Day 37: Sanctify Them in Truth (John 17:13–26)
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
John 17:17 (NASB)
The prayer broadens in scope: from Himself (vv.1–5), to the disciples (vv.6–19), to all who will believe through their word (vv.20–26). Verse 13 gives the purpose of everything He has said: 'that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.' Joy — not suffering, not martyrdom, not religious endurance — is the goal. The joy of Jesus, complete, in them. The same joy He spoke of in 15:11 and 16:24, echoed by Paul in Philippians 2:2.
The prayer for protection is urgent: 'I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.' The disciples are being sent into hostile territory. Satan wants what Jesus has — the throne and the love of God. He hates believers because Jesus loves them and he does not. Jesus prays specifically: sanctify them in truth. 'Your word is truth.' Sanctification — being set apart, made holy — happens through the Word. When God first spoke of the Sabbath in Genesis, He sanctified it, set it apart. God's Word sets people apart. Jesus Himself is sanctified — set apart to accomplish the Father's will — so that His people may also be set apart.
The stunning extension of the prayer: 'I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.' He prays for us. At the last supper, with the cross hours away, Jesus prayed specifically for everyone who would come to faith through the testimony of the eleven. His prayer for unity among believers has a purpose: 'so that the world may believe that you have sent me.' The church's unity is not just an internal good — it is the primary evangelistic witness to a watching world.
For Reflection
- Jesus prays that His joy would be complete in His disciples. What is the difference between happiness and the kind of joy Jesus is praying for?
- Jesus does not pray that we would be taken out of the world but kept from evil in the world. How does this reframe your relationship to difficulty and cultural engagement?
- Jesus prayed specifically for you — those who will believe through the disciples' word. How does it feel to know that you were on His mind in His last hours?
