GIVEN FOR KEEPS

We are the Father's love gift to His Son.  Jesus says of the disciples - we are included by extension - that the Father gave (εδωκας) them to Jesus out of (εκ) the world (John 17:6). The disciples were separated out of the unbelieving world to be the Father's love gift to Jesus (Meyer, John, p. 463).

Jesus goes on to say, "they were yours" (σοι ησαν) and "to me" (καμοι) "them" (αυτους) "you gave" (εδωκας). The disciples were the Father's possession first. They belonged to the Father before they belonged to the Son. The word translated "yours" (σοι) is a possessive use of the dative case (Moule, Idiom Book, p. 120).

Jesus had said earlier that those who do not hear God's words are not from God (John 8:47). God separated the disciples from those who do not hear His words so that they become God's possession. The Father chooses us for Himself and gives us to His Son so we are secure in His love! We are His before we even come to Christ.

"They have kept your word," Jesus says. The "word" is singular (λογον) because Jesus is not talking about specific words but His essential message as a whole. The disciples have failed to keep His words at times, just as we do, but they have kept His word, His essential message, and not left the faith. Jesus had said earlier, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word (singular, λογον); and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). We fail in specific areas, but we are secure in His sovereign love so we keep His essential message.

The disciples have kept (τετηρηκαν) His word. The verb is in the perfect tense. Robertson calls it a "durative - punctiliar" act (Grammar, p. 895) in that a process preceded a complete state. The disciples have lived through a process of keeping that has led to a culmination of that process in their current state. The verb "to keep" (τηρεω) means to hold or preserve. It can also mean to observe or obey (BAGD, pp. 814-815).

Spiritual testing leads the disciples to hold on to His word. Jesus makes this affirmation in advance of their abandonment at the cross the next day. Jesus is absolutely certain that the consummation of their testing will be the keeping of His word. How can Jesus be so certain about the end result given the obvious fickleness of their faith? Jesus can be certain because they are the Father's possession - a love gift to the son.

The fickleness of our faith never negates the faithfulness of His love! We are given for keeps!

MY GLORY!

Glory, His and His Father's, dominated the mind of the Savior on His last night on earth. Twice Jesus requests the Father to glorify Him as He faces death on the cross (John 17:1&5). The verb "glorify" (δοξασον) is the imperative of request (Burton, Moods and Tenses, p. 80) stressing the seriousness, even demand, of His petition to the Father. Prayer can be demand when Father and Son are one!

The second request (17:5) is different than the first in two ways. Jesus said, "glorify me" (v.5) rather than "glorify the Son" (v.1) stressing the personal relationship rather than His role as Savior. Jesus focused on His past glory (v.5) versus His future purpose to glorify the Father (v.1).

And you, Father, glorify me now, alongside yourself, with the glory which I used to have alongside you before the world was.

"I want back what I gave up," Jesus cries out. He wants to be glorified "with the glory" (τη δοξη), an instrumental use of the dative case (Moule, Idiom Book, p. 44). The glory is the instrument for glorification. "Glory" means magnificence, radiance or splendor (BAGD p. 204). He is asking to be honored with the magnificence or splendor He once had with the Father.

"I want back what I had with you," Jesus pleads. "The splendor I had alongside yourself" (παρα σεαυτω) is the glory Jesus seeks. The preposition (παρα) with the dative (σεαυτω) means "by the side of, beside or near" (BAGD, p. 610). This is the glory Jesus experienced alongside the Father on the throne of Heaven in eternity past.

"I want back what I used to have," Jesus demands. The verb (ειχον) is in the imperfect tense. It is best understood as a customary imperfect indicating repeated, ongoing action in the past (Burton, Moods and Tenses, p. 12). Jesus possessed the majestic radiance of Almighty God in His pre-incarnate life. Now He looks forward to a return to that state of splendor He once enjoyed.

"I want back what I once enjoyed before creation," Jesus requests. The present articular infinitive (του ειναι) is a temporal use indicating the time of the glory that He seeks again (Robertson, Grammar, p. 978). The prepositional phrase "before the world" (προ τον κοσμον) further defines the time. The preposition (προ) combined with the articular infinitive (του ειναι)  often substitutes for another preposition (πριν) meaning "before" (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1074). He wants His glory from before the cosmos existed when the angels worshiped Him in all His splendor.

