Jesus Praying for His Apostles, Part 1

By S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. *

An Exposition of John 17:6-10 

Introduction

The high-priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus, the true “Lord’s Prayer,” is like three concentric circles around a common center, or like three circles drawn around a common center with a dime, a nickel, and a quarter. The smallest circle, the one within the other two, represents our Lord’s prayer for Himself (cf. John 17:1–5). The second, or middle, circle represents the prayer of the Lord for the apostles (John 17:6–19). The largest circle represents our Lord’s prayer for the whole family of God, the body of believers in Him (John 17:20–26). This analysis of the structure of the prayer is a helpful aid to the understanding of this important part of Holy Scripture.

The great theme of the opening five verses, containing the prayer for Himself, is glory. The Lord asks, first, that He may receive His mediatorial and Messianic glory, that is, that He may be enabled by the Father to triumph over sin and Satan in His cross by the completion of the work of redemption of the people of God, the given ones. This, of course, He asks in order that the Father may be glorified in His return to the right hand of the Father as the Eternal Son of the Eternal Trinity. By the side of and in the bosom of the Father (cf. v. 5; 1:18) in the enjoyment of the essential glory of deity He may resume the enjoyment of the communion that He had with the Father, before the world was. It is that that John referred to in his opening words of his prologue, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (in intimate communion), and the Word was God” (John 1:18).

The theme of glory in the opening section passes to the themes of safety and sanctity in the next section, and it is to these sacred subjects that we now turn. Great eternal and abiding thoughts are in our Lord’s mind as He prays, and it is our privilege to listen in. For example, one sees the unity of the Father and the Son in the Father’s affection for the Son in the gift given Him, and one sees the Son’s dependent occupation with Him, the Father (cf. vv. 9–10).

And one cannot fail to see also the eternal, distinguishing, effectual love and care of both the Father and the Son for the given ones, the people of God. Oh! the preciousness of these souls to the Father and the Son (cf. vv. 6, 8, 9, 10)!

But one might ask, if he has not followed the course of the gospel very closely, “But who are they, the ‘given’ ones?” It appears that this is the question that is upon the mind of Jesus at this point and, before He proceeds to intercede for them, He clarifies their identity (cf. vv. 6–10). He affirms that they have been given to Him by the Father, and that He has manifested the Father’s name to them. And He affirms that they have kept His word, and that they have come to know that all that He has is from the Father. And they have come to understand, not yet fully but to some extent, His incarnation and mission. And Jesus makes it plain that it is these for whom He is now praying. One can see from this brief summary of verses six through ten that the apostles are primarily in view at this point but, since the same principles pertain to His dealing with the believers who have followed them, we have reason to make application of His words to us, too.

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them (Jn. 17:6–10).

The Father’s Unconditional Gift

Their Original State (John 17:6).

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

In clarification of their identity Jesus calls them the men the Father has given Him from the world. They were the Father’s, but He gave them to the Son. And they have kept the Father’s word.

Their original state is said to be “from the world,” suggesting that they belonged to the Father by creation, then by election, and now they are the Mediator’s, the Son’s, by donation from the Father. The word “men” in the light of verse twenty is probably a reference to the apostles. They at one time were in and of the world, although at the same time the elect of the Father (cf. Acts 18:10). Now, while in the world, they are no longer of it (cf. vv. 11, 14).

The fact that Jesus says that the men at one time belonged to the Father, but now have been given to Him by the Father, seems clearly to be a reference to their divine election by the Father. This is the meaning of the gift of them to the Son. But this raises a question of some significance. In chapter fifteen, verse sixteen, Jesus had said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” In other words, in chapter seventeen the election is said to be the Father’s, as is generally true in the New Testament, but in chapter fifteen it is the Son who claims to be the one electing. How shall we harmonize the statements?

