24Jesus Prays for His Disciples—Part 2: As Those Whom He Is about to Leave  (John 17:11–19)

I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. (17:11–19)

Through Jesus Christ, every believer has been granted direct access to the very throne room of God. Each can “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace [and] receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Though formerly His enemies, they have been reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:17–18), having been adopted into His family “through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:26; cf. 4:5–6; Rom. 8:15–17). Because they are His children, the glorious God of the universe graciously, willingly and lovingly responds to their prayers, no matter how small or feeble they may seem (cf. the exposition of 16:26–27 in chapter 20 of this volume).

In addition to personal prayers, believers also have the prayers of others, who intercede on their behalf. The apostle Paul emphasized the need for that kind of intercession in the closing paragraphs of his epistle to the Ephesians:

Having just warned his readers about the reality of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10–17), Paul stressed the critical importance of making supplication “for all the saints” (v. 18). “Pray for us” is a recurring theme throughout his letters (1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1; Heb. 13:18; cf. Col. 4:2–3; 1 Tim. 2:7–8). Like Paul, the venerable Spurgeon acutely understood the importance of intercessory prayer. He addressed his congregation with these dramatic words:

The intercession of Christians for each other is an essential element of the church’s spiritual life, and the New Testament contains numerous examples of it (e.g., Acts 12:5; 20:36; 21:5; 2 Cor. 1:11; 9:14; Eph. 1:16; 6:18–19; Phil. 1:4; Col. 4:12).

But other Christians are not the only ones who intercede on behalf of the believer. The Holy “Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26). The skewed perspectives, human imperfections, and spiritual limitations that plague Christians in this life keep them from praying as they ought to pray—in absolute consistency with God’s will. But the indwelling Spirit intercedes on behalf of each Christian, faithfully bringing his needs before God even when he is confused as to what those needs truly are. The Spirit’s prayers are always answered “because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (v. 27).

Yet, beyond all of that there is another who prays for believers—none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who is “seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1) and “always lives to make intercession for [His people]” (Heb. 7:25). Like the Spirit, the blessed Christ intercedes continually for His own, often in response to the accusations of Satan (1 John 2:1; Rev. 12:10), and always in accord with the will of God. His mediatorial work of intercession is as real and indispensable as His work of atonement. It was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that gave believers eternal life; it is His intercessory work for them that sustains that life, bringing them from justification, through sanctification, to glorification (cf. Rom. 8:30). His intercession is the guarantee that undergirds Christ’s promise, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out…. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:37, 40).

Christ’s prayer in this chapter provides a priceless preview of His current intercessory work, which did not formally begin until after His ascension. In entrusting His followers to His Father, interceding on their behalf just a few hours before the cross, Jesus vividly displayed the profound depths of both His communion with God and His compassion for His own. As one commentator observes, the sublime magnificence of this aspect of the prayer

This petition marks the transition from His earthly to His heavenly ministry. After completing His work of redemption on the cross and triumphing over sin, death, and the forces of hell, Jesus ascended to heaven. There, He continually “intercedes for us” (Rom. 8:34) while seated “at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1; Heb. 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22; cf. Matt. 22:44; 26:64; Acts 2:33–34;5:31;7:55–56; Eph. 1:20; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 12:2).

The prayer itself has been divided into three sections. In the first section (vv. 1–5) Jesus prayed for His glory; in the last section (vv. 20–26) He prayed for all believers. But between those first and last sections, the Lord prayed specifically for the eleven disciples—as those whom the Father had given Him (vv. 6–10), and as those whom He was about to leave (vv. 11–19).

All twelve disciples had been present in the upper room when Jesus humbly washed their feet (13:5), and when they ate a final meal together (13:12). But not all twelve were true disciples (cf. 6:66;8:31). One of them, Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, was a traitor (13:21)—a characteristic that he had hidden from everyone else except Christ (13:11). In fact, when Jesus mentioned that someone would betray Him, none of the other disciples even suspected Judas (13:22). After exposing Judas as the betrayer, He said to him, “What you do, do quickly” (13:27). But even then, the other disciples did not know “for what purpose He had said this to him. For some were supposing because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, ‘Buy the things we have need of for the feast’; or else, that he should give something to the poor” (13:28–29).

