We Know His Name (John 17:6-12)

We Know His Name (John 17:6-12)

Christ gives eternal life to His own (John 17:2), but He has also given the revelation of the Father’s name (John 17:6). The Old Testament Jew knew his God as "Jehovah," the great I AM (Ex. 3:11-14). Jesus took this sacred name, “I AM," and made it meaningful to His disciples. “I am the Bread of life” (John 6:35). “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). Jesus revealed the gracious name of the Father by showing His disciples that He was all that they needed.

But the Father’s name is more than this, for Jesus also taught His disciples that God—the great I AM—was their heavenly Father. The word “Father” appears fifty-three times in John 13-17 and 122 times in John’s Gospel. Jesus’ messages to the Jews made it clear that the Father sent Him, that He was equal with the Father, and that His words and works were from the Father. It was a simple claim to Deity, but they would not believe it.

In the Bible, "name" means "nature." It was so often given to tell something special about the nature of the person that had the name. Jacob was a schemer, and his name is derived from a Hebrew root meaning “to take by the heel,” i.e., to trip up or to deceive (Gen. 25:26). Isaac’s name means “laughter” (Gen. 21:6) because he was a great joy to Abraham and Sarah. Even His name, Jesus, means that He is the Savior (Matt. 1:21).

"I have manifested thy name. 'That is to say, 'I have shown the character of God.' One of the ministries of the Son was to reveal the Father (John 1:18). The Greek word translated “manifested” means “to unfold, to lead, to point out.” Jesus did not unfold the Father in a blinding blaze of glory right away, for His disciples could not have endured that kind of experience. Slowly, by His words and His works, He taught them what God is like in the way they could receive it (John 16:12).

The point here is about the safety of the believer. God saves His own. (John 17:11, 12). Our safety is in the nature of God, not in our character or conduct. When Jesus was on earth, He kept His disciples, and they could depend on Him. “I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me” (John 17:12). If Jesus, while on earth, in a human body, could keep His own, should He not be able to keep them now that He is glorified in heaven? The answer is yes, as He and the Father, with the Holy Spirit, are certainly able to keep and protect God's people!

For one thing, the Father’s gift to His Son is God’s people. Would the Father give His Son a gift that would not last? The disciples had been the Father’s by creation and by covenant (they were Jews), but now they were the Son’s. How precious we are to Him! How He looks after us, how He prays for us, even now! And if you ever feel that the Lord has forgotten you, or that His love is far away, read Romans 8:28-39—and rejoice!

We are safe in this one thing, that we are here to glorify Him. (John 17:10) For all their failures and faults, the disciples are commended in this word: “I am glorified in them.” Would it be glory to God if one of His own, trusting in the Saviour, failed to make it to heaven? No! This was the argument of Moses when the nation of Israel had sinned. “Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, "For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?” (Ex. 32:12). Surely God knows everything, so why save them at all if he knows they will fail along the way? Whatever God begins, He finishes (Phil. 1:6).

God has provided us with divine resources to glorify Him and to be faithful. We have His Word (John 17:7-8), and His Word tells us everything we have in Jesus Christ. The Word gives us faith and assurance. The Son of God intercedes for us (John 17:9; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16). The Father always answers the prayers of His Son (John 11:41-42), and this intercessory ministry helps to keep us safe and secure.

We also have the fellowship of the church “that they may be one, even as we are” (John 17:11). The New Testament knows nothing of solitary believers. Wherever you find saints, they are in fellowship. God’s people need each other. Jesus began His Upper Room message by washing the disciples' feet and teaching them to minister to one another. These men (including the confident Peter!) would in the hours to come learn how weak they were and how much they needed each other’s encouragement.

There are many reasons why the believer is safe in Christ. The nature of God himself. The character of salvation. The glory of God. The Mediator, Christ. Some may ask about Judas Iscariot. Was he protected, and how did he go down? Judas was never part of Christ's own. Jesus was faithful to all that He had received from the Father. The Father had not given Judas to Him. Judas was not a believer (John 6:64-71). He had never been cleansed (John 13:11). He was not among the chosen (John 13:18). He had never been given to Christ (John 18:8-9).
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No, Judas is not an example of a believer “losing his salvation.” He is an example of a nonbeliever who claimed salvation but was ultimately revealed to be a fraud. Jesus holds onto all the Father has given Him (John 10:26-30).
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We are more than conquerors, for we have His life. We are victorious by a third privilege, as we will see in tomorrow's study.