Augustine noticed the problem, and his solution is a satisfactory one. He has written in his exposition of the gospel these words:

The Son says that the men were given Him by the Father out of the world, to whom He says elsewhere, “I have chosen you out of the world.” Those whom God the Son chose along with the Father out of the world, the very same Son as man received out of the world from the Father; for the Father had not given them to the Son had He not chosen them. And in this way, as the Son did not thereby set the Father aside, when He said, “I have chosen you out of the world,” seeing that they were simultaneously chosen by the Father also: as little did He thereby exclude Himself, when He said, “Thine they were,” for they were equally also the property of the Son. But now that same Son as man received those who belonged not to Himself, because He also as God received a servant-form which was not originally His own. [1]

Their New Status (John 17:6).

Twice Jesus says that the Father gave the men to Him out of the world. The act included everything involved in His special love to them, love that He has not had for the world. Included, then, was His election of them, the extension of effectual grace to them, the gift of faith, and the gift of eternal life. In verse two Jesus had said that the Father had given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him. Thus, included in the Father’s gift is that which the Son has given them as well. The certainty of their possession of life has already been expressed by the Lord in His previous ministry. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out,” Jesus said in the discourse on the bread of life (Jn. 6:35). The giving is the sufficient condition for coming to Him, for all given do come. And the giving is the necessary condition for coming, for Jesus says in verse sixty-five of chapter six, “no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” Thus, one must be given, and all the given ones come. No others can be involved. We can see immediately that the divine election is an unconditional election, resting wholly upon the sovereign good pleasure of the Lord, and in no wise upon His foresight of human faith, as so many have affirmed.

The giving of believers to the Son by the Father does not exclude the human responsibility of hearing and responding to the Word of God. Jesus also says, “Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (cf. Jn. 6:45). On the divine side, we are given in ages past to the Son, while on the human side, we in time hear the Word preached and learn of the Father, for all must be taught of God. So, both divine sovereignty in salvation and human responsibility to hear the Word meet in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a magnificent thing it is to be God’s gift to Christ! How can we ever cease to praise and thank our great Father for that?

“Thine they were” looks at the eternity of the divine election, suggesting the action of the Father in the eternal counsels of the eternal Trinity. “Gavest them me” looks on to their entrance under the care of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

“They have kept thy word” includes their reception and gathering into the fold of the Lord’s sheep through faith.

The Apostle’s Illumination

What Christ Has Done (John 17:6a, 8a).

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world…. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me.

Now the Lord turns to the details of how the gift was made, and two clauses express what He has done. “I have manifested thy name” is the first of them, and it refers to the revelation of the Father’s nature and being to them. Our thoughts go back to John 1:18, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” We are reminded also of John 14:9, the words of our Lord to Philip, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” In Him who is “the express image” of the Father’s nature one may see the Father revealed. In the Westminster Shorter Catechism’s answer to question four is a definition of God that Charles Hodge pronounced the best ever penned by man, “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.” Of course, the Catechism is a Presbyterian one and Hodge, too, was a Presbyterian, but it is doubtful that any orthodox theologian would say anything other than that it is an excellent definition of someone who ultimately cannot really be defined by man. It is this one who is revealed by the Son to the apostles. He manifested His name to them, and the name turned out to be described best as the name of an Eternal Father.

The New Testament pictures Jesus as God with a sob at the grave of Lazarus, as God with a whip in His hands in the temple, as God troubled by the prospect of the cross and sweating great drops of blood in Gethsemane. It pictures Him with awesome power in His eyes, when in the Garden of Gethsemane the soldiers fell back to the ground at the mere confession of the “I am He” (Jn. 18:6; cf. Rev. 1:13–17). From Mount Hermon to Mount Olivet with its tears to Mount Calvary with its fearful cry of desolation He perfectly lays bare an Eternal loving, holy, and just Father, and not simply a moral example for men to “keep in mind” as they frolic on the planet.

