’ prayer for their protection comfort them? How does it comfort us?
- Jesus asked the Father to protect the Apostles by the Name given to Him—the authority of the “I AM.” Why was it necessary for their safety to depend on God’s unchanging character rather than their own ability to stay brave or “believe” during the coming storm?
- Jesus did not pray to remove the disciples from the world, but to “sanctify” or set them apart by the Truth as He sent them out. How does seeing the Apostles’ eventual mission—shining light into a world that hated them—help you understand what it means to be protected by God even when life is dangerous?
Prayer
Father,
Thank You for rescuing us and bringing us into Your family. We confess that we often get distracted by the things of this world that rust and fade, forgetting that our true home is with You. Thank You for the protection of Your Name—the Name that is above every name. Keep us steady in the truth of Your Word, and help us to live with the “long view” of eternity in our hearts. May we rest in Your shadow, knowing that because of Jesus’ finished work, we are forever Yours.
Amen.
