Holy Father (John 17:11)

2024-04-26

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11)

In this High Priestly Prayer, Jesus tells the Father that He is going to Him. This means that His people will no longer have Him: “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name” (John 17:12). Now the Lord asks His Father to keep them.

We see a great interaction and union between the Father, the Son, and His people. It is a wonderful thing to be held tightly in the arms of God.

We see the Father is called “Holy Father.” He is the only Holy Father. While there is peace in knowing that we are in His hands, there should also be fear because He is holy, and we are not holy. The only holiness we have is derived from Him; it is His. Because we are in Christ, we have His holiness.

There is a purpose statement for our Father keeping us: “...that they may be one, as we are.” We do not belong just to ourselves in our union with Christ and the Father; we have union one with another as Christians together with the Father and the Son.