John 17:20

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - John 17:20-23

Next to their purity he prays for their unity; for the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable; and amity is amiable indeed when it is like the ointment on Aaron's holy head, and the dew on Zion's holy hill. Observe, I. Who are included in this prayer (John 17:20): ?Not these only, not these only that are now my disciples? (the eleven, the seventy, with others, men and women that followed him when he was here on earth), ?but for those also who shall believe on me through their word,... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - John 17:20-21

17:20-21 "It is not only for these that I pray, but also for those who are going to believe in their word of testimony to me. And my prayer is that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, so that they may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me." Gradually in this section Jesus' prayer has been going out to the ends of the earth. First, he prayed for himself as the Cross faced him. Second, he prayed for his disciples, and for God's keeping... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - John 17:20

Neither pray I for these alone ,.... Meaning his immediate apostles and disciples, for whose preservation and sanctification he had been particularly praying in John 17:19 ; and now, that it might not be thought that these were his only favourites, and the only persons he had a regard for, and to whom his intercession and sacrifice were confined; he adds, but for them also which shall believe in me through their word : Christ is the object of true faith; which faith is not a mere... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 17:20

III. Our Lord's Prayer for His Church, and for All Who Would Believe on His Name, Through the Preaching of the Apostles and Their Successor. John 17:20-26 . See on John 17:1 ; (note). read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - John 17:20

Verse 20 20.And I ask not for these only. He now gives a wider range to his prayer, which hitherto had included the apostles alone; for he extends it to all the disciples of the Gospel, so long as there shall be any of them to the end of the world. This is assuredly a remarkable ground of confidence; for if we believe in Christ through the doctrine of the Gospel, we ought to entertain no doubt that we are already gathered with the apostles into his faithful protection, so that not one of us... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 17:1-26

4. The high-priestly intercession . Audible communion of the Son with the Father . The prayer which now follows reveals, in the loftiest and sublimest form, the Divine humanity of the Son of man, and the fact that, in the consciousness of Jesus as the veritable Christ of God, there was actually blended the union of the Divine and human, and a perfect exercise of the prerogatives of both. The illimitable task which writers of the second century must have set themselves to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 17:20

Neither do I pray ( ἐρωτῶ ) for —concerning these alone, but also for those who believe £ on me through their word . The Lord summons the future into the present. He speaks of having once for all sent them, and he sees rising before his eye the multitudes in all ages who would believe their testimony as if already doing so. The universal Church rejoices in the fullness of his love and the greatness of his wish concerning the individuals who believe. The prayer is an eternal... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 17:20

Prayer for persuaders and persuaded. I. PRAYER FOR THE PERSUADERS Jesus says, "Neither pray I for these alone;" that means by implication his prayer for these . Jesus prays for those who will believe on him through the word of his servants; that means his prayer for those who will speak the word which produces the faith. Jesus had spoken to his servants in language of tenderness, energy, and strength, altogether unequalled. They had to go out on a great errand; they had a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 17:20-21

Christ's prayer for all believers. Our Lord, having prayed for himself and for his apostles, now prays for the whole body of believers. I. HE PRAYS FOR THE BELIEVERS OF ALL GENERATIONS TILL THE END OF TIME . "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word." 1. All believers have , therefore , an interest in Christ ' s prayer . 2. The word of the apostles—that is , not merely their narrative of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 17:20-21

Comprehensive intercession. Human selfishness, narrowness, and hopelessness may well be rebuked by the breadth and brightness of this prayer. The High Priest pleads for his people, and in so doing sweeps the horizon of time, sounds the depths of human need, and grasps the invisible aim of the universe, the yet unrealized purpose of God himself. I. THE EXTENSIVE RANGE OF CHRIST 'S INTERCESSION . At the very time when those nearest to him were about to be exposed to great... read more

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