Hamblin, John 17:9, Jesus and the World 1 Dec 17, 2010

John 17:9, Jesus and the World

John 17:9 (KJV, literal) John 17:9 (Greek, transliteration)

I pray for them: Δ∆Egw» peri« aujtw◊n e˙rwtw◊,

I pray not for the world, ouj peri« touv ko/smou e˙rwtw◊
but for them which thou hast given me; aÓlla» peri« w—n de÷dwka¿ß moi,
for they are thine. o¢ti soi÷ ei˙sin,
I for them I-ask Egō peri autōn erōtō
Not for the word I-ask ou peri tou kosmou erōtō
but for those-whom you-gave to-me alla peri hōn dedōkas moi,
for to-you they-are hoti soi eisin,

I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those you have given me,
because they are yours.

17.9a: I pray for them.

What is the meaning of the term “pray” here? The Greek term is erōtaō (e˙rwta¿w), which

means literally to ask a question, or to make a request (BDAG 395). It is generally used in the

New Testament for ordinary questions, and is typically translated “ask.” The standard New

Testament term for prayer is proseuchomai (proseu/comai), which means to petition deity

(BDAG 879). In John, Jesus is never described as praying (proseuchomai) to the Father.1 This

may be because John wants to emphasis Jesus’ special relation to the Father as the divine Son,

who communicates with the Father, but does not approach him in petitionary prayer as ordinary

1Jesus is frequently described as praying (proseuchomai) in the synoptic gospels: Mt 14.13,

19.13, 26.36-44; Mk 1.35, 6.46, 14.32-38; Lk 3.21, 5.16, 6.12, 9.28-29, 11.1, 22.40-44. These
gospels, on the other hand, never have Jesus “ask” (erōtaō) the Father for things.
Hamblin, John 17:9, Jesus and the World 2 Dec 17, 2010

humans do. But although the technical New Testament term for prayer is not used by John, Jesus

repeatedly asks or requests (erōtaō) things from the Father in John.2 However that may be, this

verse begins a long prayer that contains a sequence of requests from the Father for the disciples

(17.9-19).

17.9b: I do not pray for the world,

In the commentary to 17.5b I discussed several different ways the concept of world/kosmos

is used in the New Testament. The Greek term kosmos (ko/smoß), generally translated as

“world” in most modern translations, means both the material or physical world in which we

live, and the inhabitants or even the natural and social order of that world. John, however, has a

more technical sense in which he uses the term kosmos. In this special sense the kosmos is

something that stands in antithesis to Jesus and the disciples. On the other hand, paradoxically,

the kosmos was created and loved by God, and is something that God wants to save. Let’s look

at this second idea first.

To understand the concept of the kosmos, it is important to recognized that the Father

created and loves the kosmos, and that Christ has been sent to enlighten and save the kosmos. A

number of passages in John reflect this idea:

• The kosmos was made by the Word/logos (Jn 1.9).

• Jesus is “the light of the kosmos” (Jn 8.12, 9.5, 11.9. 12.46).

• God “loved the kosmos” and sent his Son so that the kosmos “should not perish, but have

eternal life” (Jn 3.16).

2 Jn 14.16, 16.26, 17.9, 15, 20.

Hamblin, John 17:9, Jesus and the World 3 Dec 17, 2010

• Jesus has “come into the kosmos to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18.37).

• Jesus “takes away the sins of the kosmos” (Jn 1.29).

• Jesus is “the Savior of the kosmos” (Jn 4.42, 12.47).

• Jesus “gives life to the kosmos” (Jn 6.33).

• Jesus gives his flesh “for the life of the kosmos” (Jn 6.51).

If God created and loves the kosmos, why is there such a strong antipathy between the the

kosmos and Christ and his disciples? The fundamental problem is that Satan is now the “ruler of

this world/kosmos” (archōn tou kosmou, a‡rcwn touv ko/smou); he has usurped God’s place as

its true ruler.3 The idea of Satan’s dominion over the kosmos will be discussed in detail in

chapter 15, but for now it is important to note that Satan controls the kingdoms of the kosmos,

and Christ has come replace them with the kingdom of God (Jn 3.3-5); when Christ emphasizes

that “my kingdom is not of the kosmos” (Jn 18.36), he is in part engaging the fact that the kosmos

is Satan’s kingdom.

This antipathy between the kosmos and the disciples is described in many ways in John.

• Jesus is “not of this kosmos” (Jn 8.23, 17.14-16).

• The kosmos does not know the Word/logos (Jn 1.10, 17.25).

• The kosmos “loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (Jn

3.19).

• The kosmos therefore “cannot receive the spirit of truth” (Jn 14.17).

• The kosmos “hates [Jesus] because I testify about it that its works are evil” (Jn 7.7).

3 Jn 12.31, 14.30, 16.11.

Hamblin, John 17:9, Jesus and the World 4 Dec 17, 2010

• Likewise, “the world hates you [disciples]; ... it has hated me [Jesus] before it hated

you.” (Jn 15.18).

• Therefore, the disciples have been given to Jesus “out of the kosmos” (Jn 17.6).

• Jesus came to judge the kosmos (Jn 9.39, 12.31, 16.8, 11; but 12.46).

• Jesus has come to “cast out” “the ruler of this kosmos” (Jn 12.31).

• Jesus has “overcome the kosmos” (Jn 16.33).

The kosmos is thus characterized by ignorance, rejection of the spirit of truth, lovers of

darkness, workers of evil, and haters of Jesus and the disciples. The ruler of the kosmos is Satan,

who has been engaged in an ongoing cosmic struggle with Christ since Eden for control both of

the inhabitants of the kosmos, and the kosmos itself. The Logos/Word has come down from

heaven to “cast out” Satan from the kosmos and bring those who will accept Jesus as the

Messiah--thereby accepting his grace, truth, love, and knowledge--back into the light, the

presence of the Father, and the unity and love of the Father and Son.

Notice that in 17.9b Jesus explicitly says that he does not pray for the world/kosmos. Why,

if he loves the kosmos and has come to save it? In fact, beginning in 17.21 Jesus does begin to

pray for the kosmos. But he gives two different prayers in John 17 because of the different

spiritual states of the disciples and the kosmos. Because the disciples have already accepted and

kept Jesus’ words (17.6), Jesus prays that the disciples might be glorified and unified with the

Father (17.22-23). On the other hand, since the kosmos has not yet accepted Jesus as the

Messiah, Jesus prays that the kosmos may come to believe in Christ (17.21)--in other words, that

the kosmos may thus be transformed into Disciples. The specifics of Jesus’ prayer is thus

dependent on the needs of the groups being prayed for.

Hamblin, John 17:9, Jesus and the World 5 Dec 17, 2010

17.9c: but for those you have given me, because they are yours.

Throughout his Gospel, John speaks of the disciples as belonging to the Father, and having

been given to Jesus by the Father (17.2, 6-7, 9-10). This concept will be discussed in the

commentary to 17.10, in the next chapter.