The Farewell Prayer After the long but joyful and comforting exposition of the Lord‘s speech to His disciples (that speech extends over four chapters: 13-16) John the Evangelist gives us the overt farewell prayer delivered before them. This is a unique speech given by the Son in the last moments before He is led to be crucified. This prayer is different from the Lord’s Prayer that the Lord Himself has taught us. The Lord’s Prayer concentrates on asking for the forgiveness of sins. But this other prayer reveals those longings in the heart of the Lord for His Church. Those yearnings are realized through the Cross. Christ did not need to pray for forgiveness of sins because He is without sin; He is Himself the One who forgives sins. This is considered the longest prayer of the Lord that the Evangelists record for us. However, we cannot say that it is the longest communication between the Lord and the Father, for He spent the entire night praying before He chose the twelve disciples (Luke 12:6). There are also other occasions when He spent a long period praying. This prayer has a special sanctity for the believers because it occurs in the shadow of the Cross. It befits that unique Intercessor and Savior who carries His Church in Himself as the members of His holy body to offer her to His Holy Father. This is the request of the Son for salvation [24] breaking the veil that separated the human race from the Father. This is considered a family prayer presented by the Head of the family, Jesus Christ, on behalf of His family, the disciples or the entire Church. It is a farewell prayer that He offers, and His disciples hear after His farewell speech to them about the mystery of His relationship with the Father. Now, He speaks openly with the Father for their sakes to reveal to them His role toward them while He sits at the Father’s right hand. It is an ecclesiastic prayer and as St. Clement of Alexandria says, in this prayer Jesus is the High Priest who acts on behalf of His people. This prayer is called the high ecclesiastic prayer, or the prayer of the High Priest. He offers it to prepare the human race to accept the fruits of the unique sacrifice. This prayer forms the highest announcement of the mystery of the unity of the Father and the Son.1 It is not a mere act but a presence in the Father to whose bosom He carries us. He offered it as a prayer of the soul after the offering of the Christian Easter sacrament. That is to say, He prayed after He had given them His body and blood for the remission of sins and for eternal life for them. This prayer is for their preservation in the grace they received. It is as though the Lord Jesus Christ asserts to us our need to pray continuously so that we may keep the divine grace, and so that God may guard us in the rich blessings of His divine sacraments. This is a Lord’s prayer presented by the Lord of glory to teach us how to pray. It is a prayer when in confrontation of death. It is filled with sweetness because He faces death in order that He may sanctify His beloved. Jacob blessed the twelve patriarchs, or fathers, before his death. Moses blessed the twelve tribes also before his death. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Boris Bobrinskoy: The Mystery of the Trinity, St. Vladimir 1999, p. 83. https://coptic-treasures.com/ blesses the Church in the entire world before He gives His life a sacrifice of love for their sakes. The clear theme in this prayer is the practical affirmation of what He said to His disciples, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (16:33). Now that the moments of His crucifixion are very close, He looks at His death not as a catastrophe approaching Him, but as victory He realizes for the human race. He repeated this truth several times to His disciples, but they were not yet able to comprehend it. Therefore, He asked the Father to support them during the resurrection so that they may understand it quickly and enjoy its blessings. Now while He walks the road of the Cross He delivers His disciples in the hands of the Father. For, there is no power that can support them except the divine grace. 1- Christ’s Prayer for Himself 1-5 2- A general Prayer for Others 6-10 3- A Prayer for Them That the Father May Keep Them 11-16 4- A Prayer for Them to Be Sanctified 17-19 5- A Prayer for Unity 20-23 6- A Prayer for Them to Be Glorified 24-26 1- Christ’s Prayer for Himself “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven” [1] As the Word of God became a truly perfect man, He prayed to assert His submission even to the law and the system of worship. He prayed also to reveal His relationship to the Father, for He was accused as being Beelzebub, the ruler of the devils and that He was not from God. The Lord Christ did not need to pray since He is one in essence with the Father. But as our representative, He offers up this prayer for Himself. “Glorify Your Son” [1] so that we do not cease to ask for our glory in Him. As Christ is God we pray to Him. As He became man He prays so that all righteousness may be complete in Him. It has been said to Him as to us, “Ask of Me, and I will give you,” (Ps 2:8). Now, He asks the Father and gives a special honor to prayer so that we may obtain satisfaction in prayer. Paul the Apostle says, “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb 5: 7-8). He bought the human race with His blood. He offered blood to ask the Father to give Him the human race to dwell in Him and be justified. Without Him we cannot ask God as our Father and we cannot obtain His blessings. He sanctified our prayers with His prayer. He opened for us the way of meeting with the Father through the divine pleasure. He prayed on our behalf, for He knows the depth of our hearts (Ex 23: 9). He understands perfectly our needs and He is the only path that goes up to heaven to the Father’s bosom. Therefore, He is the only one who is able to sanctify our prayers. The Lord Jesus Christ lifted up His eyes to heaven as He had done before (John 11: 41). Why? He dwells in heaven in His divinity and He does not need to lift up His eyes to heaven https://coptic-treasures.com/ like someone begging the Father for something. However, as a Son of Man, the Lord sanctified even the movements of the body so that we also may lift up our eyes with His eyes and He lifts up our hearts to heaven during prayer (Ps 25: 1). At that time, the Jews lifted up their heads and opened their eyes toward heaven during prayer. The Lord used this same popular position common at that time so that we may learn to follow the church congregation in the church rites without confusion. This does not mean that prayers must necessarily be offered in no other manner. The Lord praised the tax-collector who did not dare lift up his eyes and stood beating his breast in repentance (Luke 18: 13). The Lord Himself bowed down as He spoke with the Father in Gethsemane (Matt 26: 39). “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” [1] The Lord Jesus Christ calls the Father, His Father, for He is His Father in essence, so that when we lift up our eyes with Him, we may look at God as our Father by the adoption that we obtained through the Holy Spirit. He guides us to His Father in the spirit of courage, and hope in getting blessings from His divine hands. “The hour has come” [1] He often repeated that His hour had not come, but now that He begins walking the road of the Cross, He says, “the hour has come” and He knows it. Man does not know his time (Ecc 9: 12), but the Son of Man knows the hour and calls it “this hour” (Jn 12: 27), and “the hour” (Jn 17: 1). For, there is no hour in the entire history of humanity, or since the beginning of time like the hour of the Cross. It opened the gates of heaven, reconciled the human race with the Father, and gave them the right to eternal inheritance and heavenly glory. The hour of Christ’s suffering is, in God’s plan, the highest aim of the Lord from the beginning and even before His incarnation. The decisive hour came when the battle between heaven and hell for the glory of God and the happiness for man took place eternally. As though He says, ‘the hour has come when the powers of darkness will afflict Your Son. Now, O Father, glorify Your Son.’ It is a unique hour, the hour of war between Light and the ruler of darkness, between heaven and hell. John the beloved saw it and said, “he went out conquering and to conquer” (Rev 6: 2). He went out riding the Cross that breaks all powers of darkness. In the midst of the suffering that the Son accepted joyfully, the Father glorified His Son. When the mobs tried to arrest Him they fell on their faces. After Judas betrayed Him he confessed his crime and ended by committing suicide. Also Pilate’s wife sent to warn her husband not to harm Jesus. Nature also glorified Him. The sun was darkened and also the moon was eclipsed, the rocks were split and the graves opened. The veil of the temple testified also, for the veil was torn. Men saw all that when the Lord was brought to judgment and during His suffering and death. These are signs of glory, but that does not preoccupy the Lord. When He says, “glorify Your Son” He is absorbed in the glory that is not visible to the human eye, that is in the glory of victory over Satan, the defeat of the powers of darkness, the freedom of the captives in Hades, and the entrance of the thief on the right into Paradise. The Father glorified Him also in His resurrection and by sending the Holy Spirit to the disciples. He glorified Him by establishing His kingdom in the hearts of men. This was His preoccupation for which He prayed. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Satan wanted to give Him the kingdoms of the world when he tempted Him. That was on condition that He gave up His being the Son of God and refused the glory the Father gives Him. However, the Lord representing us did not accept glory except from the hands of His Father because in Him we inherit glory and we are sanctified as children of God. The Lord offered up prayer before surrendering to death as a sacrifice for our sins. He prayed so that we may offer up a similar prayer as we travel in the world. When we feel that the hour of our departure from the world has come, we call out to God, ‘the hour has come, stand close to me and reveal Yourself to me., My earthy house, this tent, is destroyed and I shall have a building that is not made with hands of men. As You have glorified me with Your grace, glorify my body the day I meet You on the clouds.’ “That Your Son also may glorify You.” I give You my will and I devote all my energy and gifts for the sake of Your kingdom. My victory, salvation and glory are a living testimony to Your great glory and rich grace. Saint John the Evangelist wrote this Gospel so that every soul may deeply experience the pledge of eternal glory and so that it would be possible for the entire person, spiritually and physically, to enjoy sharing that glory. We, therefore, find the word ‘glory’ repeated 18 times in this Gospel more than in any other book in the New Testament, except in 2 Corinthians in which the Apostle speaks about the suffering and trouble of the servant of God whom the Lord glorifies. As for the verb “glorify”, it is repeated here 23 times, whereas in any other book in the New Testament, it does not occur more than 9 times. It is as though John the Evangelist wishes us to soar with the Holy Spirit so that we may relish the glory that the Lord Christ prepares for us. This is truly the Book of glory in which the Word made Himself of no reputation so that we may encounter Him and get acquainted with Him and His love, and unite with Him and so we are glorified. This is the glory of the Son that we enjoy His Cross and so share His glory. This is the glory of the Father also for He so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (Jn 3: 16), that is to say, enjoy everlasting glory. Thus, the glory of the Son and His Father is one. It is glory based, not on necessity or increase in Their glory, but rather on Their love for us. We enjoy sharing this glory through the divine act of redemption. * Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven…. When the Lord Christ said to His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (Jn 16:33), He asked them to pray so that their spirits may not be troubled. For, they saw Him as a man, and for their sake He prayed when He raised Lazarus from the dead. He mentioned the reason for His prayer: “because of the people who are standing by.” He said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me,” (Jn 11: 41-42). You may say, ‘Yes, these things should have happened because of the presence of the Jews. But why should they occur in the presence of His disciples?’ My answer is, ‘ It was https://coptic-treasures.com/ necessary that this should take place in front of His disciples who had said, “Now we are sure that You know all things and have no need that anyone should question You,” (Jn 16: 30). They needed that He would verify this for them more than for all the other people. And there is another reason: the Evangelist did not call this act of the Lord Christ, ‘a prayer’, but said, “Jesus lifted up His eyes,” (Jn 11: 41) and spoke to His Father in a more precise expression. The Lord Jesus Christ says to the Father, “…the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” This shows us that He did not go to His Cross unwillingly. How can He do so unwillingly when He prays that this may happen, and He calls it glory and honor not only for the crucified, but also for His Father with Him. For, through the Cross the Son is not glorified alone, but His Father is glorified also with Him. Before the Cross, even the Jews did not know the Father. It has been said, “Israel does not know Me” (Is 1: 3). But after the Cross, the entire world ran toward Him.2 Saint John Chrysostom * If the Son had died in the flesh and did not rise again, He would without doubt have not been glorified by the Father, nor would He have glorified the Father. Now that He is glorified in His resurrection through the Father, He glorifies the Father through the preaching of His resurrection., This is revealed in the very arrangement of the words: “Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” This means, ‘Raise Me up so that through Me the entire world may know You’3. Saint Augustine Saint Augustine observes that the Greek word for ‘glory’ (doksa) is translated into Latin as ‘clarifica’, meaning, making the matter sparkle. When the Son reveals the Father, He reveals His true Self. The human race then see His radiance and so praise Him. Concerning this, the Scripture says, “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You” (Ps 84: 4). Praise for God is without end when the knowledge of God is perfect. Because the knowledge is perfect, there is glamour and glory. 