The second of the clauses expressing the enlightenment of the apostles by the Lord is the opening one of verse eight, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me.” Not a moral example, but words are brought by the Lord Jesus to men, that which might be called mediatorial propositional truth, doctrinal words, words that set out in verbal fashion the mind of God. Lack of a doctrinal base is the Achilles heel of modern gaily frivolous evangelical fundamentalism. “We need life, not doctrine,” is the cry of men and women on the way to spiritual apostasy. The psalmist’s conviction is more bracing, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:103–4).

And they were life-giving words, as they are today, when they are preached with the aid of the Spirit of God. The harvest may have seemed scanty,—only eleven Galilean peasants as leaders, with a few hundred others. “But it is enough for Jesus,” Godet perceptively points out, “for in these eleven He beholds the pledge of the continuance of God’s work upon earth.” [2]

It is, of course, remarkable what a man dedicated to a cause with unflagging persistence can accomplish. I have always been interested in Russian history, and particularly the history of the Russian Revolution. It is still amazing to me that so few, the Bolsheviks, could so completely conquer a giant land. But when one studies Lenin’s life, the solution to this problem emerges. It is difficult to find in modern history a more single-minded man than Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin). Louis Fischer writes of him:

Lenin was the original organization man. Men wedded to a purpose, he held, could alter circumstances, change mass consciousness, and make history. Lenin never sought numbers. He wanted a disciplined human battering ram. Organization took precedence over political program. Method was all-important, more important than policy. Indeed his policy was organization. [3]

Leaning upon Archimedes’ famous words, “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world,” Lenin said, “Give us an organization of revolutionists and we shall overturn all of Russia.” [4] And, suggestive of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, Fischer comments, “Lenin cultivated his body, according to Valentinov, for the sake of revolution. A revolutionary never knew when his physical powers would be tested—in prison or in escaping from prison.” [5]

Let it never be said that Christ was a revolutionary like Lenin, for nothing could be farther from the truth. And yet He was even more single-minded in the pursuit of His goal as the Messianic King. His goal was the glory of the Father. To that end He gave His men the words of His Father.

If I may, let me insert a comment here of some significance. While all men who came within the hearing of the words of our Lord were evangelized, only some were enlightened. That is patent from the gospel records. In fact, then, only the given ones profited eternally from His message. It is fair to ask, “Why?” And it is fair to ask Christ that question, too, and what emerges is this: He offered no answer but that the reason some responded in faith is that they were “given” to Him by the Father. From divine election flows all the blessings of God, including faith, just as Luke points out in his description of the response to the ministry of Paul in Antioch, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

What the Apostles Have Done (John 17:6c-8).

They have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

There are two things that seem to stand out in our Lord’s evaluation of the response of His men. In the first place, He says, “They have kept Thy word” (cf. v. 6c). The “word” is the essential fact of His mission and message and specifically the divine origin of His incarnational purpose (cf. 16:29–30). It is this essential belief and commitment that the immature but believing apostles would never lose, even when in the throes of seeming failure (cf. 6:69; 13:38; 21:7). Their trust was weak, but real. The development in the knowledge of the great doctrines of the faith, such as justification, reconciliation, and others, would come when the Spirit was to come. In the meantime much had fallen on immature ears and lay on the surface of inattentive minds (cf. 2:22; 20:9). Moule is right to point out the “most merciful and loving optimism” found in these words of our Lord. They had failed so much and so often, but He does not forget the imperfect, but genuine, welcome that they gave to His message. But let us listen to these comforting words:

He thinks of them as those who “forsook all and followed Him,” for His word’s sake. He remembers how one of them had said, treading his own prejudices underfoot, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God,”; how another had said, when great groups of people were giving Him up altogether as their teacher and leader, “Lord, to whom else shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” [6]

