17:11b The title "Holy Father"appears only here in the fourth Gospel and is a reminder of both aspects of God's nature. It balances ideas of ultimate purity with intimate paternity and so prepares for what lies ahead, namely the need for loving sanctification (vv. 17-19). The Father's holiness serves as a model for the holiness of disciples (cf. Lev. 11:44; Matt. 5:48; 1 Pet. 1:16). The reason Jesus and disciples can be holy is that the Father is holy.
Jesus asked His Father to keep these disciples "in your name"(Gr. en to onomati sou). The NIV interpreted this phrase to mean "by the power of your name"(cf. Ps. 20:1; 54:1; Prov. 18:10).521However the preposition enmay be locative instead of instrumental in mood. In that case the idea would be "keep them in your name,"meaning keep them loyal to you.522Some commentators argued that both ideas were in Jesus' mind.523The context favors the second view. Loyalty seems to be the objective of the keeping and the dominant idea, not the means to it, namely the Father's power. The name that the Father had given to the Son probably refers to the revelation of God's character that Jesus had manifested (vv. 6-8; cf. 1:18; 14:9).
The ultimate end of God keeping these disciples loyal to the revelation that Jesus had given them was they they might experience unity. They would be one with one another as well as one with the Son and the Father if they remained loyal to Jesus' revelations. Projecting this idea further we can see that the Scriptures are the basis for the unity of believers with one another and with God.
17:12 Jesus had kept these disciples loyal to God and had protected them from external attacks while He was with them. The only exception was Judas Iscariot who was always the traitor that the Old Testament had predicted would betray the Messiah (Ps. 41:9; 69:25; 109:6-8; cf. John 13:18). His defection did not prove Jesus a failure but Scripture trustworthy. Jesus did not include Judas in His requests for the Eleven.
The term "son of perdition"(Gr. ho huios tes apoleias, NIV "the one doomed to destruction") could describe Judas' character (cf. Isa. 57:4) or his destiny (Isa. 35:4). He had a perditious character and would end in perdition, but the second idea seems to be stronger in the context. Perdition in the New Testament usually refers to eschatological damnation (cf. Matt. 7:13; Acts 8:20; Rom. 9:22; Phil. 1:28; 3:19; 1 Tim. 6:9; 2 Pet. 2:1; 3:7; Rev. 17:8, 11).
The only other occurrence of the title "son of perdition"occurs concerning the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3). This fact has led some interpreters to conclude that the Antichrist will be the resurrected Judas Iscariot. However, God will not resurrect unbelievers until the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15), but the Antichrist will appear and carry out his work during the Tribulation that will precede the millennium (cf. Rev. 13:1-10; 19:19-21).
17:13 Jesus had protected the Eleven while He was with them in the world, but now He was about to leave them and return to the Father. Therefore He gave these teachings and offered these petitions that they might share the fullness of His joy after He had departed (cf. 15:11; 16:22, 24).
17:14 The revelations and teachings that Jesus had given the Eleven would be the basis for their remaining loyal, safe, and joyful. Nevertheless the world would hate them because they were no longer of the world even as the world hated Jesus because He was not of the world. The idea is not so much that the disciples' outlook was different than the world's but that their origin and character were since they had believed in Jesus.524Jesus spoke of the Father and the world as opposing loyalties (cf. 1 John 2:15).
Jesus was apparently saying some of these things in prayer for the disciples' benefit, as He had earlier prayed with the onlookers at Lazarus' tomb in view (cf. 11:42).
17:15-16 Jesus' was not asking the Father to remove the Eleven from the hostile world as He was about to leave it. He was petitioning Him to keep them loyal to Himself while they continued to live in it. Jesus repeated the thought of verse 14b in verse 16 to stress the disciples' essential distinction from the world. It was, therefore, protection from "the evil"(Gr. ek tou ponerou) in the world that they needed. This phrase could mean evil generally, or it could be a reference to the evil one, namely Satan. Other occurrences of the phrase elsewhere encourage us to interpret it as referring to the devil here (cf. Matt. 6:13; 1 John 2:13-14; 3:12; 5:18-19). Even though Satan now stands condemned, He still controls the world (1 John 5:19).
Throughout church history Christians have sought relief from the world's hatred by withdrawing from it socially, and in other ways, or by compromising with it. Some individuals tend to withdraw from a disagreeable and dangerous environment while others prefer to blend into it. Jesus' will, however, was that His disciples should do neither of these things. He wanted them to remain loyal to God while continuing to participate in the amoral aspects of its life. Our sense of mission and our sense of identity should control our desire for comfort.
"Christians must not take themselves out of the world but remain in meaningful contact with it, trusting in God's protection while they witness for Jesus."525
