The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Sanctify” it comes from the Greek Word “hagiazo” which means “to sanctify, to make holy.”
Before facing the cross, Jesus lifts up one of the most intimate prayers recorded anywhere in Scripture. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is John 17.
Lifting His eyes to heaven, Jesus prays, “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee,” explaining that eternal life means knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. Jesus reviews His completed work, having manifested the Father’s name to the men given Him out of the world, men who have kept God’s word and believed that everything Jesus has comes from the Father.
Jesus prays specifically for His disciples, not for the world at large in this moment, asking the Father to keep them through His name, that they may be one just as He and the Father are one. He asks not that they be taken out of the world, but that they be kept from evil, and prays, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The Greek word for sanctify is “hagiazo,” meaning to make holy or set apart.
Jesus then extends His prayer beyond His immediate disciples to everyone who will believe on Him through their word in generations to come, praying that they all may be one, just as the Father is in Him and He in the Father, so that the world may believe that the Father sent Him. He closes by expressing His desire that His followers would ultimately be with Him to see His glory, and declares that He has made the Father’s name known to them and will continue to do so, “that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
This entire prayer, spoken hours before His arrest, is remarkably focused outward rather than inward, on His disciples’ unity, protection, and holiness, and even on believers not yet born who would come to faith through their witness. In His most vulnerable moment, Jesus’ deepest concern remained the wellbeing of His people.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics