NOTES for Joh 17:1-26

Several times in John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus says that He came so that those who hear His message, His disciples, might believe and have the life that He brought from the Father. Therefore, in His final prayer before His arrest, He prays for the disciples and their followers, not for the world or for those who did not receive Him. Yet at the same time He does pray for the world—indirectly—asking that the world believe in Him when it sees the disciples' unity. He thereby expects those who have believed in Him to continue His work: to promote the salvation and vivification of the whole world, not by replacing Christ, but by revealing His presence in their unity, which bears witness that they already live the divine life, imitating the inimitable unity of the Father and the Son.