With Judas gone, only the eleven remained. (After the events of the resurrection and ascension, Matthias would be chosen as Judas’s replacement [Acts 1:26].) It was to them that Jesus spoke the profound words of the upper room discourse (in chapters 14–16). And it was for them that Jesus specifically prayed in verses 6–19.

A quick survey of the behavior of those eleven men underscores the necessity of Jesus’ prayer on their behalf. First among the apostles was Peter (Matt. 10:2–4; Mark 3:16–19; Luke 6:14–16; Acts 1:13), whose characteristic outspokenness (cf. Matt. 16:21–23) had earned him a dire rebuke from the Lord earlier that evening. After impetuously promising that he would die for Jesus, he heard this chilling reply: “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times” (John 13:38). Peter, who had been concerned about who would betray his Master (13:24), must have been profoundly distraught by the Lord’s prediction about him. This, compounded by the realization that Jesus was going away, surely weighed heavy on his heart as he heard the Lord’s intercession on his behalf.

The other disciples were similarly distraught at the thought of Christ’s absence. Their own weakness and seeming lack of readiness would have been an inescapable concern. None of them appear particularly savvy or resourceful. They were not highly educated (Acts 4:13), nor did they have much in the way of material resources, since they had given up everything to follow Jesus (Mark 10:28). Many of the disciples were common fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, and John were for sure [cf. Matt. 4:18–21], and possibly Thomas, Philip, and Nathanael [Bartholomew] were as well [cf. John 21:2–3]). Others came from even less prestigious backgrounds. Matthew had been a tax collector (Matt. 9:9) and was thereby despised by the Jews; while Simon had been a political revolutionary (as his name “the Zealot” indicates; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13), and was thereby despised by the Romans.

They were ordinary men, with ordinary weaknesses. Peter was impetuous (as noted above); Thomas was a skeptic (John 20:25); and James and John were hotheaded “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17; cf. Mark 9:38; Luke 9:52–54). Like Philip (John 6:5–7; 14:8), the rest lacked spiritual perception. Like Thaddeus (cf. John 14:22), they all failed to understand Christ’s role in His first coming (as the Suffering Servant). Like the sons of Zebedee (Matt. 20:21–22), they all evidenced pride and a desire to hold a preeminent position (Matt. 20:24). And like Peter (John 13:38), whose name meant “rock” (Matt. 16:18), they all became cowards when the Lord was arrested (John 16:32). In fact, their spiritual resolve was such that when they were supposed to be praying, at the moment of Christ’s supreme agony (Luke 22:44), Jesus found them sleeping (v.46).

From a human perspective, this ragamuffin group of followers was anything but extraordinary or impressive (cf. 1 Cor. 1:16–31). Yet they were called to continue Jesus’ work in the world after He was gone—having been given the responsibility of taking the gospel throughout the world (Matt. 28:18–20; cf. Acts 1:8), and shepherding the church through their teaching and oversight (cf. Acts 2:42; 6:4). They played a vital role in the future of the Christian faith, because God had chosen them to tell the world of redemption through His Son (cf. Eph. 2:20).

It is no wonder, then, that Jesus interceded for them, and that the bulk of His prayer concentrates on these eleven men. His confidence was not in their resolve or resourcefulness (of which they had little), but in the power and love of His Father. Jesus knew that the Father would hear and answer His prayers, not because the eleven were inherently capable, but because they were part of those whom the Father had promised Him from before the foundation of the world. The striking reality of prayer is that it is not designed to change God’s will, but to call for its fulfillment. Furthermore, the Lord purposely prayed aloud so that His disciples could hear Him and be strengthened and encouraged.

Soon Jesus would no longer be in the world to protect and care for His disciples, although they themselves would remain in the world. His use of the present tense is indicative of the fact that, after the events of the next few hours transpired, His earthly mission would be completed. The time was no longer future, it had arrived. He was going away but they were staying behind. Though they surely wished to go with Him (cf. 14:1–6), it was critical that, for the time being, they remain and take the gospel to the world (cf. Matt. 28:18–20; John 17:18; Acts 1:7–8). Since in the plan of God there would have been no church, and no subsequent generations of believers, if the disciples had not been left as witnesses to the gospel, this intercession on their behalf is weighty. It is a means God used for activating His will.

