“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.
John 17:6-10
Introduction
The name of God is no trivial matter. When He revealed His name to Moses from the burning bush, He told the prophet, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name from generation to generation.” (Genesis 3:15)
Again, He spoke through Ezekiel, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, to which you have come.” (Ezekiel 36:22) His people were the ones who bore His name. And their shortcomings were projected onto God by their neighbors. His name had been profaned by their actions, causing people to think less of the God of Israel because of Israel.
And to this day, His name continues to be important. When He revealed Himself to John at Patmos, He said He is “the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:8) This is the very meaning of the name he gave to Moses at Sinai. He is the one entirely distinct from creation. Creation has a beginning, but He has none, He always was and always is. This is the One Jesus made known to His disciples.
Where do they come from?
The false religions in this world largely fall into two categories: either they take the biblical concept of God and twist Him into something He is not or they eliminate God as holy, making all of creation one with God Himself. The latter is among the most popular of false religion in the post-Christian west.
In the 20th century, westerners became obsessed with elements of the Hindu religion. From the occultists holding seances in North America to theosophists in Nazi Germany and liberation theologists in South America, this false religion has been adapted around the world in catastrophic ways. The primary failing of all these movements is the blurring of the line between creator and creation. There is One who makes all things, and He is entirely and completely distinct from that which He has created.
In the opening to Jesus’ prayer to the Father, He identifies those who follow Him as those “whom You gave Me out of the world.” Jesus is one with the Father and the Spirit. The three are one in being but distinct in person, compromising the Godhead which we call the Trinity. This God is separate from creation, residing in heaven where He governs that which He created. When He called Abraham out from the pagan society he lived in, God made that man and all who followed distinct, or “holy.”
As those who follow in Abraham’s footsteps, being called out from the world, Jesus’ disciples are also called holy. In this prayer, Jesus calls you holy because you follow Him. You have been called out of this world.
Those who believe
While reading this prayer Jesus makes on behalf of all who would believe in Him, it is important to understand whom He is praying for. He is not asking “on behalf of the world but of those whom You have given Me.” These are the ones who believe that Jesus was sent by the Father. These are the ones He came to save.
His mission was not for the ones who are of the world and will never come to Him. Instead, He is glorified in those who are chosen by the Father doing His will. By His own good counsel, He has chosen those whom He will save (Ephesians 1:11), and by them He is glorified. By doing exactly what you were called to do, you bring greater glory to the God who made you, called you, and saved you.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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