Jesus gave it all up to save us, but He got it all back when His cross work was completed. Paul gives us a divine commentary on the prayer of Jesus in Philippians 2:5-11 which was likely an early confessional hymn. Jesus laid aside His glory and humbled Himself to die on the cross. God, then, exalted Jesus giving Him a name above all names so that at the name of Jesus every knee will one day bow and every tongue will one day confess Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The circle of John 17:1 and 17:5 is complete in that glorious day.

Lord, be glorified in me today!

DEFINING ETERNAL LIFE

Eternal life is not merely endless existence. Eternal life is knowing God. Jesus said This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3). To know God is the essence of eternal life. Here is the simplest definition of life forever.

The ινα introduces a clause in apposition to eternal life (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1078). Eternal life is explained by what follows ινα in the verse. It is not that the knowledge of God gives life or is the way to have eternal life. When I know God my life is transformed into eternal life for life is found in God and death, by definition, is separation from God (Morris, John, p. 720).

Knowing God is a present tense verb (γινωσκωσιν) indicating that our knowledge starts now. We have eternal life right now as we live on earth because we know God now. We are not merely awaiting eternal life in the age to come. We enjoy it now. The aspect of the present tense indicates a continuous, ongoing knowledge, even increasing knowledge. Certainly our knowledge of God is growing until it culminates in perfect knowledge in the age to come, but we are still living eternally right now because we know God right now.

The contents of our knowledge are laid out in almost a confessional form (Meyer, John, p. 461). The substance of our knowledge is the knowledge of two persons - God and (και) Jesus Christ. One must know both to live eternally. To know a person we must know certain propositions about that person before we can know the person relationally.

God is the only (μονον) God. He is solitary, unique. There are no other gods to know if you want eternal life. God is the true (αληθινον) God (1 John 5:20). He is trustworthy, genuine, authentic and real. He is not spurious or fake like the gods (idols) of this world. To know those gods is not to enjoy eternal life for those gods do not live forever.

John 17:3 is the only place where Jesus calls Himself by His compound name - Jesus Christ. Some suggest that  the verse is an editorial comment by John rather than part of Jesus' prayer. However, the second person verb "whom you sent" (απεστειλας) and the personal pronoun "you" (σε) both prove that Jesus is praying these words. He is Jesus (God saves) and Christ (The Anointed One) who was sent by God so we could know God.

Eternal life is knowing God now and forever!

THREE GIFTS AND THREE GROUPS

Jesus uses the verb "to give" (διδωμι) 3 times with respect to 3 distinct groups of people in the opening words of His great prayer (John 17:2). The order of the groups is significant despite the fact that some English translations reverse the order of the final 2 groups. Each group is a subset of the previous group in the sequence (Blass/Debrunner, Grammar, p. 77).

Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you, since you gave to Him authority over all flesh, in order that the ones you have given to Him, He may give to them eternal life.

The first group is "all flesh" (πασης σαρκος). The Father gave (εδωκας) to Jesus authority over all flesh. The genitive is best understood as an objective genitive so "all flesh" is the object of authority (Robertson, Grammar, p. 500). The noun "flesh" (σαρκος) is used to stress the weakness of humanity. All (πασης) humans in fleshly weakness are given to the Son to be under His authority.

The second group of people is the Father's gift to the Son.This group is a subset of all flesh. "You have given" (δεδωκας) them to Me, Jesus prays. The verb is from the same root (διδωμι), but it is a perfect active indicative. The Father gave these people to the Son in the past with ongoing results. The disciples were already given to the Son by the Father. The group is identified by the neuter, singular construction "the ones whom" (παν ο).  The neuter singular construction is used for a group of people characterized by some defining quality (Turner, Grammar, 3:21). The quality that defines this group is that they are a gift from the Father to the Son.

The same construction is used by Jesus in John 6:37 where He says: All that (πας ο) the Father gives (διδωσιν) Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. Everyone given by the Father will come to the Son. It is sufficient for anyone coming to Christ that they be given by the Father.

