Jesus had revealed the Father to His disciples whom the Father had given Him out of the world. They belonged to the Father, He gave them to Jesus, and they obeyed the Father’s words. Now the disciples knew that everything the Father had given Jesus was truly from the Father. Jesus had given to them the very words that the Father had given Him. They received and believed what Jesus had told them and now knew that He came from the Father.
Jesus prayed for His disciples. He didn’t pray for the world but He did for these chosen vessels whom the Father had given Him because they belonged to the Father. All who belong to Jesus also belong to the Father, and He was glorified in them. Jesus was leaving this world to go to the Father; His disciples would remain in the world. Jesus asked the Father to keep His disciples in the Father so that they would be one just like Jesus was one with His Father. This is amazing to think about. Jesus is asking His Father to make these disciples to be as close to the Father and the Son is to His Father. This was a marvelous request by Jesus.
Our Lord Jesus prayed saying that while He was with His disciples in the world He kept them in the Father’s holy name. These disciples whom the Father gave to Him were kept or preserved in grace by Jesus. Not one of the disciples was lost to damnation except the son of perdition, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. This was all done to fulfill what was written in the Word of God. Jesus will also keep all believers saved by that same grace!
Now Jesus was coming to His Father, and the things He was speaking would cause His disciples to have the same joy that He had. Jesus had given them the Word of God; however, the world hated them because they were not of the world just as Jesus was not of the world. Jesus did not pray for the Father to take them out of the world but that He would keep them safe from the evil one, Satan. Jesus was not of this evil world system and neither were His disciples. The world system glorifies the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Jesus and His disciples would have none of that. Jesus prayed that His Father would set them apart for holy purposes by the truth of God’s word. He also asked that the Father set Him apart for holy purposes so that His disciples would see and know the truth, that Jesus is the Truth of God as the living Word of God.