Explanation of John 17
By Rev. John Clowes M.A.
Explaining the Inner Meaning of John 17
Verse 17:1. That the Lord, perceiving from his divine truth, that his Humanity was in a state capable of being fully united to his Divinity, is led from his divine love to desire that union.
Verse 17:2. That thus he might be the God of heaven and earth, and communicate his divine love and wisdom to all who were prepared to receive.
Verses 17:3, 4. Which divine love and wisdom consist in the heart-felt acknowledgement, that in the Lord, God is Man, and Man God, in One Divine Person, and that by and through the Manhood, of Humanity, the eternal Godhead, or Divinity, is made known in the church, and the great work of man's redemption completed.
Verses 17:5, 6. Which work required that the Divinity and Humanity should be made eternally one, as the divine love and divine wisdom are eternally one, and that thus mankind should become acquainted with the nature of that worship which the divinity requires, and should transfer all worship from the invisible Divinity to the visible Divine Humanity, living according to his precepts.
Verses 17:7, 8. And acknowledging that in the Divine Humanity are contained all things of the Divinity, and that through and by the Divine Humanity is communicated divine love and divine wisdom to such as can receive it, who are thus taught that the Humanity is from the Divinity, and that a right faith consists in so believing.
Verses 17:9, 10. Because through the Lord's Divine Humanity they have continual access to the divine good, which otherwise they could not have, and thus are convinced that the union of the Divinity and Humanity is reciprocal, and that the Divine Humanity, through that union, is all in all in heaven and in the church.
Verses 17:11, 12. Imparting the good of heavenly love and life to all who desire it, that they also may have reciprocal conjunction with the Humanity, as the humanity has reciprocal union with the Divinity, and may thus be preserved from evils and falsities, according to prediction.
Verses 17:13, 14, 15, 16. And through the eternal truth may attain conjunction with heavenly good, and thus be admitted into spiritual temptations, which are permitted for final purification and deliverance from evil, in like manner as the Lord by temptation-combats made his humanity divine.
Verses 17:17, 18, 19. For the eternal truth, or the Word, is the only medium of man's purification, and therefore all, who receive the truth, pass through a similar process of purification and trial with the Lord himself, and as he thereby glorified or made divine his humanity, in like manner they become spiritual, and are regenerated.
Verses 17:20, 21, 22, 23. For the divine love is willing to draw all to itself, and therefore the end of the Lord's glorification of his humanity was, that he might gift mankind with intelligence and wisdom, and thus lead them to conjunction of life and love with himself in every process of their purification and regeneration.
Verses 17:24, 25, 26. And that thus they might live perpetually in the light of the divine presence, and be made sensible of the divine love, and by the acknowledgement of the reciprocal union of the Divinity and Humanity, might no longer remain in evil and error, but attain to eternal conjunction with the Lord, in love and in truth.
John 17
1
Jesus said these things, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also Glorify you;
2
even as you gave him authority over all flesh, he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
3
This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
4
I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do.
5
Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.
6
I revealed your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept your word.
7
Now they have known that all things whatever you have given me are from you,
8
for the words which you have given me I have given to them, and they received them, and knew for sure that I came forth from you, and they have believed that you sent me.
9
I pray for them. I don't pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
10
All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11
I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.
12
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13
But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.
14
I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15
I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.
16
They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.
17
Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
18
As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.
19
For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20
Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word,
21
that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.
22
The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one;
23
I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.
24
Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25
Righteous Father, the world hasn't known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me.
26
I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them."
