John 17:6-8 (ESV Strong’s Bible)
“6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
The word manifested means to make evident. In the context of this verse, it means to reveal God’s true character. Jesus is praying His High Priestly prayer and, after having prayed for himself in verses 1-5, He now starts to pray for His disciples. We know that at this stage Jesus was only praying for those that believed in Him while He was in the world and were with Him as He was praying. We know this because in verse 20, Jesus says that I do not pray for these only but also for those who will beleive through the disciples’s words. So, at this stage of the prayer, Jesus is only praying for His immediate disciples.
In the prayer for His disciples Jesus, starts by saying that He has revealed God and His true Character to the disciples. The same disciples that God gave to Him out of the world. Out of the whole world, these are the disciples that God chose and these are the disciples that God gave to Jesus. Jesus said, these disciples that God gave to Him, belonged to God, and God gave them to Him. We need to emphasize at this point that these disciples that God gave to Jesus, are in the world, they live in the world and initially belonged to God. Why? Because God chose them before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).
We again here, see the display of God’s sovereign will. These disciples were chosen by God and belonged to God. They did not chose God but were chosen by God. It is these very same disciples that God gave to Jesus while He was on earth. Jesus did say in John 6:44 that no one comes to Him unless God draws him. We know that these are not the only disciples that God will give Him because of verse 20. In verse 20 Jesus says that I do not pray for these only but also for those who will beleive through the disciples’s words.
Now, Jesus ends off this verse by saying, these disciples have kept God’s word. We see two sides here. On one side, God has chosen the disciples and they belong to Him and on the other side, the disciples have kept God’s word. Therefore, although they were chosen before the foundation of the world, they still needed to keep God’s word. The word kept means to obey. So, they have obeyed God’s word.
7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.”
Jesus then said, as He continued with His prayer, these disciples that God gave Him, these very same disciples that obeyed God’s word, now they know that everything that God has given Him, is from God. The disciples now beleive Jesus. They beleive that everything that He has, He was given by God. Jesus then gives 4 reasons why He says that the disciples now know that everything that He has is from God:
1. Jesus has given them the words that God gave Him to tell them
2. They have recieved the words
3. They know that Jesus is from God
4. They beleive that Jesus was sent by God.
The first reason is in line with John 12:49 where Jesus indicated that it is God who gave Him a commandment of what to say or speak. The second, third and fourth is in line with John 16:27;30 where the disciples confirm that they now beleive that Jesus was send by God and knows all things and there is no need to question Him. Thus indicating that the disciples were also accepting the words that Jesus has said.
Jesus said, for this reason, now the disciples know that everything that He had, was from God.
Jesus not only revealed God and His true character to His disciples but, He has through the bible and the Holy Spirit, revealed God and His true character also to us. We also belong to God and God has given us to Jesus because we have recieved, obeyed and continue to obey God’s words. We know that Jesus is from God and was sent by God. We also confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and beleive in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. Now, we continue to live a life that displays our faith, by doing good works that God planned before hand that we should walk in, when He created us in Christ and having chosen us before the foundation of the world.