4 “As You have given Him authority over all flesh, That He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.” [2] As He is the Only Begotten Son, His authority is related to the Father’s authority since He is born of the Father and He has no authority from an outside source. He is one with the Father in divine nature and essence. As He accepted in obedience to achieve our salvation and reconcile us with the Father, He obtained authority from Him. But this authority is different from the authority of the kings and rulers of this world. His authority to reconcile humanity with the Father and make us adopted children through the Holy Spirit makes us as relatives and grants us everlasting life. He is Himself everlasting life. As Son of Man He accepted eternal life on our behalf so that through Him He may pour His love in every man. 2 Homilies on St. John, 80: 1. 3 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 105: 1. 4 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 105: 3. https://coptic-treasures.com/ ‘You have given Him’: it has been said that St. John loved the verb “give”, for it occurs 76 times in this Gospel. It is repeated 17 times in this prayer, 13 times of which is about the Father giving to the Son and four times about the Son giving to His disciples. The repetition of this verb bears many meanings to the Evangelist. For, as he speaks about the divine Word being the only Son of God in nature, he sees the Father giving birth to the Son eternally and giving Him all He has because He is the same in essence. So, the Father does not give the Son a gift or a blessing as offered from outside. But, as They are two distinctive hypostases, and yet They are One in essence, the giving cannot be comprehended or expressed in words. It is not subject to time, nor to change in its measure or degree. All that is the Father’s is also the Son’s and all that the Son has the Father also has in divine attributes. Through this extremely divine mystery, the Evangelist sees the Son Incarnate overflowing in grants through the divine grace. His gifts to His believers are free and are given by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Every divine blessing is given to us by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as Saint Cyril the Great repeats. The Church says in almost every Holy Liturgy that Christ is the “Lover of Mankind” to affirm that it is the pleasure of the Holy Trinity to give continually to mankind, and without ceasing so that men may carry the icon of Christ and enjoy the heavenly wedding with Him eternally. The word ‘flesh’ here means ‘human beings’ in general (Gen 6: 3). He has authority over mankind, on the body as on the soul. As He offered up Himself a sacrifice once for all to reconcile all with God, He tasted death by His grace for everyone (Heb 2: 9). As He is the Messiah, Savior of the world who became man to achieve redemption, He received from the Father general authority over all flesh, that is to say, over all mankind, so that by sanctifying Himself for that deed, He reconciles all with the Father. By His grace He tasted death for everyone (Heb 2: 9). In this way, the realization of the promise that the Messiah would obtain the nations for His inheritance was fulfilled (Ps 2: 8). He will join the nations with the Jews (2 Cor 5: 14-15; Rom 5: 21; 1 Tim 2: 4-6). The authority of the Lord Jesus Christ is over all mankind, but He grants everlasting life to the believers whom the Father gives to the Son as an everlasting inheritance. He has power over mankind to grant life to God’s children and make all things for them (2 Cor 4: 15). All the divine promises are for their sakes. In His prayer for Himself that the Father may glorify Him, He bears love for the Father as for us. For, His glory is the glory of His Father and in Him we enjoy communion with His glory. We experience the power of His resurrection and our hearts go up with Him to enjoy the splendor of His glory! He does not say, ‘will give’, but says ‘give’ because the Son’s gift for us, or His offering up Himself as a gift for us, is an ongoing gift up to now. We accept it, live it, enjoy it, and grow in it until we enjoy it in a greater and more magnificent way when we meet Him face to face. * If you say, ‘What does the Lord mean by “You have given Him authority over all flesh”?’ I answer, ‘He has shown from the beginning that preaching Him is not limited to the Jews alone, but extends to the entire world. Here, He announces beforehand the first call to the nations (after the Jews reject Him). For He had said previously, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles” (Matt https://coptic-treasures.com/ 10: 5), but the time came when He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28: 19). He has shown that the Father desired that.’ This matter was completely opposite to the Jews and also to the disciples’ views. Even after that it was not easy for them to accept preaching to the Gentiles until they received the Spirit’s teaching, for this to the Jews was a stumbling block.5 * What does ‘all flesh’ mean? Assuredly not all men believed in Him. However, He offered that all may believe and if some people ignored His words, this is not the fault of the teacher but that of those who did not accept His teachings.6 Saint John Chrysostom “And this is eternal life, That they may know You, the only true God, And Jesus Christ whom You have sent” [3] ‘Eternal life’: Christ offers up Himself a sacrifice and so abolishes the work of sin, that is death. He abides in believers and they abide in Him and enjoy Him who is Life that cannot be opposed. Through Him, the believer can cross the boundaries of time and his spirit can enjoy eternity in heaven. The believer’s body is glorified having a new nature befitting eternity. The redemption offered by the Lord Jesus Christ is called ‘eternal life’ for the following reasons: (1) The believer has the right to stand before divine justice, for he is protected by Christ’s sacrifice that preserves him from eternal death. (2) Life, even in this present world acquires a new taste and message, for the believer, through the redemptive work of the Lord Christ, infuses in others the spirit of joy and inner peace. (3) It is eternal life because it goes beyond time boundaries and defies death. (4) It reveals the perpetual spirit and body of the believer. “That they may know You”: knowledge is the path to eternal life. It is knowledge of the Father, the only true God, and worshipping and obeying Him, and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ the Teacher, Sacrifice, Priest, and Savior, the only true Christ. “The true God”: God is not a mere name or a mental idea. He is the true God who is preoccupied with His creation. He cares for the salvation of mankind. He is active in His infinite love. In His divine love He sent His Only Begotten Son to work salvation for mankind. This is not a mere intellectual knowledge, but is rather an operative knowledge and an appreciation of God’s redemptive plan. It is an agreement with that plan, so that the believer accepts Jesus Christ as Lord, Redeemer, Teacher, and He who satisfies the entire needs of the believer. It is a practical acceptance of the Lord’s divine message. The believer thus enjoys a continual renewal of his life through the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, knowledge is life and communion with Him Whom we get to know. What is said about the only true God is not contrary to what is said about Jesus Christ, but is rather opposed to paganism and the worship of many gods. 5 Homilies on St. John, 80: 1. 6 Homilies on St. John, 80: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Some writers interpret the verse as follows: ‘that they may know You and Jesus Christ whom You have sent, the only true God.’ Saint Ambrose considers the believer an intelligent merchant who approaches the desk of the spiritual cashier to give the talents and, in exchange, insists to receive the divine promises of a free eternal life and knowledge of the true God. * This is the Word of the Lord: this is the precious talent through which you are saved. This money must be seen on the spirits’ table so that through true continual trade of good currency it would be possible to go everywhere by buying eternal life. ‘This is the eternal life that You, O Almighty Father, grant us freely so that we may know that You are “the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” [3]’7. + In this way He puts an end to the argument of the followers of Sabelius who say that the Three Hypostases are only three names or forms of one hypostasis and also the Jews who heard Him speak. The former group must not say that the Father is the Son, for that would have been possible for them to say if He had not added “and Christ.” The others must not separate the Son from the Father. * The holy Scriptures say that eternal life is based on the knowledge of the Transcendent and on good works.8 Saint Ambrose * “The only true God”: He says this in a way that distinguishes Him from others, who are not gods, as He was about to send them to the Gentiles. But if the heretics do not accept this and because of the word “the only” they refuse to believe that the Son is the true God, they, then, refuse definitely that He is God. However, if the Son is God and is the Son of God who is called “the only God”, it is clear that He also is the true God and that the word “only” is for distinction from the others. If the Son was not the true God, how then could He be “the Truth”? For the Truth is far above “the true.”9 Saint John Chrysostom * First: there is no eternal life in acknowledging God the Father without acknowledging Jesus Christ. Secondly: Christ is glorified in the Father. Eternal life is specifically inherent in knowing the only true God and also in knowing Jesus Christ whom God has sent.10 * Thus, the Father is glorified through the Son through whom we know Him. 7 On the Christian Faith, Book 5: Prologue: 15. 8 Duties of the Clergy, 2: 2: 5. 9 Homilies on St. John, 80: 2. 10 On the Trinity: 9: 42. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Glory is this: that the Son who became flesh accepted authority from Him over all flesh along with taking us back to everlasting life. But, what is eternal life? His words inform us that life is “that they may know You and Jesus Christ whom You have sent, the only true God.” Is there any doubt or difficulty here, or any contradiction? Life is that you know the only true God.11 Saint Hilary of Poitiers “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” [4] The Lord Jesus Christ announces that He did not come so that He may rest, but so that He may work all day until He finishes the work of salvation. As He carries us in Him we do not know rest except in continual work to achieve our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2: 12). We must not accept a mid-way or solution, but must strive all the time for our redemption. “I have glorified You”: Our Lord Jesus considered His redemptive work completed in fact, for He bowed His head in acceptance of the cup with love so that He may carry our sins in His flesh and offer up Himself a sacrifice on our behalf. He, thus, achieved His message. He speaks with the Father saying that He has finished the work that He received from the Father. He looks forward to the Gospel being preached everywhere in the world, and to the believers getting to know the love of the true God, and enjoying their union with Him and their worship of Him. He glorified the Father because He pleased the Father and completed His work. In this is also pleasure and glory for the Son. We did not see the Lord Christ complaining that His life had been full of trouble since His birth to the Cross. He never spoke about how much He suffered insults and accusations, pain and temptation as the Son of Man. For, He came to work for the glory of the Father by declaring divine love practically for mankind. On His way to Golgotha He is involved only in achieving the will of the Father that is one with His own will. We, when we unite with Him, we overstep all incidents and suffering, and care only for the glory of God in us and in our brethren, so that we may complete our message for the sake of God’s kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to the world to walk a road covered with flowers. He rather came to find His pleasure in fulfilling all righteousness. Likewise, the Father finds His pleasure in Christ because Christ reveals Him practically and realizes His plan concerning man. The Lord finished the work and will of the Father so that we may have salvation. Now, He still fulfills in us that work and will, so that He may be seen in us and so that we may share His glory. In the same spirit, it befits the servants in the church- who have God’s grace- to achieve His divine plan for salvation, to behold mankind with hope for the redemption of many. It befits us as members of Christ’s body to glorify the Father by achieving His will and His work as much as possible. We must glorify Him on the earth, which He has given to the human race, in preparation for crossing over to eternity. It befits us to persevere to the last breath in fulfilling the divine work. 11 On the Trinity, 3 (13, 14). https://coptic-treasures.com/ + The Lord Jesus Christ said to the Father, “I have glorified You on the earth.” He said that, because the Father is glorified in heaven. He is glorified in His nature, and in His angels who worship Him. Christ does not speak about that glory that the Father has in essence. He rather mentions the glory that is in the worship of people for Him. He said, “I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” If you ask, ‘If the work of the Lord Christ had not yet been finished, how could He say, “I have finished” it?’ My answer is, ‘Either that He meant that He finished the work that concerned Him, or He spoke about what will happen as though it had already happened. Moreover, everything has been achieved because the root of all blessings has been prepared and the fruit will necessarily follow. This will be through His presence and support in all those subjects that will be fulfilled later. He, therefore, says again in humility: “the work which You have given Me”’12. Saint John Chrysostom * What thing did the human nature of the Only Begotten Son not accept? That thing was evil, for He did all that was good as human nature united with the Word through whom all things were made. But, how did He finish the work He was given when there still remained the suffering of martyrs for whom He offered up Himself as an example they should follow? For this reason Peter the Apostle says, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2: 21). He says that He has finished what He surely knows He finished, just as previously in the prophecy the Spirit had used the past tense while speaking about things that would happen after many years. For He says, “They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones” (Ps 22: 16-17). He does not say, ‘They will pierce and will count.’ Likewise, He speaks here as having glorified the Father first and asks that He may be glorified. We need, therefore, to understand that He used all the former words about the future and expressed them in the past tense. 13 Saint Augustine “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, With the glory which I had with You before the world was.” [5] For our sake He made Himself of no reputation leaving His glory; and for our sake He was glorified for He received from God the Father honor and glory (2 Pet 1: 17); that glory that He had before the world was (Jn 17: 5). Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings, crowns His believers with His own hands making them kings. There is no degree of honor, not the very highest, that God cannot raise us to if He so wills it. He raises the poor out of the dust that He may seat him with princes or spiritual kings (Ps. 113: 7-8). For, the Lord took David from among his sheep and made him king on the greatest throne on earth at that time. In His worthy precious blood, our Lord Jesus Christ granted us His Holy Spirit that shapes our inner self so that we may share that glory and radiance in the best image. 12 Homilies on St. John, 80: 2. 13 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 105: 4-5. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The glory of the Son bears many forms of honor, authority, and joy to fulfill the will of the Father and finish the work. That glory that He asks for is His glory that He had before the world was created. First: Eternal glory: One with the Father in glory, for He is the brightest of His glory (Heb 1: 3) inseparable from Him. The expression ‘before the world was’ and similar expressions occur in the Bible to mean eternity (Jn 17: 24; Ps 90: 2; Eph 1: 4; Jn 1: 1). Secondly: In His incarnation, the divine Word abandoned His glory; His flesh was like a veil to hide His radiance, but that veil did not change His nature or remove His truly eternal glory. The Father was glorified in the Son’s incarnation and condescension even to the Cross to achieve redemption. Nevertheless that condescension of the Son did not deprive Him of His glory. Thirdly: He again has His glory and is clothed with it to open for us the way to heavenly glory; for through our mingling with the Lord who is glorified we enjoy sharing glory in eternity. The Son asks that He may be covered with the glory that He has since eternity before the creation of the world. Thus the law in which He wrapped Himself will be glorious in the resurrection and the ascension to heaven. For He has the authority to lay down His life by death and take it by resurrection because He is the Resurrection. The Father declares the glory of the Son in His resurrection and ascension and in His sitting at the right hand of the Father exalted above every name (Phil 2: 6-9). This is the clear declaration of the prophet Isaiah: “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand… Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Is 53: 10, 12) This is the pleasure of the Father in the Cross, because through the Cross human believers become spoil that the Crucified carries to the divine throne, justified and glorified in Him. This is the glory of the Father and of the Son who grants righteousness. It is the glory of humanity who shares heavenly glory. However, as He fulfills the will of the Father, He accepts suffering as the will of His Father and He accepts resurrection as the pleasure of His Father. This is the glory of the Son incarnate. He does not obtain glory from an outside source. He accepts it from what He has eternally and reflects it in His humanity. He does not ask to be glorified with the rulers of this world. Satan had tempted and offered Him all the kingdoms of this world, but He had refused so that we may deride temporary glory and seek what is heavenly. As though He says, ‘Give the glory of this world to those who long for it. As for Me, My glory is with You in heaven eternally. I do not ask to be glorified with men, but with You.’ We cry with our Christ to ask for our glory not on earth but the glory that is “with the Father”, in the divine bosom so that the divine promise may be realized in us: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev 3: 21). https://coptic-treasures.com/ * Think how the Lord did not ask the Father to glorify Him with the glory He has on earth, but prayed that He glorifies Him with the glory He has with Him. * Where is that glory? He did not accept glory from the people because of the cover He covered Himself with, how then could He ask the Father to glorify Him? What does He say here? What He says concerns the dispensation. For, His human nature is not yet glorified, nor has He yet obtained incorruption. His body (flesh) had not yet shared the royal throne. Therefore, He does not say, “on earth”, but says, “with You.”14 Saint John Chrysostom * I can, thus, remind you of many things now in different ways. But, in every condition I offer you another testimony so that you may be sure that God is called “Father of mankind” having an unsuitable meaning, for He is not the Father of mankind by nature. This is how God was addressed in Isaiah, “You are our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us” (Is 63: 16) and Sarah was not in labor to give birth to us. As the Psalmist says, “Let them be scattered before him; a father of the fatherless and a judge of the widows” (Ps 68: 5 LXX). Is it not clear to all that he calls God a father of those who recently lost their fathers, not because He gave birth to them, but rather because He cares and protects them? Yet, while we call God, Father of mankind inappropriately, He is the Father of Christ alone in essence and not by adoption. So, to mankind He is a father in time, but to Christ He is Father before time. Christ, therefore, says, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Saint Cyril of Jerusalem * We understand that the glory of His humanity that is liable to death becomes immortal with the Father. This was fulfilled in the first determined dispensation before the world was and was fulfilled at the fixed time in the world.15 Saint Augustine 2- A General Prayer for Others “I have manifested Your name to the men Whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, And they have kept Your word.” [6] 14 Homilies on St. John, 80: 2. 15 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 105: 7. https://coptic-treasures.com/ His prayer for Himself is very short compared to His prayer for the others. However, His prayer for Himself precedes His other prayer so that we may comprehend our love for our brethren as for ourselves. For, if we ask for our eternal glory and declare our love for our salvation, we need to ask the same for others as for ourselves. His prayer for the others has a special place so that our prayers for the sake of the Church and the salvation of mankind may not occupy a small corner in our prayers. We must not tighten our hearts concerning the others. We must rather have a big heart through the Holy Spirit to ask in abundance for their sake. After He prayed for Himself, though He did not need to but He prayed in participation with the Father and the mutual, or rather one glory in Them both, He now prays on behalf of His people whom He knows by name. He prays for all those who believe in Him and who seek Him. He teaches us that in our prayer we connect divine love with brotherly love. Thus in His prayer for Himself He reveals His wonderful unity with the Father along with His great heart for mankind. He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But in this prayer of intercession He presents those who accept what the Father offers to them. He desires to carry the entire world to the throne, but He does not carry anyone by force, and He does not ask for those who do not accept His work in him or her. He offers to those whose names have been written in the book of life through His blood. “I have manifested Your name to the men” [6]: Nature manifests the existence of God in some limited ways. The Law of Moses declares God more, but the incarnation of the Word is a perfect manifestation of God in His love for men and in His characteristics. Christ as a teacher who brought His disciples to the knowledge of God, prays to the Father for those He received from the Father. He is the Son who knows the mysteries of His Father and He gave His disciples the knowledge of the name and person of the Father. He shines on them giving them the light of knowledge and dispersing the darkness of ignorance. So they love, worship and glorify Him. In His teaching He does not ask for what is His although He is one with His Father, for no one knows the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (Matt 11:27). He alone is able to reveal the truth and take His disciples to enter the truth and the truth enters their hearts. ‘Your name’: The Jews used to look upon the name of God with great reverence. They did not dare pronounce the name “Jehovah” lest they should make a mistake in pronunciation. The scribes also who wrote the Holy Scriptures followed special rites such as washing the pen immediately before writing the name of God. To pronounce the name of God implied His very presence. The early Church had the same Biblical thought and considered uttering the name of Jesus carried with it His presence. The Fathers prayed the “Jesus Prayer” repeating His name and so declaring their feeling that He is among them and in them. For, a name is not merely a way of distinguishing between one person from another; the name of a person is his very essence. It is no wonder, therefore, that Nebuchadnezzar changed the name of Mattaniah to Zedekiah (2 Kings 24: 17). In that manner Mattaniah became one of Nebuchadnezzar’s men and everyone using his new name understood his relationship with Nebuchadnezzar. When Rachel gave birth to a boy as she was dying, she called his name “Ben-oni” meaning “the son of sadness.” But his father refused that the name of his son should be connected to the sadness of https://coptic-treasures.com/ his mother, and instead he gave him a name full of hope and strength, for he called him “Benjamin” meaning “son of my right hand” (Gen 35: 18). Moreover, God Himself often changes the names of His believers so that they may have qualities that are suitable to their divine call to do a certain task. He called ‘Abram’, Abraham to make him father of many nations (Gen 17: 5). Likewise, He changed the name of ‘Sarai’ to Sarah so that she may take the role of a princess. He also called Jacob ‘Israel’ so instead of having the trait of anger because he followed his sibling, he now enjoys the secret of God’s power as a soldier or wrestler for God (Gen 32: 28). Again, when Pashur insulted Jeremiah and smote him then put him in the stocks, God changed the name of Pashur to ‘Magor-missabib’ (Jer 20: 3) for this name implies terror all around and indicates the divine punishment that will befall him as a result of his violence. The Lord Jesus Christ also commanded us to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28: 19; Acts 8: 16) so that the Holy Trinity may be present and dwell in the baptized person. Thus the name of a person is often used in the Bible to signify the nature of the person. In our love of God we announce our love of His person and essence. “The men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours”: By “The men whom You have given Me” He means primarily the disciples who followed Him. But these words extend also to include all those who accept Him throughout the ages, those who listen and respond to Him. He knew them all but did not mention any name because He thought of them all. He says, “You have given Me” referring to those who through faith belong to Christ. He says they also belong to the Father who presents them as a gift to be heirs of Christ. Through the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ offers them to the Father justified and qualified for reconciliation with the Father. The Father in turn offers them to the Son as members of His body having the right to eternal inheritance. They are related to God the Father, as they are His creation who obtained life through His Son. They are the last honest remnants who are sanctified by Christ’s blood, and He has chosen them. “They have kept Your word”: This means they were steadfast in Him and continued in Him working through Him. A commandment is kept when it enters the heart. It is sealed in the heart by actual practice. To show our obligation in the accuracy of teaching, He says that He gave them the words that the Father gave Him. It is thus suitable for us to give others the same words that the Lord Christ gave us and with which the Holy Spirit inspired His disciples and holy apostles. He established this living knowledge in the life of His disciples and the apostles He chose. Those kept the Word, for they accepted the Word incarnate in their lives even though the world rejected and opposed them.. * The Lord Jesus Christ says to the Father, “I have manifested Your name to the men” for He manifested the Father’s name by His teachings and works. And He says, “the men whom You have given Me out of the world” just as He had said before, “no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father” (John 6: 65); and ‘unless My Father attracts them.’ Likewise, He says here, “whom You have given Me.” He calls Himself “the way.” He establishes two things in what He says: that He does not contradict the Father, and that the will https://coptic-treasures.com/ of the Father is that they are given to the Son. “They were Yours, You gave them to Me.” Here, the Lord desires to make it clear that His Father loves Him greatly, for He did not beg the Father that He gives them to Him. And He says, “and they have kept Your word” meaning ‘they kept Your word by believing Me.’ 16 Saint John Chrysostom Saint Augustine asks, ‘Did those who belonged to the Father not belong to the Son?’ Certainly those who were the Father’s were also the Son’s. Why then does He say, “They were Yours, You gave them to Me” [6]? They were the Father’s as they belonged to the Son the Word; but as the Son came to the world in the flesh they accepted the incarnate Son and became His disciples. He does not say ‘They were Ours’ because the Son born of the Father refers authority to the Father.17 “Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.” [7] * It is possible for someone to ask the Lord Christ, ‘How did they know that?’ He would have answered, ‘from My teachings because I taught them that.’18 Saint John Chrysostom * When He said, “They have known surely” [8] He desired to explain that ‘they believed’ [8]19 Saint Augustine “For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; And they have received them, And have known surely that I came forth from You, And they have believed that You sent Me.” [8] The Lord Jesus Christ gives His disciples the divine heavenly teaching, but its essence is in discovering His person and that He came forth from the Father. Believers understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is the divine Word incarnate. His teachings are divine facts. His commandments are heavenly law and His promises are true and honest because they are divine. I gave them the words and teachings that are Yours and they thus have the pure learning that comes directly from heaven and is not mixed with human teachings that corrupt the word of truth. They are quite sure that I am the promised Christ and now they do not ask for another for they enjoy My divine work and heavenly teachings. “I pray for them. 16 Homilies on St. John, 81: 1. 17 Cf. St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 106: 5. 18 Homilies on St. John, 81: 1. 19 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 106: 6. https://coptic-treasures.com/ I do not pray for the world But for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.” [9] He offered His life a sacrifice for the entire world. But He prays or intercedes with His blood for those who have accepted and believed in Him. The Lord dies for the sake of the entire world, but He knows perfectly those who will insist on refusing Him because they are not His. Therefore, He concentrates on those who were given to Him out of the world. But those who persist in refusing Him will remain in the world like chaff that the wind drives away or that is thrown into the fire because it is chaff that has no value. He does not intercede for those who are determined to drink of the cup of evil, to rebel and refuse to believe, not because He does not love them but because they reject His work in them. He does not say, ‘I pray against them’, for He has no hatred, rather they hate and refuse Him. As for us, since we do not know who are the Lord’s and who are not and since we cannot judge anybody, we must pray for all people (1 Tim 2: 1, 4). For as long as there is breath in a man for whose salvation we pray, there is hope and our prayer will find room so that we repeat with Samuel the prophet, “…as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1 Sam 12: 23). The Lord Jesus Christ devoted His divine possibilities for His chosen ones so that they may be qualified to spread His Gospel in the world. He prays for the people whom He carries in Himself as children of God who have the right of sharing the inheritance. He does not say that He prays for the heavenly beings. In the mutual love and in obedience of the Father, the Son incarnate gives His precious blood for the salvation of mankind. And, in His love for the Son, the Father gives those men to the Son as a holy bride. The Son accepts the gift from the Father for the sake of mankind, for they are considered honored vessels. Those who have accepted the word of the Lord Christ and believed in it have entered into the new covenant with the Father. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ considered them to be the Father’s, for He says, “they are Yours.” They are the Father’s gift to the Son, since the Father has revealed His love for mankind by giving His Only Begotten Son to save the world. The Son received them as a gift from His Father, for He regarded them His Father's. They are first fruits to God (Rev 14: 4) through their true union; and so we are considered belonging to the Son as to the Father. We are the people of God the Father and of the Lord JesusChrist. * “I pray for them” [9] Do You inform the Father of their news as though He ignored them? Do You speak to Him as to someone who lacks knowledge? Do you not see that the aim of this prayer is that they know His love for them? For He who does not only give what He has but also prays another to do the same to show greater love. What then? He says, “I pray for them” and “I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me.” He always says, “You have given” so that they may realize that the Father considered this a good thing. https://coptic-treasures.com/ And as He had always said, “They were Yours. You gave them to Me”, He removes evil doubt, lest anyone should think that His authority was new, that He received that authority recently, what does He say? “And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine” [10].20 Saint John Chrysostom * He adds, “for they are Yours” [9]. For the Father does not lose those He gives to the Son since the Son continues saying, “all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine” [20]. It is clear enough that all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son.21 Saint Augustine “And all Mine are Yours, And Yours are Mine, And I am glorified in them.” [10] The people who are sanctified by Christ’s blood are among His possessions and also those of the Father. It is true that any of God’s creatures can say to the Father, ‘all mine are Yours’, but only the Lord Jesus Christ, who is One with Him in essence, can say, “And all Mine are Yours, and I am glorified in them.” For the Father and the Son are One and equal in might, authority and glory. There is no conflict between Them. There is no ‘this is mine and that is yours’ as among people. Since eternity the Father gave birth to the Son as light from light. The Father is for the Son and the Son is for the Father. They are one in essence. They have one nature. Those who are the Father’s are necessarily the Son’s. He who has the Son and knows Him has the Father and knows His mysteries. All that the Son offers as blessings of salvation are for the glory of the Father as though the Father offers them. The Son has nothing that does not belong to the Father. The Father has nothing that is not the work of His Son because the Son is the power, wisdom and Word of might of His Father. As we have become members of the body of Christ, He, the head, presents us to the Father as belonging to Him. For the Father is glorified in us through our blessing in listening to Christ’s words, through our obedience, true testimony for divine love, and through our work toward His kingdom. What we do in Christ’s name we do guided by His Holy Spirit for the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. “I am glorified in them”: The Lord Jesus Christ announces beforehand the success of His disciples in spreading the Gospel. Through that, Christ is glorified in those in the world who believe in Him. Christ is glorified in His believers who listen to Him, obey Him, work in His name, and preach His grace. This glory is offered to the Father also. The Lord prays for those who believe in Him because He will ascend to heaven and go to the Father and the members of His body, His believers, will remain on earth glorifying the Father and testifying of Him by carrying Christ’s name. The disciples preached and performed miracles 20 Homilies on St. John, 81: 1. 21 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 107: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ in the name of Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelling in them and so glorified Christ (Jn 16: 14). This is also referred to the Father. * Do you not see the equality in glory? Lest when hearing “You have given to Me” you may think they were taken from the authority of the Father or had belonged before and taken away from the authority of the Son, He has removed those two difficulties by saying this. Therefore, “You have given Me” is said in great humility, for all that belongs to the Father is the Son’s and what is the Son’s is the Father’s. This cannot be said about sons of men, but the Father and the Son are equal in honor. He then explains the reason and gives evidence by saying, “And I am glorified in them”, meaning ‘I have power over them’ or ‘they will glorify Me and believe in You and Me and glorify Us equally.’ How may He and the Father be glorified equally? They will all die for Him as for the Father. They preach His Gospel as that of the Father and as they say all things were made in the name of the Father they say they were made in the name of the Son also.22 Saint John Chrysostom * “And I am glorified in them” [10] He speaks to the Father about His own glorification as though that was completed though this would happen in the future. He recently prayed to the Father to fulfill His glory. By saying His glory has actually been achieved showing that it was in fact arranged to be achieved, He desired to show that what will be realized in the future is an absolute fact. 3- A Prayer for Them That the Father May Keep Them “Now I am no longer in the world, But these are in the world, And I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name Those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” [11] “Now I am no longer in the world” as though He says, ‘I am about to leave the world in the flesh and consequently they are in need of special help and support. They need that I present them to You so that You may keep them in the truth.’ As He prays that they may be protected, He calls God, “Holy Father.” His precious gift to His children is holiness so that they may be holy as He is Holy. He hates sin and therefore He embraces His children so that sin may not creep into them. They, in turn, as His children cannot endure sin. They are terrified of sin as the most dangerous enemy they face. “Keep them through Your name”: As believers are the children of the holy God, He keeps them for the sake of His name’s honor and not because they are themselves worthy. As 22 Homilies on St. John, 81: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Christ is ascending to the Father, He carries the names of His believers as on His chest, as the greatest heavenly high priest. He takes them to the throne and has for them all love and kindness. He never forgets them, for their names are inscribed on His palm, sealed on His breast, dwelling in His heart. He had told Peter the Apostle that He had prayed for him that his faith should not fail (Luke 22: 32) and that he should not stumble unaware into the danger that he would soon face. Christ said, “I have prayed for you.” He, the Savior, prays for His disciples that the Father may keep them all their lives from stumbling. He prays that they remain always guided by the Father so that we may share the same love and never cease to pray for the salvation of many, for their spiritual growth in the Lord. The Son declares that the Father has given Him the chosen to become His, for the Son has offered His blood for the redemption of the entire world. Now, the Son gives, with love, those believers to the Holy Father praying to Him saying, “Keep them through Your name.” He does not pray that they become rich or have worldly honor. He does not pray for their earthly victory, but prays that the Father may keep them through His name from sin and the wicked world until they travel the days of their sojourning and reach the Father’s bosom. He prays that they may be protected in the divine commandments through the Father’s name and that they may enjoy the spirit of unity. “Those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are”: The Lord Jesus Christ links holiness and true unity. For, where there is holiness there is great love that unites. Where there is sin there is envy, contention, hatred and severance. Whoever has holiness that is from above experiences unity in its highest degree and all holy people become one like the unity of the Holy Trinity. He prays the Father to keep them through His name, meaning through Him and belief in Him. The aim of this belief or this teaching is that all believers may be one, may become one body and spirit similar to the unity of the Father and the Son. Thus, the Father is glorified in them. * “Now I am no longer in the world” [11] meaning, ‘though I shall not appear in the flesh again, I still am glorified through them.’ But why does He say always, “I am not in the world” and “as I leave them I commit them to You” and again, “while I was with them in the world I kept them”? If anyone interprets these words simply he will face many absurd notions. For, how can it be reasonable to say that He will not be in the world and that as He leaves He gives them to another? These words mean He will leave them forever. But He spoke those words to give them peace and joy. * He says, “Keep them through Your name” meaning keep them through Your help. * This is what you doubt. He presents Himself to their minds and to their small spirits when they hear Him saying this and giving them up to the care of the Father. After they hear His many counsels and they still do not respond, He speaks to the Father and reveals His love for them.23 Saint John Chrysostom 23 Hom. 81. PG 59: 480. https://coptic-treasures.com/ After Saint Gregory of Nazianzus became a Christian and despised the world, he was suddenly dazzled by the radiance of the Holy Trinity who dwelt in him when he was still in the world. He wrote, “From the day I left the things of the world to devote myself to contemplate the heavenly light, sublime thoughts carried me to take me away from anything that concerned the flesh and hide me in secret places in the heavenly tabernacle. From that day, the light of the Trinity, that exceeds the ability of the mind to comprehend, has blinded my eyes. This light shines on all from the greatly glorified throne. The shared rays of the Trinity cannot be described. This is the source of all that is here below and that is separated by time from the things above. From that day I died to the world and the world died to me.”24 * He declares that He is no longer in the world- that is in the flesh. He prays the Father to care for those He is about to leave (that is, His absence in the flesh) saying, “Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me.” As a man, the Lord prays to God on behalf of His disciples whom He received from Him.25 Saint Augustine “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept, And none of them is lost except the son of perdition, That the Scripture might be fulfilled.” [12] “I kept in Your name”: We have seen that in the Scriptures often “the name of God” is an expression used to signify “God Himself.” The aim of the Word incarnate is to keep His believers in the Father by presenting Himself to them as being the Divine Truth. The Lord Jesus Christ prays that His believers may be kept as He kept His disciples when He was on earth, so that none of them may be lost except he who insisted on being a son of perdition. He thus prays for the sake of believers also, that the Holy Father may keep them so that they may fulfill the holy Gospel and testify for the divine truth. None of them was lost except that one who insisted on becoming a son of Satan the deceitful and, consequently, became a son of perdition. That man obtained the blessing of discipleship but willingly and wickedly corrupted that gift because of his love of money. Christ calls Judas “son of perdition” because he withdrew from the membership of the divine family. He refused to be a child of God and insisted on being a son of Satan who destroys and kills. He is the “son of perdition” because he did not seek his own salvation, but instead willfully and wickedly ruined the divine grants offered to him and opened his heart to a series of sins to enter, like greed, betrayal and despair. “That the Scripture might be fulfilled”: The Holy Scripture prophecies as in (Ps 41: 9; 109: 8) and in him was achieved the symbols of Ahitophel concerning David the king, and Absalom concerning his father, but in Judas betrayal was more horrible. 24 Poemata de seipsol, PG 37: 984-85. 25 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 107: 4-5. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * The Lord Jesus Christ prays to the Father, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.” When He says this He speaks as a man and prophet but does not show that He does anything in God’s name. He says, “Those whom You gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” In another passage He says, “of all He has given Me I should lose nothing” (John 6: 39). Yet the traitor was not lost alone. After him many were lost. So, how can He say, “I should lose nothing”? The answer is ‘on My part I do not lose.’ In still another passage He explains more clearly, “and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast our” (John 6: 37) as though saying, ‘I am not the cause of their loss. I did not neglect them and as they willingly go away I do not force them to come back.’26 * “That the Scripture might be fulfilled” not that the Scripture might be realized, but this is the method of the Scripture: things are correlated as though they happen because they are written.27 Saint John Chrysostom * He says, ‘as I am about to come to You, keep them in Your name as I have kept them in while I was with them.' He kept them in the name of the Father. The Son, as a man, kept His disciples while He was with them in the flesh. But the Father also kept those whom He heard in the name of the Son. He answered their prayers offered in the name of the Son. The Son Himself says to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you"” (John 16: 23). But we must not interpret this physically, that they take turns in keeping us as though one substitutes the other when one of them goes away. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who are one true blessed God keep us at the same time. 28 Saint Augustine “But now I come to You, And these things I speak in the world, That they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” [13] As the Lord Jesus Christ completes His message on the Cross and is risen from the dead, He goes to the Father. The Father finds His pleasure in this and the Son is happy in His redemptive mission. He prays that His believers may have His joy fulfilled in them. He carries His people with love in His ascension and as the heavenly High Priest He registers their names on His breast to take them into the heavenly Holiest. He carries them in His heart abiding in Him as He abides in them. He engraves them on the palms of His hands with the nails of the Cross. Then, even if they cannot see Him because He is in heaven, He is still not far from them, nor are they far from Him. He is in their hearts as they are in His heart and mind. He is preoccupied with them until He takes them into the bosom of His Father. Whoever accepts the good will of God and His good Word must expect the opposition of the evil will and word of the world. Therefore, the Lord prays for His disciples and for all the 26 Homilies on St. John, 82: 2. 27 Hom. 81. PG 59: 480-481. 28 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 107: 6. https://coptic-treasures.com/ members of His Church that they may have His joy fulfilled in them in this world. This is the will of the Lord Jesus Christ and the desire of His heart: that every believer may enjoy the perfect continual heavenly joy. He leaves them surrounded by tears, suffering and tribulation, but He achieves in them inner joy that exceeds nature. May our tears raise our eyes to see our Christ praying His Father for us that we may have His perfect joy. This is a divine promise we must hear with the spirit of faith, in quiet silence and we must adhere to it so that we may obtain it. A person who keeps Christ’s word patiently obtains divine special protection at the hour of trial (Rev 3: 10). This has been actually realized when the martyrs were full of joy during their suffering. The joy of Christ is a divine gift and a free blessing. At the same time it is a command we must obey. It is given to those who strive in it. Therefore, the Apostle admonishes us saying, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 3: 1) and again, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice” (Phil 4: 4). The Holy Spirit shapes whoever conducts himself in the world following the thought of the Lord Jesus Christ and so seeks to become an icon of Christ. He follows Christ’s footsteps and does not think of the things of the world. He does not devote his life to serve the world. The Father gives such a man His protection for His Holy Son’s sake. “That they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves”: The aim of His address to believers is to pour His divine joy in them. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our eternal perfect joy. He is the source of joy and the Lord of true happiness. Without Him all joy fades away because that joy is linked to the evanescent world. But Christ’s joy is eternal like Him. He is the pleasure of the Father. He, therefore, asks this of Him. Undoubtedly, companionship with the living gives a kind of happiness and bereavement causes sadness and pain. But, the time has now come to tell them that He will leave them in the flesh and they will not meet Him in the same manner they did during the years of His open service on the earth. This separation must be the source not of sadness but of joy. They enjoy His presence in their midst and in themselves for He dwells in their hearts and evokes in them His perfect joy. His joy is their joy and they thus experience the perfect joy. + He says that His joy that He gives them must be fulfilled in them. He declares that this is why He spoke in the world. Peace in the future world and its blessing are granted through the manner we choose to live in the present: exercising moderation, righteousness and piety.29 Saint Augustine “I have given them Your word; And the world has hated them Because they are not of the world, Just as I am not of the world.” [14] He prays the Father to give support to believers: they need to have Him as their own personal friend because they have many enemies. The world hates them for no other reason but 29 St. Augustine: On the Gospel or St. John, tractate, 107: 8. https://coptic-treasures.com/ that they are not of the world and they urge humanity to leave the evil world and take delight in the holy One. Therefore, the Psalmist says, “Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head…. Because for Your sake I have borne reproach” (Ps 69: 4, 7). Because they obeyed, they accepted the Word, the world cannot endure them because the world rejects salvation. The world despises what is offered for its glory. The world does its best to destroy the faith and causes ruin. Thus, the children of the world deny the Word of glory and redemption. Instead, they devote all their energy to overthrow the living faith. They, thus, destroy themselves unknowingly. He tells the world that the believers were of the world but now they are not of the world. They are a new creation (2 Cor 5: 17). They are a new rival though they make a world of love, sacrifice and service even of the rebels. The old world wants all to belong to it. The old world may admire the new creation for their potentiality, possibilities, and conduct; but as it is a selfish world, it will not stop wishing that the new creation returns to its arms and it will not cease from opposing them and getting rid of them. There is a Jewish proverb that says, ‘If the world does not know the value of its righteous, it will erect (in hatred) a fence of pearls to protect them.’ The farewell prayer of the Lord Christ reveals the great work of God in keeping the servants, believers, and the word of the Gospel. Without this divine blessing faith would have vanished a long time ago. For, throughout the centuries, the world has agglomerated its energy to annihilate faith and destroy the Church and all Christians. However, the words of the Lord Christ are the secret in the survival of faith and of believers to this day. The Holy Father says, “Once I have sworn by My holiness I will not lie to David.” (Ps 89: 35) As He is holy He does not endure sin. He considers the holy peoples His and He keeps them from sin, which they also hate and regard as a dangerous evil. He, as a Holy Father, cares for His children. He teaches them and keeps them in His direct care. They, on their own, cannot abide in the divine blessings they obtained and, therefore, they need God’s help. They are protected for God as they are His children. * When we adhere to virtue, evil people persecute us. When we desire virtue they deride us. We must not get confused or angry for these are natural reactions. Everywhere virtue arouses hatred in the malevolent because they envy those who wish to live appropriately. The wicked try to find excuse for themselves when they disparage the others. They hate them and use every means to abuse their way of life because they behave differently. We must not be sad, for this is the sign of virtue and for this reason the Lord says, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own.” (Jn 15: 19) and in another place He says, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you” (Luke 6: 26). In the same sense He says here, “I have given them Your word and the world has hated them.” He says, ‘for You and Your word they hate them.’ Because of that they are qualified to enjoy all God’s care.30 Saint John Chrysostom 30 Homilies on St. John, 82: 1. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * This hatred of the world had not yet affected their lives but would happen later. He speaks about the future in the past tense, as is His custom. He explains why the world hates them by saying, “because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” [14]. They were granted this through their new birth because when they were first born they were of the world. He previously said, “I chose you out of the world” (Jn 15: 19). This is a kind of distinction granted to them as they become like Him, for He is “not of the world.” It is given to them through being saved from the world. In any case, He was never of the world, for even when He took the form of a bondservant He was born of the Holy Spirit of whom they were born again. Thus, because of their second birth they were not anymore of the world, for they were born of the Holy Spirit. For the same reason He was never of the world because His birth or incarnation was of the Holy Spirit.31 Saint Augustine “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, But that You should keep them from the evil one.” [15] He prays that God may keep them from the evil world and explains the two ways to keep God’s children from the world. The first way is to take them out of the world through sudden, quick death so that they cross over to a better world. This is what some men of God like Job, Elijah, Jonah, and Moses wished when they were in trouble and suffered trials. But the Lord did not ask for this for His disciples, for He came to the world to give His believers a life of triumph through carrying the Cross. He did not wish them to escape from the world. The Lord came to the world to serve humanity; the world, therefore, was not worthy of the believers (Heb 11: 38). The evil world is dark and the Lord Jesus Christ came to illuminate the world and overcome evil and darkness. He made His disciples as bright stars to enlighten the world. The love of the Lord for His believers did not cause Him to withdraw them immediately from the world of darkness, but to sanctify them so that they may give light to the world and have the spirit of victory. Jeremiah, the prophet, wished to run away to the wilderness (Jer 9: 2). But our Christ works through all and as the Apostle Paul says, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Tim 1: 12). Saint Peter wrote, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (1 Pet 4: 19). Thus, even the ascetic hermit cannot escape the feeling of responsibility to work in one way or another for the sanctification of the world. The Son did not pray to the Father to send a chariot of fire to carry His disciples to heaven and take them away from the evil world. The second way is to grant them the spirit of strength and triumph over evil in the world. This is what the Lord asked for His disciples, that God should keep them from corruption in the world. He, therefore, entrusts them to the bosom of the Father so that the evil one may not approach. He does not pray that God should keep them by removing trials and tribulation from their path, but that they experience victory in their struggle against evil and that they testify to the power of the rich grace working in them. 31 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 108: 1. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * What does the Lord Jesus Christ say to the Father? “Keep them from the evil one.” This means keep them from evil conduct, from sin, and from feebleness of the heart.32 * He does not pray that they may be saved from trials only, but also that they may persevere in their faith.33 Saint John Chrysostom * Their existence in the world is important even though they are not of the world.34 Saint Augustine “They are not of the world, Just as I am not of the world.” [16] He prays that God should keep them because they have become like Him. As they became similar to their Christ, they are no longer of the world. They are not preoccupied with the pleasures of the world. They are not troubled by its problems because the service of their Christ occupies their thoughts and fills their hearts. * If you say, ‘What does the Lord mean by saying that His disciples “are not of the world”?’ I answer, ‘They look at another world and have nothing of the earth. They have become like the citizens of heaven. In these words the Lord revealed His love for them, for He praises them and raises their praise to His Father to whom He entrusts them.’ Saint John Chrysostom * It may be asked, ‘If they are not anymore of the world, whether they are or are no longer sanctified indeed in the truth, how then does He pray that God should not take them out of the world?’ That is because those who have been sanctified must remain so that they may grow in sanctity and in holiness. This is not achieved without the grace of God who sanctifies their growth as He sanctified them at the beginning. Concerning this point Paul says, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1: 6).35 Saint Augustine 4 – A Prayer for Them to Be Sanctified “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” [17] What does “sanctify” mean? The work of God in them does not stop at keeping them from evil and the evil one. It extends to the positive work such as acting in holiness, goodness, and righteous work. He prays that their hearts may burn with the love of holiness. Their 32 Hom 1. On Gal. PG 61: 664. 33 Hom. 82. PG 59: 483. 34 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 108: 2. 35 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 108: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ sanctification implies also continual growth in faith and inflammation of the heart with the Spirit of God. The means of sanctification is “by Your truth”, meaning the word of God. By the Word and by prayer every act of the Church, such as the holy sacraments, is sanctified. The spirits of God’s servants are also sanctified. The prophets did their work through sanctification. Jeremiah (Jer 1: 5) and the Levite priests also acted by sanctification. The servants in the New Covenant are likewise sanctified and consecrated (Rom 1: 1). The Lord Jesus Christ as High Priest sanctifies the priests. The word “sanctify” ‘Hagiason’ is derived from two syllables: “A” or “Ha” which in Greek, means a negative, and “gee” means “earth.” So, the word means “no earth.” Consequently, sanctification implies removing what is of the earth from the heart so that the heart may devote itself to the love, worship, and service of God. It also implies “purity” since the heart is purified of all temporary blemish and acquires a heavenly spiritual quality. The priest or servant who is troubled by worldly concerns even in the service of the Church dishonors the Gospel and loses divine truth. He loses the holiness of his heart. The word “sacred” in Hebrew means offering a sacrifice. The sacrifice is dedicated to God alone and its goal is that the people, as God's people, enjoy communion with the Holy God. The quality of “holiness” belongs to the Holy God alone. For this reason, the heavenly hosts praise Him saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Our holiness then has no other meaning but our unification with the Holy and sharing with Him a divine nature. A holy life is not merely good conduct but is a relation to the divine life and experiencing the work of the Holy God. * What does He mean by His words, “Sanctify them in Your truth” [17] but to say, ‘Sanctify them in Me.’ The Father sanctifies in the truth, that is His Word, His Only Begotten Son. He sanctifies His heirs and the heirs with the Son.36 Saint Augustine + “Sanctify them in Your truth” meaning ‘Make them holy by giving them the Spirit and true teachings.’ Just as He said, “You are already clean because of the word, which I have spoken to you (Jn 15: 3); now He says the same thing: ‘Guide them; teach them the truth.’ For, uttering the right teachings concerning God sanctifies the soul. He says that they are sanctified by the word, but this does not only indicate the wonderful works, for the word of God also purifies. But “sanctify them” seems to me also to reveal another similar demand; that is ‘Consecrate them (isolate them) for the word and the Gospel.’ This is shown in what is said later.37 Saint John Chrysostom + The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit sanctify together, give life, light and rest. Let no one refer sanctification particularly and especially to the energy of the Spirit alone. After hearing the Savior’s words, ‘Sanctify them in Your name’ (John 17: 11, 17), it is clear that all energy is 36 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 108: 3. 37 Hom. 82. PG 59: 483-484. https://coptic-treasures.com/ achieved equally for those qualified by means of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This energy is in every grace, virtue, guidance, life, consolation, change to immortality and crossing to eternal life, and in all other good blessings descending on the human being.38 Saint Basil the Great * Just as the Father sanctifies, the Son also sanctifies and the Holy Spirit sanctifies. The Father sanctifies, as it is written, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes 5: 23). And in a different place, the Father sanctifies, “Father, sanctify them by Your truth” [17]. The same Apostle says concerning the Son, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor 1: 30). The Apostle teaches also that the Holy Spirit sanctifies. He says, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thes 2: 13). However, sanctification is one because baptism is one and the blessing of the sacrament is one.39 Saint Ambrose “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” [18] The Son devoted Himself to the work of salvation and, therefore, the Father sent Him on a mission to fulfill that divine act. He has been called, “Advocate” (1 Jn 2: 1), “Apostle” (Heb 3: 1), “servant” (Rom 15: 8) and “sent forth (Gal 4: 4). However, He was sent forth as Son of God, not like the servants and bondservants. Why does He link His mission from the Father to His own mission? That is because the mission is difficult and the task is arduous. Therefore, He wanted to affirm to them that He supports them. He works with, through, and in them, for their work is a continuation of His work. The Lord Jesus Christ, as Son of Man, accepted gifts for the sake of men (Ps 68: 18). He then gave those gifts to men (Eph 4: 8). As He offered Himself as a sacrifice, He opened the way for His apostles to partake of His practical love and, through abiding in Him, become holy offerings (Phil 2: 17; 2 Tim 4: 6). The death of the saints became dear to God because their death was linked to that of Christ. 38 Letter 189 to Eustathius, 7. 39 Of the Holy Spirit Book 3: 4: 25-28. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * The Father sent His Son, not in the sinful flesh, but in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom 8: 3). His Son then sent those who were born in the sinful flesh, after they were sanctified through Him and were purified from the contamination of sin.40 Saint Augustine * He was accustomed to speak about the future as though it actually happened.41 Saint John Chrysostom “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, That they also may be sanctified by the truth.” [19] As He willingly gives Himself up to death so that He may save humanity, He says He thus sanctifies Himself or consecrates all His life to achieve our salvation. And, as the apostle Paul says, “But Christ…with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Heb 9: 11-12). He devoted all His life for the redemption of the human race. Nothing else absorbed Him especially that He is the only One who can offer Himself a sacrifice without blemish to save the entire world. Now, being the High Priest and at the same time the sacrifice, He sanctifies Himself not by any outside power. He does not need the blood of animals to sanctify Him, for He is without sin. But He wills to devote all His power even to death on the Cross to sanctify His servants and people. Just as the Son devoted His mission to the salvation of humanity since nothing but human beings preoccupied Him, likewise the believer is sanctified and consecrates all his ability and time for Christ who is “the truth.” This is the pleasure that Paul the apostle experienced and, therefore, described himself as “separated to the gospel of God” (Rom 1: 1). This is what the prophets obtained and so heard the divine voice saying, “before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you” (Jer 1: 5). This was the perception of the Levite priests: that they are consecrated for the service of God. The believer also, even though he does not dedicate his time to service, to preaching and worship, his heart is still sanctified as he does everything, even his food, drink and sleep, for the glory of God. * Here He says that He sanctifies Himself. He does not say that He helps Himself to be sanctified by purification of the spirit or soul. Nor does He desire to partake of the Holy Spirit since the Holy Spirit is in His essence and He is forever and ever Holy and will remain so. He says here, “I sanctify Myself” because I offer Myself and present Myself as a sacrifice without blemish, for a sweet smelling aroma, because the offering brought to the holy altar is sanctified or is called, according to the Law, holy.42 * As He is with the Father in existence eternally, He accepts being His Son in the Spirit. And as in the flesh He became similar to the adopted children of God; therefore, it is said that He was 40 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 108: 4. 41 Hom. 82. PG 59: 484. 42 Comm. On John 6: 51. https://coptic-treasures.com/ sanctified. For, sanctification refers to His humanity or the flesh because human nature cannot acquire holiness of itself.43 Saint Cyril the Great * What does He mean by, “I sanctify Myself”? He means, ‘I offer Myself a sacrifice because all sacrifice is called holy and those offered to God are in particular sacred. He says this either because their Head was on the way to be so, or because they also offer a sacrifice, for it is said, “present your bodies a living sacrifice” (Rom 12: 1).44 Saint John Chrysostom * The Lord said these words in order that we may know that He is sanctified in the flesh for our sakes and also is sanctified in His divinity.45 Saint Ambrose * The Word was not only sanctified as a man, but He also sanctifies Himself. He is the source of sanctification for His humanity. Saint Cyril the Great affirms that the Lord sanctifies His flesh. He receives the Spirit, His Spirit. He accepts the Spirit as a man, but He grants the Spirit to Himself as He is God. He did that for our sake, not for His own sake.46 * The Word who dwells in His flesh sanctifies His own form by the Holy Spirit and transforms His shape to the image (power) of His nature.47 * Someone may claim that the Lord Jesus Christ was sanctified by the Holy Spirit and used the Spirit as a power other than His own. That is to say, He obtained the force against the evil spirits and the ability to perform miracles in front of the people through the Spirit. If someone says this but does not confess that the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ and by Him He does the divine work, that individual must be anathema. Anathema 9 by Saint Cyril the Great * What did He mean by, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself” [19]? The meaning is, ‘I sanctify them in Me because they are (part) of Me.’ Those He speaks about are His members. The Head with the members is Christ. This is what the Apostle teaches as he speaks about Abraham’s seed. The Apostle writes, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed.” The Apostle says this after saying, “He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ.” (Gal 3: 16-29) What does he declare to them when he says, “you are Abraham’s seed” but that, you are Christ’s? In the same sense the same Apostle writes in a different epistle, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (Col 1: 24). He does not say, ‘my afflictions’, but says, “the afflictions of Christ” because he is a member of Christ and in his oppression he filled up his share of the afflictions, for it was destined for Christ to bear pain in His entire body. And, so that you may be sure of that meaning in the statement before us, read what follows: “that they also 43 Dialogue 6 PG 75: 1008D. 44 Hom. 82. 45 Of the Christian Faith, 2: 9 (78). 46 In Joannis Evangelium 11 PG 74: 548B. 47 In Joannis Evangelium 11. PG 74: 549. https://coptic-treasures.com/ may be sanctified by the truth” [19]. This only means “by Me” according to the fact that the Truth was the Word who was in the beginning and was God.48 Saint Augustine 5 – A Prayer for Unity “I do not pray for these alone, But also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” [20] He prays for those who believe in Him through the word of His disciples and apostles. This prayer extends across the ages and carries all souls so that they may rejoice in the redemptive prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ for their sakes. They will then be protected in His honorable blood, sanctified and united with the other members. His farewell prayer extends to include all those who are ready to accept salvation across the generations and to the end of time. For, He is the Intercessor by His blood for all those who accept His redemptive act so that all may become one. They will then enjoy true unity, pure heavenly wisdom, and glory from the Father. Why is this prayer only for those who believe in Him equally in the present and the future, while we should pray for all humanity? We have already said that He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, but He does not force anyone to be saved or to come to the knowledge of the truth. As He knows who will reject Him, He does not pray against them, but He does not intercede for them and their salvation since they insist on refusing salvation, lest it might be thought that He compels them to accept the faith, or that His prayer is ineffective, God forbid! On the other hand, we do not know who are believers and abide in the faith and who definitely refuse or deny later, therefore it befits us to pray for all. He prays on behalf of the weak in faith so that they may become strong and abide in Him. He also prays for those who in the future will believe. * The Lord Jesus Christ says about His disciples, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself” [19]. But lest someone may think that what He does is for the sake of His apostles only, He says, here, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” He thus comforts the spirits of His apostles by showing them that many will become their disciples. He cheers them also by revealing to them that they will become the agents of salvation for many people. Saint John Chrysostom * Since the apostles who accompanied Him preached the word of faith in this manner at the beginning, their message was therefore called “their word” [20], but in all cases this is no reason to think that their word is not ‘the word of God’ because it was called “their word.” Therefore, the Apostle says to the Thessalonians, “when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thes 48 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 108: 5. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 2: 13). It is the word of God because it was granted freely by God, but it is called “their word” because it was given to them chiefly and at the beginning so that they may preach it.49 Saint Augustine “…that they may be one, 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.” [21] After He prays for their protection from the evil one and for their sanctity, He prays for the unity of the entire Church that will be established only after evil is cast out. For, evil causes rivalry and division, but holy life grants love and unity. Unity is based on the action of God in the life of the servants (the apostles, disciples, and priests) just as His deed is in all believers among the people. The Lord Jesus Christ repeats the clause “that they may be” seven times (verses 11, 19, 21 twice, 22, 23, 24). Four of the seven times He prays that His followers may be one. Thus was Jesus the Lord of glory concerned in particular with unity. Unity preoccupied the heart of the Lord Christ, for He had prayed for it [13] and He now prays persistently to the Father for it. He desires that the inner relationship in the Church may be similar to the relationship between the Father and the Son. This is what the Lord repeats in His prayer. The secret of the unity of the Church is in that the Church clings to the Holy Trinity who has a unique unity in essence. It is also in that the believers’ hearts may be filled with love so that everyone may have a place there. Pray that all become one: one body, one heart, one thought, one hope, and one in enjoying the divine promises. This prayer was fulfilled in the first Church when the ministers and the people had one faith and one heart, although they had different cultures among the Gentiles. Each expressed his faith in the way that befitted him, but believers of Jewish origin united with Christians of Gentile origin in one body. We are quite sure that Christ’s farewell prayer will be fulfilled when the Church in the entire world will unite round one faith with one spirit and one aim, that is meeting the Lord Jesus Christ eternally and carrying the spirit of adopted children to the one Father. * “That they may be one in Us” means that they may be one in believing in Us. * What does “in Us” mean? It means belief in Us. For, as there is no harm done to humanity more than division, it is a prerequisite that they become one. All believers through the apostles are one, though some have seceded.50 Saint John Chrysostom * We must verify how God the Father is, how the believer will finally be, and how the saints have been promised to be like the Father and the Son, that they become one in themselves and become one in the Father and the Son.51 49 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 109: 5. 50 Hom. 82. PG 59: 484. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * The truth must be imprinted in the mind in more details. We are not one in the Father and the Son in essence, but by grace, for the essence of the human spirit and that of God cannot be one as the followers of Mani claim.52 * John the Evangelist who drank the word in Christ’s bosom says, “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit….Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4: 13, 15). If you believe in Christ, as the apostles believed, you become one body with them in Christ. But if you are quick in claiming that you have faith and works like them while you do not have the same faith and deeds, you will not be able to have the same position they have.53 * “Do you not know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 3: 16; 6: 19)? He says, “temple”, not ‘temples’, to show that God dwells in all similarly. Call the Church what you like: bride, sister, mother, for the gathering of the Church is one only. The Church does not need a husband, a brother, or a son. The belief of the Church is one, and the Church is not contaminated with various teachings nor divided by heresy. The Church remains a virgin and where the Lamb goes the Church follows. Only the Church knows the song of Christ.54 Saint Jerome * The Trinity is in us and we are in the Trinity for the Three are One in essence and we are one in nature. The Trinity is in us as God is in His temple. We are in the Trinity as creation in the Creator.55 * “That they also may be one in Us” [21]. He adds, “in Us” so that we may know that our becoming one in that love in the one faith is referred to God’s grace, not to ourselves. But as the Apostle says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light” and lest one refers this to himself, the Apostle adds, “in the Lord” (Eph 5: 8).56 Saint Augustine * It is more appropriate here to quote the words of the Gospel, “that they all may be one, 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” (Jn 17: 21). O, the majesty and glory that holds this unity! The Holy Spirit is that glory and majesty. No one who examines carefully the words of the Lord Jesus Christ who says, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them” (Jn 17: 22) can deny that. In truth the Lord Jesus Christ gave that glory to His disciples when He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20: 22). The Word of God received that glory that He had before the creation of the world, when He took human nature for Himself. Therefore, human nature was glorified by the Holy Spirit. 51 Letter. 124: 10. 52 Against Jovinianus, 2: 29. 53 Against Jovinianus, 2: 19. 54 Against Jovinianus, 2: 19. 55 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 110: 1. 56 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 110: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ From that relation results the distribution of glory of the Holy Spirit to everyone united in Christ, beginning with the disciples. Christ thus says, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” John 17: 22-23). Whoever grows quickly from youth to a perfect man arrives at the level of this spiritual stature (Eph 4: 13). Even though he was born a slave, or a bondsman, he will obtain the royal merit and the glory of the Holy Spirit in purity. This is the undefiled dove that the Bridegroom looks for when He says, “My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her.”57 Saint Gregory of Nyssa “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, That they may be one just as We are one” [22] This may refer to the glory that the Word incarnate obtains by performing the miracles and attracting the lost souls to their salvation. For He grants His disciples this ability in His Holy name, for He is not ashamed to call them brethren (Heb 2: 11). They receive adoption by the Father and have this glory, the glory of adopted children. But they do not obtain it in essence like the Lord; for they obtain it by grace. Glory is a divine gift: “The Lord will give grace and glory” (Ps 84: 11). Through the suffering on the Cross the Lord carries us to His glory: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb 2: 10). As our hearts soar we see that Glory about which it has been said that the angels cover their faces before Him. This Glory shines on the heavenly sublime Jerusalem, for the Lamb is the light of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21: 23). The world does not know God the Grantor of knowledge of life and unity with Him. But believers know Him as their Father with whom they are united. They experience His continual love and they offer Him an uninterrupted thanksgiving offering. The Lord Christ affirms that the source of the unity that believers enjoy is in His acceptance as Son of Man of glory from the Father to give it to His believers. Thus, our abiding in the One Christ and our pleasure in having that glory are our way to this true unity. The unity of the Church is real; it is a divine blessing and a living testimony that Christ is the true Messiah. It is a testimony of the great love of God for mankind. The Lord Jesus Christ, thus, stresses unity as a basic and essential matter. It is not a superficial unity such as in the meetings of church leaders; it is rather the unity of the action of the Holy Spirit who gathers all in the spirit and in divine power to a perfect and holy aim, not on 57 Song of Solomon by Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, translated into Arabic by Dr. George Nawar, sermon 15. https://coptic-treasures.com/ the level of Church politics. The center of this unity is that all become one in the Father and the Son, just as They are One. Whoever accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as the “Way” walks through Him to the Father’s bosom united with Him and walks through Him to the hearts of the believers to experience the unity of the brethren. As the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, some people consider Him the Spirit of unity. He grants unity; He unites all to work all in all (1 Cor 12: 4). * “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them” so that by signs and doctrine they must be one spirit. For, this is the glory: that they become one and this is even greater than the signs. Just as we glorify God in whose essence there is no conflict or difference, and this is His great glory, He says ‘may these qualities were also causes of glory to them.’ One may ask, ‘How does He pray to the Father to give them glory and yet He says that He Himself has given them that same glory?'’ The answer is, ‘whether His sermon is about the signs or about harmony and peace among them, He grants them those gifts, while He prays that the Father may give them peace (He prays to the Father on their behalf).'58 Saint John Chrysostom * He is Jesus who prays, “as You, Father are in Me, and I in You; that they may be one in Us” (Jn 17: 21). For, if God who is One is in everyone, He will make all become one and the number will be lost in the unity.59 Saint Basil * What was that glory but immortality that human nature accepts in Him? For He did not accept that alone, but in His usual way according to His anticipated fixed dispensation He refers to the future using the past tense. For, now that He is in His glory, that is His resurrection by the Father, He raises us He Himself to the same glory at the end. What He says here is similar to what He says in a different context, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.” The Father does not work in one manner, and the Son works in another manner. They work ‘in the same manner’ (See John 5: 21, 19). In that Christ has risen by Himself, the Lord indicated earlier, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn 2: 19). Thus, the glory of immortality that He said He took from the Father, it is understood, He also gave to Himself, though He did not say so.60 Saint Augustine * Love casts out fear and as the Apostle says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 Jn 4: 18). But if fear changes into love, that unity is achieved as a result of redemption. For all are united with that one good through the perfection symbolized by the dove: “My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her” (Song of Solomon 6: 9). 