And the world, where the disciples would remain, was certain to be hostile to them. It was, after all, a place of hateful rebellion against God and against His Son (John 1:11; 7:7; 15:18–19; 16:33; cf. Luke 21:12–19). Once Jesus left, antagonism toward Him (under the direction of Satan—cf. John 14:30; 16:11) would be redirected toward the disciples. They were therefore in desperate need of the Father’s protection from the world around them. The world, in spiritual darkness and confusion (John 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 9:39; 12:46), gave residence to sins and temptations of every kind—from the “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1) to the abominable acts of the heathen that were too disgraceful even to mention (cf. Eph. 5:12). Thus, as they went forth to proclaim the gospel, the disciples also needed the Father’s sanctifying, purifying power and grace.

Having established the reasons why He knew the Father would answer His prayer (in vv. 6–10), Jesus now made those two requests on behalf of His disciples: that they would receive spiritual protection (in vv. 11b–16) and sanctifying purity (in vv. 17–19) from the Father.

THE REQUEST FOR SPIRITUAL PROTECTION

Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (17:11b–16)

Jesus began the requests for His disciples by addressing God as Holy Father (a title for God found only here). The emphasis on God’s holiness sets the stage for the rest of this section (in vv. 11–19), which targets the holiness of the disciples in the midst of the hostile and wicked world. Their relationship to God was a sanctifying one. They were unholy men, but through the Son they had been brought into a purifying relationship with Holy God.

Jesus’ first petition, keep them (which is reiterated in v. 15), is a request for the disciples’ spiritual security. God’s name represents all that He is, though in this case there is a marked emphasis on His holiness (since Jesus just referred to Him as “Holy Father”). Jesus asked the Father to guard the disciples according to His holy character and attributes. That request is all-encompassing, and extends to all believers, as A. C. Gaebelein explains:

The Lord again emphasized His perfect oneness with the Father by noting that the name of the Father is also the name which the Father has given the Son. God’s holy character was reflected perfectly in Him. “No one has seen God at any time,” John wrote earlier in his gospel. “[But] the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18). Jesus had provided the disciples with a perfect picture of who God is and what He expects.

The Father’s protection was essential for the disciples for at least two reasons. First, it secured their glorification, as it does for all believers. Christians “are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). Romans 8:29–30 reveals that God’s providential care forges an unbroken chain leading from eternity past to eternity future: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Second, the Father’s protection also secured their unity with one another—that they would be one even as Christ and the Father are. That unity the Lord had in mind is the spiritual unity that all believers possess, namely, the life of God in their regenerated souls, secured to them forever by His power and presence. The emphasis here is not on a fluctuating, visible unity in the church, but on the real, constant unity that is invisible. The Lord is praying for the essential oneness of believers that they share in common eternal life. This prayer is answered every time a sinner is regenerated.

The unity of invisible eternal life implanted in Christ’s followers is the foundation for a visible unity that crosses all organizational lines and that produces an effective gospel and testimony to the lost (cf. the exposition of 13:35 in chapter 8 of this volume). It is produced by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:3), who indwells every believer (Rom. 8:9). Practically, this spiritual unity of divine life produces a common love for the Lord (1 John 4:19–21), commitment to His Word (Eph. 4:13), affection for His people (Col. 3:14), and separation from all that is ungodly and worldly (1 John 2:15–17).