The Son gives (δωση) eternal life to the ones (αυτοις) who have been given to Him by the Father. The pronoun (αυτοις) views the collective group (πας ο) individually. Jesus gives eternal life individually to each one who has been given to Him as part of the collective group. Eternal life is our personal gift from Jesus.

Jesus' words are, perhaps, the strongest statement about sovereign election in Scripture. There is no way to escape the grammatical argument of the passage. All who have been given at some time in the past to the Son receive the gift of eternal life from the Son.

Thank you, Jesus, that I am doubly gifted! I am the Father's gift to you, as incomprehensible as that may be, and I receive your gift of eternal life with joy. Secure forever as the Father's gift to you, I appreciate with joy your gift to me.

PEACE UNDER PRESSURE

Jesus draws 3 contrasts between our 2 spheres of life followed by 1 command built on 1 reality that clarifies our perspective. He concludes his instruction in the upper room with the familiar refrain, "These things I have spoken to you" (John 16:33; cf. 14:25; 15:11; 16:1,4,6,25,33). This expression (ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν) is not used elsewhere in John (Morris, John, p. 656).

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

There are 3 contrasts in this verse.

In Me  vs.  In the world

Peace  vs. Pressure

Might have  vs.  Have

We simultaneously experience 2 spheres of life. The "in Me" (εν εμοι) sphere of life should be the dominant reality. The expression is emphatic both in position and form. The "in the world" (εν τω κοσμω) sphere of life, while seemingly the dominant reality, should actually be secondary not primary.

The 2 spheres of life are characterized by 2 contrasting experiences. In Christ we have peace (ειρηνην) while in the world we have pressure (θλιψιν). We can experience peace and pressure at the same time because we live in both spheres simultaneously. Peace and pressure co-exist in the life of every Christian. Peace is not the absence of pressure. We can have peace in the middle of our troubles.

Pressure in the world is a given while peace is a possibility. Jesus says, "you have" (εχετε) pressure in this world. The present tense indicative verb implies an ongoing reality. Jesus says, "you might have" (εχητε) peace in Him. The present tense verb is subjunctive in mood which is the mood of probability or possibility. Peace is not guaranteed unless the following command is obeyed.

The command is to "take courage" (θαρσειτε) which follows a strong adversative "but" (αλλα). Peace under pressure comes from courage under fire. We can have courage because Jesus has established a new reality for us. "I have overcome the world." The "I" (εγω) is not only emphatic but contrastive as well. "I" contrasts strongly with "you" (Robertson, Grammar, p. 677). We might have expected Jesus to say, "Take courage. You have overcome the world." He doesn't say that, of course, because the victory is not in us but in Him.

John 16:33 is the only time John uses the verb νικαω in the Gospel, but he uses it 6 times in 1 John (cf. 1 John 5:4) and 17 times in Revelation (Morris, John, p. 714, fn 82). Here in John 16:33 the verb is a perfect active indicative form (νενικηκα) indicating that Jesus has already won the the victory with ongoing results for us. He states this before the cross so certain is He of the results of the looming battle. Jesus faced the cross with assurance of total victory. He goes to the cross with confidence that He will conquer the enemy despite the horror He faces in battle.

We must take courage in His victory. We have victory because He has victory. We are conquerors because He is conqueror (Romans 8:37). We can have peace under pressure because we take courage that He is the conqueror.

SATAN'S WORK BUT GOD'S PURPOSE

"An hour is coming (ερχεται) even has come (εληλυθεν)," but this hour is not merely any hour (John 16:32). This hour is "the" hour! Jesus prayed, "Father, the hour has come" (εληλυθεν) for the glorification of the Son (John 17:1, cf. John 2:4; 7:6). The time has arrived for the greatest event in human history to take place. The enmity between the seed of Satan and the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) will come to its decisive hour.

