John 17:11

“And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world and I come to you. Holy Father, keep those whom you have given me in your name that they may be one even as we are.”

Jesus stresses the disciples' predicament. They are still in the world which is at enmity with God, while He will no longer be with them but will have gone to the Father. He knows what the world is about to do to Him. And He is leaving them in the world knowing that the world will seek to do the same to them. So He prays the Father to keep them in His name. The Shepherd has temporarily to leave them and commits the sheep into the hands of the Gatekeeper and His large fold. The work of the Holy Spirit, enlarged on in Chapter s 14-16, is assumed.

‘Holy Father'. This is a unique title for One Who is unique. It stresses that He is the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy (Isaiah 57:15). He is ‘Holy' because He is set apart from all others in His uniqueness, and is above all others because of what He essentially is. Thus He dwells in the high and holy place. But He is nevertheless Father to His own. He dwells there with those who are of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirits of the humble and to revive the hearts of the contrite (Isaiah 57:15). The title ‘Father' tells of His high authority and His loving concern, ‘Holy' warns that we must not presume upon it. We must never forget that God is holy and that we should tremble before Him, while at the same time finding joy in His presence.

‘Keep them in your name.' The Father, the Holy One, will keep them with Him (keep them in His Name) and maintain them in His high and lofty place (‘the heavenly places' of Ephesians 1:19 to Ephesians 2:6) in accordance with His name. Their lives will be hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Thus separated to Him they will be one in holiness.

Alternatively this may signify their being kept faithful to His truth, so that they are one in the truth, but this is anyway presupposed in their being with Him.

‘That they may be one even as We are.' It is Jesus' great concern that the full spiritual unity of the Apostles be maintained, a unity like that between the Son and the Father, working together as one. Jesus recognises how vital that will be for the fulfilment of their task. In the past there have been jealousies and self-seeking, but through oneness with God's holiness He prays that such things will cease.

This is not just a matter of simply getting all denominations together, for it does not refer to an outward form of ‘unity' which would but conceal many differences. Rather it is a unity of heart and spirit that can, and should, exist between members of differing denominations as they all see themselves primarily as ‘Christians'.