During His earthly ministry, Jesus had been keeping them in the Father’s name which He had given Him. In fact, He guarded the disciples so well that not one of them perished but the son of perdition. The Lord had taught them, empowered them, and shielded them from the attacks of the hostile Jewish authorities (cf. Matt. 12:2–8; 15:2–9). Soon, in Gethsemane, He would do so again (John 18:4–9). Jesus used two different Greek words for “keeping” (tēreō) and “guarded” (phulassō). The first speaks of protection by means of restraint, and carries the idea of preserving or watching over. It is often used in John’s gospel to refer to keeping God’s words or commandments. The second refers to protection from outside dangers. It is an act of safeguarding, used in Luke to picture the strong man who guards his house (Luke 11:21). Taken together, the words give a picture of complete deliverance from all perils, and lasting security. The Son asks the Father to secure His disciples, knowing that it is the Father’s will (John 6:39). The omniscient Son always prayed in perfect agreement with His Father (John 5:30). The work of securing His people is a Trinitarian work. In John 5:17–19 Jesus

In Ephesians 1:13–14 Paul wrote,

The loss of Judas, the son of perdition, was not due to Jesus failing to keep him. He knew all along that he was a false disciple (6:70–71). Far from catching Jesus by surprise, Judas’s apostasy took place so that the Scripture would be fulfilled (see the discussion of 13:18 in chapter 7 of this volume; cf. Pss. 41:9; 109:8; Acts 1:20). Judas, of course, was still personally responsible for his wicked actions (cf. Matt. 26:24 and Mark 14:21). As Leon Morris rightly notes:

(For further discussion of the interplay between human responsibility and divine sovereignty, see the introduction to the previous chapter of this volume.) Yet, what Judas (and Satan—John 13:27) intended for evil, God in His perfect purposes worked together for good (cf. Gen. 50:20; Rom. 9:17). God would use the most horrific event in human history—the murder of His Son—as the means by which He would atone for the sins of His elect.

The prophetic Scriptures fulfilled in Jesus were certainly much broader than just those that reference Judas. The Old Testament foretold that the Christ would be a descendant of Abraham (Gen. 22:18), from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), of the family of Jesse (Isa. 11:1), in the line of David (Jer. 23:5). He would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2), have a forerunner (Isa.40:3;Mal.3:1), begin His ministry in Galilee (Isa.9:1; cf. Matt. 4:12–17), be anointed by the Spirit (Isa. 11:2; cf. Matt. 3:16–17), have a ministry of miracles (Isa. 35:5–6; cf. Matt. 9:35), and bring healing and life to His people (Isa. 61:1–2; cf. Luke 4:18). At the end of His ministry, He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9; Luke 19:35–37). Then, having been fully rejected by the Jewish leaders (Ps. 118:22; cf. 1 Peter 2:7), He would be falsely accused (Isa. 53:7; Matt. 27:12), made to suffer (Isa. 53:5–6; cf. Matt. 26:67), and crucified with thieves (Isa. 53:12; cf. Matt. 27:38). Moreover, His garments would be divided (Ps. 22:18; cf. John 19:23–24), His side pierced (Zech. 12:10; cf. John 19:34), and His body buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isa. 53:9; cf. Matt. 27:57ff.). All of this took place just as it had been foretold by the Old Testament.

Hence, after His resurrection, Jesus could rebuke two of His followers on the road to Emmaus for not understanding that the Old Testament Scriptures revealed the necessity of His suffering and death (Luke 24:25–26). As Luke records, “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (v. 27). Jesus knew that Judas’s betrayal had been part of the divine plan all along. Judas did not defect because Jesus failed to protect him. Rather, Judas fell because he had never been a true disciple of Christ in the first place and was void of spiritual life; and because his role in Jesus’ death was part of God’s sovereignly predetermined plan.

Confident of the Father’s protective care for the disciples, the Lord looked to His return to the Father. But now I come to You, Jesus acknowledged, and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. For the third time that evening, Jesus spoke of the joy that was His legacy to His followers (cf. 15:11; 16:20–24). Understanding the Father’s protection (cf. Rom. 8:33–39) and Christ’s intercession inevitably produced joy in the hearts of the listening disciples. This had to have been a stunningly wonderful experience for the disciples—to hear their Lord praying as He did for them to the Father to guarantee their eternal glory and remove all fear that they might fail and perish. Elsewhere, Jesus had earlier prayed that the disciples would share in the fullness of His life (John 10:10; 11:25–26) and in His peace (14:27); now He prayed for their fullness of joy. All of this concern and care for His own is enriching because it reveals His love for them (John 13:1; Rom 8:35–39).