Jesus must face this battle alone. The hour has come for the disciples to leave Him alone as they are scattered (John 16:32) each to his own (εκαστος εις τα ιδια). When we are scattered from the Lord and each other, we individually (each one - εκαστος) enter into (εις) our own things (τα ιδια). The expression is used for John taking Jesus' mother into his own household (John 19:27). It could be translated "each for himself."  The adjective is neuter plural referring to our possessions and our relationships.  Our human nature drives us to seek our own personal goals - the matters we control - whenever we abandon the Lord.

The scattering (σκορπισθητε) and subsequent abandonment (αφητε) are introduced by an important conjunction (ινα). The conjunction can be translated simply "that" indicating the content of the hour coming upon them, or it could be translated "when you are scattered" (Dana and Mantey, Grammar, pp. 248-249). However, the original and most common use of ινα was to introduce a purpose clause. In fact, ινα plus a subjunctive verb became "almost the exclusive means of expressing purpose" (A. T. Robertson, Grammar, p. 982). The scattering (σκορπισθητε) and the abandoning (αφητε) are both subjunctive verbs so this is best understood as a purpose behind the coming hour.

Jesus used the scattering (σκορπιζει) of the sheep as a description of Satan's work (John 10:12) when the hireling shepherd abandons his sheep. Jesus didn't abandon His sheep, but Satan did scatter the sheep in this hour. Satan's scattering work must be seen as within the scope of God's overall purpose. In the garden at His betrayal, Jesus said, "All this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets. Then all the disciples left him and fled" (Mt. 26:56). Zechariah had predicted the scattering when he wrote, "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered' (Zech. 12:7). God intended to scatter the sheep leaving Jesus alone to battle Satan on the cross. The apparent victory of Satan was part of God's sovereign plan for the disciples.

Satan's work accomplishes God's purpose. We cannot understand, sometimes, why Satan seems to win in this world. We scatter, like the disciples, to pursue our own things in life feeling like Satan has won; forgetting, in our despair, that God has a purpose even in the victories of Satan!

MY FATHER LOVES ME THIS I KNOW!

My Father loves me. He is happy to hear me when I pray. Jesus said, "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father" (John 16:26-27).

The pronoun "himself" (αυτος) is emphatic both by usage (Moule, Idiom Book, p. 121) and in position as the first word of the phrase preceding "for" (γαρ). The verb "loves" (φιλει) indicates ongoing affection in the present tense. It is the only place where John uses φιλειν as opposed to αγαπαν in order to communicate God's love for us (Bernard, John, 2:520). While an absolute distinction cannot be maintained between these two verbs, it is generally true that φιλειν implies the idea of human affection more than the higher form of willful love (αγαπαν) normally used for God by John.

Jesus says that He does not need to persuade the Father to listen to us because the Father Himself has great affection for us. Jesus does not mean He will never intercede for us or be our advocate with the Father. He means that we do not need Him to be our "go between" in prayer because we can go directly to the Father. He, Himself, loves us. He, Himself, hears us!

Jesus gives us two reasons for the Father's love. The οτι is causal and introduces two perfect tense verbs indicating two reasons the Father loves us. First, He loves us because "Me, you, yourselves, have loved." The "me" (εμε) and the "you" (υμεις) are both emphatic. The perfect tense tells us that the choice to love (πεφιληκατε) was a past event (for the disciples) with ongoing results in present time.

The Father loves us because we love His son. This love is different than His love for the world (John 3:16). The affection He feels for those who love His son is an affection He does not feel for those who do not love His son. He loves us in a different way than He loves the world. Like the father who loves a young man because the young man loves his daughter, our heavenly Father loves us because we love Jesus. Our love for Jesus "seals the deal" on His love for us.

The second reason for the Father's love is because we have believed (πεπιστευκατε) is another perfect tense indicating a past choice with continuing results in the present. This is not a nebulous faith. The content of the faith is defined by "that" (οτι) - a content not a causal usage as earlier. We believe that Jesus "came forth from (παρα) the Father." the preposition (παρα) means "from the side of" (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 579,614). It is not enough to believe that Jesus was born into this world. We must believe that Jesus was sent from the side of the Father. Faith in the pre-existence of Jesus is essential to enjoy the personal love of the Father.

My Father loves me.

This I know.

For my Savior

Tells me so!