And the second thing that He says they have done is that “they have known” the divine origin of His “things” (cf. v. 7). And they have “received” the words given to Him by the Father, and “they have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me” (cf. v. 8). And, of course, one sees clearly here that human responsibility must not be buried under the necessary emphasis on divine predestination. We are not robots, or puppets, with no wills or choices, as some Arminians like to falsely charge the defenders of the divine sovereignty with holding. We hold, rather, that we do have a will, and we do make choices, but we hold that the only source of a choice favorable to God’s interests is traceable to the divine working. Otherwise there would be cause for human trust in human work. Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12–13 we hold to be fundamental for the matter. The apostle wrote, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God, which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Some Arminians have an unhappy way of speaking favorably of grace from one side of the mouth and then denying it from the other side by their view of the freedom of the will. The will is a slave to sin, being free only in the sense that it freely follows the urges of human nature in its rebellion against the Word of God (cf. Rom. 8:7–8). Favorable decisions of the will in spiritual matters come from God. To affirm that they come from man is to establish a base upon which man may be said to please God of himself or, in other words, to fall from grace into a doctrine of works. As one of the old councils put it so well, “Grace will not be grace in any way, unless it should be free in every way.” This is the real reason that the upholders of the divine glory are so concerned that His grace be seen to be grace.

Abraham Booth wrote right to the point in declaring, “The indelible motto inscribed by the hand of Jehovah on all the blessings of the unchangeable covenant, is, to the praise of the glory of His grace.” [7] All attempts to complete what grace begins only reveal our pride, or unwitting ignorance, and offend the grace of our majestic God.

Such stress on God’s initiating grace is not a disincentive to obedience in God’s service. It is rather a spur to obedience, since it encourages us to believe that God will enable us to serve Him effectively. Rather than stifling human response, it spurs us on and, thus, it is not surprising that Jesus moves from divine election to the obedience of the apostles without any sense of doctrinal impropriety.8

B. B. Warfield, in discussing human spiritual inability, which all the reformers embraced, both from the Lutheran as well as the Calvinistic side of the Reformation, makes some comments that are important in this connection. He writes:

We may point out, therefore, that the doctrine of inability does not affirm that we cannot believe, but only that we cannot believe in our own strength. It affirms only that there is no natural strength within us by which we may attain to belief. But this is far from asserting that on making the effort we shall find it impossible to believe. We may believe, in God’s strength. Our case is parallel to that of the man with the withered hand. He knew he could not stretch it forth: that was the very characteristic of a withered hand—it was impotent. But Christ commanded, and he stretched it forth. So God commands what he wills and gives while he commands. Unable in ourselves, we may taste and see that the Lord is gracious. These very struggles of the soul are an evidence of the working of the Holy Spirit within us. So that we are justified in saying to every distressed sinner, in the words of Principal Gore: “Act against sin, in Christ’s name, as if you had strength, and you will find that you have.” [9]

The facts are that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all the helpless who appeal to Him, who are unable of themselves to give themselves to Him. In fact, no situation is too desperate for Him, and He is especially needed by those who cannot do the least thing to save themselves. In appealing to Him out of that hopeless state there comes help. And if, as you read this, you have sensed your hopeless state, call upon Him now.

The Son’s Intercession

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine (John 17:9).

What He Does Pray For (John 17:9a).

It is here that the Lord says, in effect, “These are the men whose case I desire to plead.” “I pray for them,” He exclaims, “I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine” (v. 9). He does not say in this text what He prays for them. That will follow in the next section of the prayer. It will become clear there that He prays for their safety and sanctity as they minister in His name in the world.

What He Does Not Pray For (John 17:9b-c).

Jesus plainly says, “I pray not for the world,” and the prayer has proved troublesome for many. For example, Leon Morris carefully points out that the world is not beyond God’s love (cf. John 3:16), and that the disciples are given a commission that is to the world. In fact, in a moment He prays that the disciples’ might do certain things that the world might believe and know that He has been sent by the Father (cf. vv. 21, 23). Morris’ comments appear in effect to nullify the statement of the Lord, or else they seem to suggest that His prayers for the world are prayers that are not effectual, for the world as a whole never comes to know that He has been sent by the Father.10

It seems much more satisfactory to suppose that Jesus’ prayers are for His own, whether already His own, or someday to be His own, although for the moment they may be a part of the world. In other words He prays for the elect, the given ones, some of whom are already in possession of eternal life, and for those who shall come to the possession of life, being regenerated and, therefore, no longer “of” the world by means of the testimony of those now His own. As the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews points out, He “ever liveth to make intercession” for those that “come unto God by Him” (cf. 7:25).

This is beautifully illustrated by the garments of Aaron, the high priest. He bore on His breastplate “the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart” whenever he went into the holy place. He also wore the names of the children of Israel on the shoulders of the ephod, engraved in stones, and worn on his shoulders as he went about his priestly ministry in the tabernacle (cf. Ex. 28:12, 29). All of this was designed to illustrate that his ministry as high priest was directed to the children of Israel, the covenant people, and not to the world indiscriminately. They were upon his heart as indicating the affection of God for them, and upon his shoulders, the place of strength, to illustrate his power in the support of them. And this Jesus Christ, the Great High priest, does in spiritual reality for His people.11 He bears on His breast and upon His shoulders the names of the people of God, those given Him by the Father, and it is for these that He primarily does His work.

There are, however, two errors to avoid. And first we must avoid the error of thinking that Jesus has no concern at all for the world. He has great concern for the world, because His own are there in the beginning of their lives, and it is from the world that He saves them (cf. vv. 20–21, 18, 23). The world as such is rebellious, but among them are those precious souls, chosen from the ages, who are to be His for the ages. And, further, there are many blessings that the unbelieving world enjoys, simply because He is doing something so wonderful for His own, such as the blessings of common grace,—the benevolent love of the Godhead. Our Lord does have concern for the world.

And the other error to avoid is the error of thinking that Jesus has no exclusive and special distinguishing love for His own people. He has a perfect right to sovereign love for He is the supreme sovereign of the universe (cf. Rom. 9:14–21). He prays, as we shall see in our next article, for the preservation and sanctification of believers. And He also prays for those who shall believe in Him through the word of other believers concerning Him (Cf. V. 20).12

Henry Mahan is a well-known preacher of the sovereign grace of God in our day, and in one of his messages he has said these words:

I have often reminded people of what a ridiculous thing it would have been if Noah had put one of our bumper stickers on the outside of the ark, which stated, “Smile, God loves you.” My son, Paul, called one fact to my attention—that this sign could have well been stamped all over the inside of the ark; for those in the ark were certainly in the objects of God’s love. His love chose them, redeemed them from destruction, and preserved them, as His love in Christ chose, redeemed, and preserves all of His elect. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

It is a constant source of dismay to me that the saints of God, or at least the professing saints of God, so often have no joy in the electing love of God. Many, in fact, seem embarrassed over the fact that divine election is found so often in Scripture. And some, who profess to believe, actually spend a great deal of their time fighting those who proclaim this marvelous truth. No amount of biblical exegesis and scriptural reasoning seems to move them from their conviction that it is wrong to bring up the divisive subject of election (cf. Rom. 8:28–30; 9:6–29; Eph. 1:1–14; 2 Thess. 2:13–14, etc.).

Jesus called upon the seventy to rejoice over the teaching, saying, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19–20).

In the very next chapter He says, “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (11:28). Let us rejoice in His great love and mercy to us, as manifested in His dying covenant affection on Calvary.

Those who fight the divine doctrine of election often do not realize the damage they are doing to the sheep of the Good Shepherd. Listen to the great Geneva reformer,

It is certain that they are given that they may believe, and that faith flows from this giving. If the origin of faith is this giving, and if election precedes it in order and time, what remains but to confess that those whom God wishes to be saved out of the world are elected freely? Now, since Christ prayed only for the elect, belief in election is necessary for us if we want Him to commend our salvation to the Father. Those, therefore, who try to blot out the knowledge of election from the hearts of believers do them a grievous injury, for they deprive them of the support of Christ. These words also serve to expose the perverse stupidity of those who under the excuse of election surrender to laziness whereas it should rather sharpen us to earnestness in prayer, as Christ teaches us by His example. [13]

Why He Prays for His Own (John 17:10).

