Who is Jesus referring to when He prays in John 17, and who do they represent?
In John 17, Jesus is referring to the eleven men the Father gave Him out of the world. They are a little picture of all who would one day become the Lord’s by salvation. God already had His finger on them, though they were not believers until Christ came.
Les explains that John 17 is Christ’s high priestly prayer, and the men Jesus is really referring to are the eleven. Yet they are just a little picture of all those who would one day become the Lord’s by virtue of their salvation. In verse 6 Jesus prays to the Father, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me.” Those eleven men were not believers until Christ came on the scene, so God already had His finger on them. Down in verse 12, speaking of His earthly ministry, Jesus says, “I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost.”
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
More Questions
Who are the men Jesus is referring to in John 17?
In John 17, Christ's high priestly prayer, the men Jesus is really referring to are the eleven apostles.