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.
Message: The Father's Gift to Christ
Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."
What the Lord is Saying: The Highly Priestly Prayer which is spoken by Jesus and encompasses Chapter 17 begins in the way we should begin all prayers by praising the Father and glorifying the Son. Jesus, like us, shows us the proper way to begin our Prayers. Like the Lord's Prayer which begins with, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." Here in verses 1-5 Jesus makes mentions that the Father is to be glorified.
In this prayer we see 3 divisions as mentioned in My Open Bible:
- Christ Prays for Himself (v. 1-5)
- Christ Prays for His Disciples (v. 6-19)
- Christ Prays for All Believers (v. 20-26)
I often like to go to the Greek and see the sequence of the words and how they read directly from the Greek. For this passage it reads, "I revealed Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. Yours they were, and to Me them You gave, and the word of You they have kept." Jesus here before the Father mentions or speaks to the Father and makes known to the Father that He has revealed the Father to the men the Father gifted to Him and these Me were given to Him out of the world.
Not of this world: The world here I believe refers to the fallen system of mankind. We are to be conformed to Christ as Paul speaks about in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of Your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is." We are to be a transformed people. We are "strangers and exiles on the earth. (Heb. 11:13)." We are not of this world. Our calling is to be with Christ and walk with Him. The disciples were not super Christians and they even had problems. Even one of them will betray Jesus. But, we are not being elevated but rather God is elevated, God is praised.
Giving Gifts: The title of this lesson today is "The Father's Gift to Christ." That gift is the men, the disciples. They were a gift to Jesus. I don't think we think of this. God's gift to people is Christ. "For God so loved the world that He gave His Son." God loves us and gives us His Son. Well, God the Father has also gifted to Jesus His followers, His people. We are a gift as well. I really like this encouragement, this idea that we are a gift to Jesus from God. The disciples will eventually be the spokespeople for the gospel, the message of God to love the world and grant them eternal life. We are His ambassadors.
You know, this idea that God doesn't need us that I have heard voiced so much, that God can do His work without us. I am not sure I buy this at times. Yes, God is perfect, but He wants to use us and He wants to work though us. I think He does need us. We are to be a voice to the people. We are not be bumps on the logs. We are God's gift to Jesus.
Guarding God's Word: The end of the verse says, "they have kept Your word" or in the Greek, "the word of You they have kept." "They have kept" takes on the idea of guarding or watching over. This is not necessarily obedience, but this is guarding God's words and keeping watch over them. His people are the protectors of His words.
Interesting, as I read this more and more I think about the recent conversation I have been having with a guy named Darius who seems to hate religion and think it is all garbage and all about mind control, but the more I read these scriptures and think about my faith, the more I see the value in it and what it means to me.
Summary: Jesus prays thanking God for the disciples called out of this world, as gifts to Him, guardians of the Word.
Promise: We are humbled by God's great love for us, wanting us.
Prayer: God, thank you for wanting me, for valuing me, for gifting me to Jesus. Your love is truly amazing and I do thank you. Help me to be a person that guards your truth and is proud to speak of it. Let me always be a voice for You and give You praise.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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