And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

Verse ten seems to be the answer to an implied question, “Why do you pray only for them?” And the essence of His answer is, “Lord, I am just commending to you those who are yours.” And, further, a special relationship exists between us, that of a sublime community of unity. Any creature may say, “And all mine are thine,” but only the Son can say, “and thine are mine.” He still speaks of the given ones as being in the Father, although given to Him. Such is the intimate union of the persons of the Godhead. And what a blessing it is to know that we belong to both! And that He should be glorified in us is beyond comprehension (cf. Gal. 4:19; 2 Cor. 8:23; Eph. 3:10).

Conclusion

First, let us conclude by noticing again some of the steps in the divine work of salvation. It begins with the act of election and the gift of the elect to the Son, who then are brought into the fold of the Great Shepherd by the effectual drawing by the Father to the Son (cf. 6:44–45), the divine life culminating in the faith of the living in the Son.

And, second, the deep and abiding love of the Father and the Son for the given ones is most impressive. How marvelous! Are we among them? Oh! do not read a study like this and fail to respond to His love and grace, manifested in the gift of Himself for sinners on Calvary’s cross. Come to Christ! Receive the gift of life and know with assurance that you are among the “given” ones. Come!

* Bible teacher Lewis Johnson has been associated for many years with Believer’s Chapel in Dallas, Texas. He is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Exegesis at Dallas Theological Seminary and also served as Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This is the fifteenth in a series of expositions on The Upper Room Discourse.

Notes

1. Augustine, Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel according to St. John, Tractate XVI. 5, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, ed. by Philip Schaff, trans. by John Gibb and James Innes, 7:401.
2. Frederick Louis Godet, Commentary on the Gospel of John, translated with a preface, introductory suggestions, and additional notes by Timothy Dwight, 2 vols., reprint ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969 [1893]), 2: 331.
3. Louis Fischer, The Life of Lenin (New York, Evanston, and London, Harper & Brothers, 1964), 40.
4. Fischer, The Life of Lenin, 40.
5. Fischer, The Life of Lenin, 56.
6. H. C. G. Moule, The High Priestly Prayer: A Devotional Commentary on the Seventeenth Chapter of St John (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1907), 54–55.
7. Abraham Booth, The Reign of Grace (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949 [reprint of 16th London ed.]), 47–48.
8. Cf. D. A. Carson, The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Exposition of John 14–17 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), 185.
9. Benjamin B. Warfield, Selected Shorter Writings, vol. 2, ed. by John E. Meeter, (Nutley: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1973), 726.
10. Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, NICNT, (rev. ed., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 642.
11. Morris cites Luke 23:34 as evidence that Christ prays for the world. The words of the AV might suggest this, but the word rendered by “forgive” is more accurately rendered by “let them go,” or “release them.” It is not a prayer that they be forgiven in the usual sense of the term forgive. Ignorance would be the just basis for forgiveness in this instance. It is rather a prayer for a postponement of the just punishment for their sin. Ignorance is a just basis for postponement of the execution of a penalty. Our Lord prays, then, for a suspension of the sure judgment to come. He prays that time may be given for the creation of the body of Christ. In fact, the age of the church is the answer of the prayer of Jesus from the cross. In His “release them” there is time given for the conversion of the saints who belong to the one body,—for Augustine, for Paul, for Luther, for Calvin, for Whitefield, for Wesley, for us. It is a prayer that has been answered in the suspension of judgment upon the world for over 1900 years now. It is not then to be taken in the sense in which Morris seems to wish to give it.
12. Cf. D. A. Carson, The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus, 187.
13. John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries: The Gospel according to St John 11–21 and the First Epistle of John, eds. David W. Torrance and Thomas F. Torrance, trans. T. H. L. Parker (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959), 141. Italics added.