The Lord’s use of the personal possessive pronoun, My, indicates that this was not just any kind of arbitrary happiness. It was His joy—both that which was based in Him, and which He Himself experienced. It was the joy that was “set before Him” (Heb. 12:2); joy that was not founded on immediate circumstances but on the eternal purposes of God. It was joy that came not from momentary happiness, but from the knowing that the Father was pleased with His perfect obedience (cf. 2 Cor. 4:17–18). The disciples would share in that joy by experiencing the eternal life that Jesus made possible through His death (cf. 16:22; 17:3, 18). All believers, in the generations that have followed the eleven, have shared in that same joy.

Having spoken only divine truth, Jesus had given them God’s word, which the world rejected (5:38). In the past, God had spoken through His prophets; but now He had spoken through His Son (Heb. 1:1–2; cf. John 1:1, 18). Yet, just as the world had rejected the message of the prophets beforehand, so it also rejected the message of the Son (cf. Mark 6:1–12). As John had earlier written about Jesus, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). The Lord Himself rebuked His opponents with these words, “The Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent” (John 5:37–38). And later, “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (5:46–47).

In contrast to the world, which rejected the message of Christ, the disciples had received and believed His word (John 17:8). Because of that the world hated them, just as it had hated Jesus. After all, they were not of the world, even as Jesus was not of the world (8:23). Because the disciples had been born again from above (3:3, 5), their citizenship was no longer in the world but in heaven (Phil. 3:20)—making them aliens and strangers on this earth (cf. 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11).

Though they were not part of the world, Christ did not request that they be removed from the world. He plainly said to the Father, I do not ask You to take them out of the world. Jesus’ earlier promise to them was not that they would be taken out of the world, but that in Him they would triumph over it (cf. 16:33). Like the disciples, true believers today are in the world, without being part of its evil system. James declared forcefully, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4; cf. 1:27). The apostle John commanded believers, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

Paul explained to the Corinthians that he “did not at all mean [that they should not associate] with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world” (1 Cor. 5:10). On the contrary, believers are to reach the lost world with the truth of the gospel (cf. Matt. 5:13–16). That is their primary reason for remaining here; it is the one thing they could not do better in heaven. The glorious truth is that “whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). But as Paul goes on to ask, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (v. 14). Far from taking believers out of the world, God “has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:19–20).

Though He does not ask for them to be removed from the world, He does reiterate the basic request of verse 11, that while they live on the earth the Father would keep them from the evil one. There is nothing that Satan (the prince of this world—Eph. 2:2) would like better than to destroy saving faith; to snatch a soul from the safety of Christ’s and the Father’s hands (10:28–29) would be his desire. He tried to destroy Job’s faith, but after all the calamities that Satan brought upon him, Job’s response showed that the faith God gives cannot be destroyed. It is by divine power an enduring faith:

Satan also sought to destroy Peter’s faith. Jesus warned him, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). It is true that Peter failed miserably when he denied the Lord, but his faith endured. He repented (cf. Matt. 26:75), Jesus restored him (John 21:15–19), and he was the powerful evangelist for Christ in the early church (Acts 2–12). The Lord’s intercession for His people guarantees that none of them will be reclaimed by Satan.

As He concluded His first request for the disciples, Jesus reiterated the fact that they are not of the world, even as He is not of the world. On the one hand, that meant they would face the persecution of the world—for they would be treated by unbelievers just as Christ Himself was treated. Yet, on the other hand, it also meant they would enjoy the protection of the Father, for they would likewise be treated by the Father in the same manner as Christ. Verse 16 is therefore more than just a restatement of verse 14. It is a reiteration by the Son, before the Father, of the solidarity that those whom He was leaving in the world shared with Him.

THE REQUEST FOR SANCTIFYING PURITY

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. (17:17–19)

Having prayed for their spiritual protection from the world, Jesus continued by asking the Father to sanctify and purify the disciples as they prepared to preach the truth to the world. It was not enough that they be safeguarded from outside evils. They must also be internally conformed more and more to the Son. Though they had already been cleansed (referring to salvation—John 15:3), they still needed to occasionally have their feet washed from the filth of this world (John 13:10; cf. Heb. 12:1–2; 1 John 2:1–2). The Evil One would aggressively try to derail this work of sanctification, but the Father Himself guaranteed it through the Word of truth (v. 17), empowered by the Spirit of truth (14:17; 15:26; 16:13).

