John 17 - NIV Bible - INTERCESSION OF THE SON OF GOD  A PREFACE:  Instructions By The Son Of God -- Concerning Forgiveness (John 13:1-5) " It was just before the Passover Feast.  Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.  The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.  Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." There is further discourse and instructions from Jesus concerning:  his betrayal, his departure, heaven, the Holy Spirit, peace, fruitfulness, the world, and his return.  (John 17)   (..."he looked toward heaven and prayed") "Father, the time has come.  Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in you presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.  I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.  They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.  Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.  For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them.  They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.  I pray for them.  I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.  All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.  And glory has come to me through them.  I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name -- the name you gave me -- so that they may be one as we are one.  While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.  None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.  I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.  Sanctify them by the truth;  your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone,  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  that all of them may be one,  Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me,  that they may be one as we are one;  I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.  Righteous Father, though the world does not know you,  I know you,  and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." CONCLUSION:  (John 18:1)  "When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.  On the other side there was an olive garden,  and he and his disciples went into it." Next is the Arrest, Trials and Crucifixion of the Son of God. *see footnotes below* ............ .......... .................

 
 

John 17 In this great prayer the Lord prays for (1) His own glorification in vs. 1, 5; (2)believers' protection v. 11; (3) believers' sanctification v. 17;  (4) the unity of believers vs. 21-23; (5) the ultimate glorification of believers v.24.  It is essentially an intercession for those who will form the church vs. 6-26.  "all those you have given him"  Five times in this prayer the Lord refers to believers as a gift from God the Father to Him. "Now this is eternal life"  This is Christ's definition of salvation, especially if we add what is clearly understood: sent to be the Savior of the world (3:16; 4:42; 6:33; 1 John 4:14). "in your presence"   i.e., "at the right hand of God"  (Mark 16:19) "revealed you"   ie,"revealed Your true nature".  This divine revelation is the basis on which the church is established. "Holy Father"    Occurring only here in the New Testament, this address emphasizes God's separateness ("Holy") and His intimacy ("Father").  protect  Though not expressed, this likely means "keep from evil and disunity". "the one doomed to destruction"    literally, the son of perdition, Judas (see Ps. 41:9) "from the evil one"    The word can be neuter (from evil) or masculine (from the evil one, Satan).  It should be noted that Christ does not teach withdrawal from the world but, rather, that Christians should be in the world but not of it. "Sanctify"    means "to set apart for God and His holy purposes";  see vs. 19.  The means of sanctification is God's Word. "that all of them may be one"   All believers belong to the one Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13) and to the same household of God (Eph. 2:19).  This spiritual unity should be visibly expressed in the exercise of spiritual gifts (Eph 4:3-16), prayer, and exhortation (2Cor 1:11; Heb. 10:25) "glorification"   Christ prays for our glorification, that is, being with Him in eternity. "Righteous Father"   Like "Holy Father" in vs. 11, this form of address occurs only here in the New Testament and expresses God's distinction from us and His relation to us. "Kidron Valley"   A ravine East of Jerusalem, between the city and the Mount of Olives. ....... ........

 
 

The Trials of Jesus Religious trials - JEWISH: FIRST: John 18:12-14,  Judge Annas----OK given to liquidate Jesus. SECOND:  Matt 26:57-68,  Judge Caiaphas----Death sentence, charge of blasphemy. THIRD: Matt 27:1-2, Judge Sandedrin----Death sentence made legal.

Civil trials - ROMAN FOURTH:  John 18:28-38, Judge Pilate----Not guilty FIFTH:  Luke 23:6-12, Judge Herod----Not guilty SIXTH:  John 18:39 and 19:6, Judge Pilate----Not guilty, but turned Jesus over to the Jews.

 