58 Homilies on St. John, 82: 2. 59 Letter 8 to Caesareans, 7. 60 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 110: 3. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The Lord Jesus Christ explains this idea in the Gospel more clearly. When He gave the disciples all power through His grace, He also gave blessings to His saints through His prayer to the Father. He crowned these blessings when He added, “ And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (Jn 17: 22). This means, they must not differ in doing what is good; they must unite in one thought through the unity of the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul writes, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit” (Eph 4: 3).61 Saint Gregory of Nyssa “I in them, and You in Me; That they may be made perfect in one, And that the world may know that You have sent Me, And have loved them as You have loved Me.” [23] * Is it true that human beings can, with God the Father’s grace, love that same love of the Son in whom the Father is well pleased (Matt 3: 17)? This is the pleasure of the Father in Himself, and we are His pleasure through the Son. We in whom God sees the image of the Son through adopting us and therefore are His children. Eternal love in God’s essence is one thing; love through grace is another. The Father loves the Son a perfect, eternally secure love. As for us, our growth in grace qualifies us for God’s love.62 Saint Ambrose * How does He give them glory? By being in them, He and with Him the Father, so that they unite. He shows that peace is more powerful than miracles in attracting men. Just as conflict causes separation, peace grants unity.63 * The Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear here that He does not love His disciples alone, but His Father also loves them. Saint John Chrysostom * “I in them, and You in Me” [23] meaning ‘I am with those You have sent Me to and You are in Me, I who reconcile the world with You through Me.’64 Saint Augustine * The Father loves us in the Son because He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph 1: 4). For, He who loves His Only Begotten Son, surely loves the Son’s members through His work. He has engrafted us in Him through adoption, but in this we are not equal to the Only Begotten Son through whom we were made and recreated. For He says, “I have loved them as 61 Song of Solomon by Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, translated into Arabic by Dr. George Nawar, sermon 15. 62 On the Christian Faith, Book 5: 7: 89-90. 63 Homilies on St. John, 82: 2. 64 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 110: 4. https://coptic-treasures.com/ You have loved Me.” A person is not always equal to another when it is said, ‘as this so is the other.’ He loves the Son as divinity, for He begot Him equal to Himself. He loves Him also in the flesh, because the Only Begotten Son became man. He loves Him as the Word for the body of the Word is dear to Him. But as for us, as we are members of Him whom He loves, and so that we may be so, He loved us for that reason before He created us.65 Saint Augustine 6 – A Prayer for Them to Be Glorified “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me May be with Me where I am, That they may behold My glory which You have given Me; For You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” [24] * The aim of the Lord Jesus Christ’s redemptive intercession for those who believe in Him is that they enjoy existing with Him eternally in heaven. After He prays that they may be protected in the Holy Name, in sanctification, and in unity, He prays for their glory. As the Psalmist says, “The Lord will give grace and glory” (Ps 84: 11). This is God’s plan concerning us that we may be blessed with eternal union with Him, in the Kingdom of Heaven, and with a life blessed and glorious. What is heaven? It is where the Lord Jesus Christ is: “with Me where I am.” His presence is the heaven of heavens, the perfect blessing and the joy. Heaven is to be with Him (Phil 1: 23). It is seeing the glory of the Son before whom the angels cover their faces (Jn 12: 41). The Lamb is the light of the uppermost New Jerusalem (Rev 21: 23). Just as the bride shines with the light of her groom, the radiant glory shines on the Church that carries His icon and rises from glory to glory. He prays to the Father who has authority to give eternal life. He speaks as King of kings, as the greatest Chief Priest, as Savior of the world, and as the Offering of love for humanity and obedience to the Father. He prays from a superior position of power as the Son of God, the Only Begotten Son who grants life. * He says, “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am.” This is what they desired to know, for they often said, “Lord, where are You going?” (Jn 13: 36) The Lord says to the Father, “that they may behold My glory” as He mentions here, in a mysterious way, that perfect peace is in that His disciples look at the Son of God and this will make them glorified. This is what the Apostle Paul means when he says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor 3: 18). And just as those who look at the sun and enjoy the gentle wind enjoy themselves by doing that, this will be our 65 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 110: 5. https://coptic-treasures.com/ case. For that sight of the glory of the Lord gives us much more pleasure than the joy of those who look at the radiant sun.. Saint John Chrysostom * The glory that the Word has is also the glory of the Father. The Apostle writes, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2: 10-11). Therefore, concerning His divinity, the Son has His glory, and the glory of the Father and that of the Son is one. The Son is not less than the Father in majesty, for the glory is one. Neither is He less in divinity, for the fullness of divinity is in Christ.66 Saint Ambrose * Undoubtedly it is enough that He says, “I desire that those may be with Me where I am” and He says, “with Me” because being with Him is the greatest blessing. We cannot doubt that the true believer is with Christ in faith. For, about this, He says, “he who is not with Me is against Me” (Matt 12: 30). But when He said, “I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am” He spoke particularly about that vision when we see Him as He is (1 Jn 3: 2).67 Saint Augustine “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, But I have known You, And those have known that You sent Me.” [25] When He prayed that they may be sanctified He called the Father, “Holy Father”; now that He prays that they may be glorified, He calls the Father, “O righteous Father.” The glory that we may have is the crown of the righteousness that the righteous Judge gives us. The righteousness of God is the source of all good and glory for us; that glory which the righteous Father promised us and which the crucified Son offered as a price that we may be qualified to have it. * He has shown us here that no one knows God the Father unless he knows God’s Son. As though the Lord Jesus Christ says to the Father, ‘I wished that the people may have their share, but they did not know You.’ And I think that He says this here finding their stupidity difficult to accept because they refused to know that He is good and righteous. Saint John Chrysostom * Because You are righteous the world does not know You. That is the world destined to judgment that it truly deserves. But the world that has been reconciled through Christ is qualified to know You, not because it is itself worthy, but through grace. For, what does He mean by knowing Him, but having eternal life? That eternal life He bars from the world that will be judged, and gives to the world reconciled with Him. Thus, the world does not know You because You are righteous and in return the world gets what it deserves, that is not knowing You. In the same way, the world reconciled with You knows that You are merciful, not because it is itself worthy but it is given grace because it needs help to know You. 66 Of the Christian Faith, 2, 9 (82). 67 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 111: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ He then says, “but I have known You” [25]. He is the spring of grace Who in essence is God and by grace became man, indescribable, by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin, and as God’s grace is through our Lord Jesus Christ, He adds, “and these have known that You sent Me” [25]. This is the case of the world that is reconciled with Him. ‘But because You sent Me they knew’, that is, through grace they knew.68 Saint Augustine “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, That the love with which You loved Me may be in them, And I in them.” [26] He concludes His farewell prayer by praying that they may have divine knowledge. After He prays that God may keep them from evil, He prays that He may sanctify them for the divine work. Then He prays that they may have heavenly unity, and now He prays that they may have that knowledge that is fulfilled only when they lift up their hearts to live in heaven and discover divine glory. The knowledge that we enjoy is the fruit of our unity with Him; we know the Son who carries us up to the knowledge of the Father. It is a knowledge that grows continually: “I declared to them Your name, and will declare it.” This is the knowledge of God’s mysteries: that the Son who alone perfectly knows the divine mysteries presents, for He is one with His Father. We have known the Son and He has taken us to the knowledge of the name of the Father. He will also give us knowledge through our growth in our holy love, and through our continual discovery of God’s love and the dwelling of the Word in our hearts. Knowledge is a dynamic process that does not stop. Through grace, the believer continues to grow in the knowledge of the Father who grants gifts. The believer grows in the knowledge also of the Son who is the Messiah fulfilling salvation. And he grows in the knowledge of the Holy Spirit whom the Lord in His prayer calls “the Spirit of truth.” Among the blessings of unity is that believers experience the love of the Father for them through His love for His Only Begotten Son. They rejoice in the divine love and in that the Son dwells in them. For, the Son is love in them; He is the source of perfect joy (Jn 17: 13). * We also will rejoice in accordance to our measure if we are wise. Therefore, Paul says, “if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together” (Rom 8: 17). But there are those who act against themselves because of their laziness and sleep. When such glory, rather than being sent into Hades, is shown to them, when they can reign and be glorified with the Son of God yet they still deprive themselves of such great blessings; then they deserve a profusion of tears and they become more miserable than any being.69 68 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 101: 5. 69 Homilies on St. John, 80: 3. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * Do you see how the Lord reaches a good aim with His words? The good aim is love that is the source and perfection of all good work. May we, therefore, know God and love Him so that it may not be said, “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him” (Titus 1: 16). Once more, it is written, “he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5: 8) because while the unbeliever cares for his family, relatives and strangers, he who denies the faith neglects even his family. For, what excuse do you have when they blaspheme against God and disrespect Him because of you?70 Saint John Chrysostom * I have declared to them Your name through faith and I will declare it publicly. I have declared Your name to those whose journey on the strange earth has a definite end. I will declare Your name to those whose kingdom will have no end.71 * Christ’s prayer ends and His suffering begins.72 Saint Augustine 70 Homilies on St. John, 82: 3-4. 71 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 101: 6. 72 St. Augustine: On the Gospel of St. John, tractate, 101: 6. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Meditations Inspired By The Gospel of St John, Ch 17 Do You Lack Glory, O You wholly glorious? + I stood among Your disciples, amazed! I heard You pray ‘Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You! Do You lack glory, O You wholly glorious glory? And does the Father need glory, He who dwells in unapproachable light? + Your glory and Your Father’s glory are one, That the fallen humanity may be glorified with heavenly glory! You desire all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. You desire that dust may become heaven! That the corrupt may rejoice in incorruption! This is the wonderful glory! + Carry me to where You speak to Your Father. My spirit will then be comforted in this dark world As long as You put the souls of Your believers in Your Father’s safe They will be protected and no thief can come near them! + You carry them to Your Holy Father! So that just as You have consecrated Your life for our sanctity We may be sanctified in You, And we may be considered holy and righteous before Your Father. + Carry us all to the Father As members of Your one body So that the spirit of division may not sneak in! But that we may enjoy eternal and true unity! + You pray for us because You are the heavenly High Priest You pray on our behalf because You are the Head of the Church You alone can, through Your blood, request Because through Your Cross You raised us up to heaven You hid us in Your pierced side And with Your blood You bought and redeemed us! + Your prayer is certainly fulfilled in us! When we see You in Your glory We rejoice in the radiance of Your glory covering all Your Church https://coptic-treasures.com/ And all are glorified through You and in You forever! Amen
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