Jesus therefore asked His Father to sanctify them in the truth, to set them apart from sin. The instrument of sanctification is God’s revealed, inscripturated word, contained in Old and New Testaments, the totality of which is truth. God’s Word and truth are synonymous.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus put a premium on the written Word of God. He saw the Old Testament Scriptures as the “word of God” (cf. Matt. 15:6; 22:31), and repeatedly affirmed their inerrancy (Matt. 5:18; John 10:35) and historical accuracy (cf. Jesus’ testimony to the historicity of various Old Testament characters such as Jonah [Matt. 12:40]; Noah [Matt. 24:38]; Moses [Mark 12:26]; Abel [Luke 11:51]; Lot [Luke 17:29]; and Lot’s wife [Luke 17:32]). As He told the Pharisees, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to fail” (Luke 16:17). He further saw the Old Testament as being perfectly fulfilled in Him (Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:27; John 5:39; 13:18; cf. Acts 13:27), such that those who rejected Him simultaneously rejected the Scriptures (John 5:46–47). During His ministry, Jesus viewed His own words as words from God (John 7:16; 8:26–28, 38; 12:49; 14:10, 24), as He revealed the Father through everything He said and did (John 1:18; 6:69; cf. Heb. 1:1–2; 1 John 1:1–3). As He was about to depart, while in the upper room with His disciples, He promised the eleven that through them the rest of His word would be revealed (John 14:26; 15:26–27; 16:12–15). That promise is fulfilled by the New Testament.

Thus, in referring to the word that is truth, Jesus was speaking not only of His immediate words (as if the red letters in Scripture comprised the only true words), but of the entirety of Scripture. His revelation was in perfect harmony with that of the Old Testament; and His disciples were authorized by Him to record the revelation He would give them through His Spirit. All of it, from Genesis to Revelation, is truth (cf. Pss. 19:7; 119:160). And all of it is necessary for the believer’s sanctification (cf. Eph. 5:26; 2 Tim. 3:16–17). As the apostle Peter would instruct the Christians of Asia Minor many years later, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). “Your word I have treasured in my heart,” wrote the psalmist, “that I may not sin against You” (Ps. 119:11). It is “the word of His grace,” Paul told the Ephesian elders, “which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

Only sanctified believers are ready to be sent into the world as the Father sent Christ into the world. These words, directed at the eleven, served as a preview of the Great Commission the Lord would give these same disciples following His resurrection (Matt. 28:18–20; cf. Acts 1:7–8). Having been set apart from the world and transformed by God’s grace, the disciples would be the heralds of that same grace to the very world that hated them. In the same way that they were disciples of Jesus, they were to “make disciples” of Christ in “all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [Christ] commanded [them]” (Matt. 28:19–20). Just as Jesus had been sent to the world by His Father, so now the disciples were being sent to the world by Jesus. Through their witness, the world would be exposed to the gospel and many would come to saving faith.

But no such salvation would even be possible, if it were not for the sacrificial death of the Son. The Lord returned to that thought in verse 19, acknowledging that what He was about to endure at the cross would make salvation possible both for the eleven and for those who would be saved through their extended ministries. For the disciples’ sakes Jesus would sanctify Himself; that is, He would set Himself apart to righteously obey the Father’s will by dying on the cross. It was only because He atoned for their sins that they themselves also would be sanctified in truth (cf. Heb. 10:10; 13:12). Having been justified through their faith in Him (cf. Rom. 5:1, 8), they would be daily conformed more and more into His perfect image (Rom. 8:29; cf. Phil. 2:12–13; 3:21).

As He always did, Jesus prayed consistently with the will of the Father. He asked the Father to do what He had predetermined in eternity past to do—to pour out His love, grace, mercy, and power on those whom He had chosen and given to Jesus. It is on that basis that Christ appealed to the Father to protect and secure the disciples. Guarded by the Father, interceded for by Christ, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, these men, along with the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:8), would provide the solid foundation upon which all believers in the ages to come would rest (Eph. 2:20).