The Seven Cries From The Cross 1. "FATHER, FORGIVE THEM..." (Luke 23:34) They were dividing up his clothes,( see Psm 22:18) this was at the beginning of his execution. Where Jewish custom was to crucify criminals by hanging from a tree, the crucifixion by the Romans was by what we later named the Latin cross, or what was known then as the Tau cross, shaped like the Greek letter Tau or "T".  The crossbar (or patibulum) weighed about 110 pounds, and after the torture, scourging, Christ received he, carried this crossbar from the prison to the hill of Golgotha (Aramaic for "skull").  Roman historical accounts say the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists, and not the palms.  The physical passion of Christ began in Gethsemane.  Luke was the only physician of the group, and he says: "And being in agony, He prayed the longer.  And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground". Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented.  Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the glands can break, then mixing blood and sweat.  Today we often refer to "blood, sweat and tears". This process alone could have produced marked weakness and perhaps shock.  After Jesus' arrest in the middle of the previous night, a soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Judge Caiaphas.  The palace guards then blindfolded Him, mocked and taunted Him to identify each of them as they passed by, spat on Him, and struck Him again in the face.  In the morning Jesus was battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night.  He was ordered scourged and crucified by the mob of people who wanted Bar-Abbas released from prison. When a prisoner is scourged, his clothing is removed, hands tied to a post above his head.  It is doubtful that the Roman soldiers followed Jewish laws that no more than 40 lashes would be given. The Legionnaire uses a flagrum which is a short whip with several heavy leather thongs and two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each.  The whip lashes are repeated on the shoulders, back and legs. At first issue the thongs cut through the skin, but as it is repeated they cut deeper into the tissues producing blood from tissues and then spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in underlying muscles.  Finally the skin of the back is hanging in  long ribbons, and the entire area is unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue.  When the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.  The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and slumps to the ground below.  The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a king.  They throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter.  To make their travesty complete, they make a crown of flexible branches with long thorns (commonly used for firewood), and then this is pressed into His scalp.  Again there is copious bleeding (the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body).  After more mocking and striking Him again in the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp.  They tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back.  This already had become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and it's removal, as in a careless removal of surgical bandage, causes excruciating pain, like he was being whipped again. In deference to Jewish custom, his garments were returned, and the heavy crossbar is tied across His shoulders.  Growing weak from blood loss and torture, He stumbles and falls.  A stalwart North African, Simon of Cyrene, carried the cross for Him.  They completed the 650 yard journey to Golgotha.  Again He is stripped of clothing, except for a loin cloth (towel).  The heavy, square, wrought-iron nails are driven through His wrists into the crossbar lying on the ground.  The crossbar, with Him attached,is then lifted to the top of the stapes (already erected post) and put in place.  The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended and toes down, more nails are driven through the arch of each foot, leaving the knees moderately flexed. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails of the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain through the median nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid the stretching torment,  He places His full weight on the nails tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, throbbing pain,  With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward.  Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled.  Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside.  Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.  It was during this period that He is able to utter the seven short sentences shown here.   2. "TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME..."  (Luke 23:43) in "paradise" - Heaven, the abode of God (see Luke 16:22; 2Cor 12:4) It was then about the 6th hour(noon). Seeing Jesus dying on a cross but believing that He would come into His kingdom shows the amazing faith of the thief.  Vs.45 "...curtain of the temple was torn into" (also Matt 27:51) - the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple "from top to bottom" showing that God did it, not man.  It signifies that the new and living way was now open into the presence of God (Heb 10:20; Eph 2:11-22).  One probable result of this supernatural tearing of the curtain is recorded also in Acts 6:7.   3. "DEAR WOMAN, HERE IS YOUR SON."....(John 19:26-27) Speaking directly to his mother, Mary and the disciple whom he loved standing near her. The disciple was the terrified, grief stricken, adolescent John (the beloved Apostle).   4. "MY GOD, MY GOD...."  ....(Matt 27:46-47 and Mark 15:34-36) This about the 9th hour, specifically: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" Jesus quoted Psm. 22:1 in its Aramaic form.  This cry may reflect the desertion Jesus felt as He was bearing the sins of the world (2Cor 5:21).   Some listeners made a poor guess as to what Christ was saying and mistook "Eloi" for "Elijah".  Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, cramps, partial asphyxiation, searing pain as his lacerated back moves up and down against the rough timber.  Then another agony begins.  A deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.  Let us again remember Psalms 22:14 - "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels."  Now almost over, the loss of tissue fluids has reached critical level, the heat is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues, the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain.     5.  "I AM THIRSTY"....(John 19:28) Wine vinegar or "hyssop".  The vinegar was sour, cheap wine.  Hyssop was likely the caper plant, which has stems 2-3ft long. The drugged wine He refused was offered earlier before the actual crucifixion. (Matt 27:34; Mark 15:23).  Let's remember another prophecy, in Psalms22 - "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death." A sponge soaked in Posca (hyssop), is lifted to His lips.  He apparently does not take any of the liquid.  The body of Jesus is now in extremis, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues.  This realization brings his sixth words.   6. "IT IS FINISHED." ....(John 19:30) Receipts for taxes found in the papyri have written across them this single Greek word, which means "paid in full".  The price for our redemption from sin was paid in full by our Lord's life and death.  His mission of atonement (at-one-ment) is completed. He can allow his body to die.  With one last surge of strength, He once again presses His torn feet against the nails, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry.   7. "FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT"     ...(Luke 23:46) When he had said this, he breathed his last.  The common method of ending crucifixion was by crurefracture, the breaking of legs. This prevented the victim from pushing upward, and rapid suffocation occurred.  It was not needed for Jesus.  The lance to the side went through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart.   Here we have a glimpse of the epitomy of evil of man against man, and also toward God the Father.  How grateful we can be that we have a sequel in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, and a glimpse of the infinite mercy of God toward us. *some excerpts from "The Crucifixion of Jesus", author unknown ...

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