We observe that Jesus addresses his prayer to the Holy Father for our protection or keeping and he follows that prayer with a request for our sanctification.    Why is Jesus’ prayer for our keeping/protection related to holiness as opposed to, for example, mercy or compassion or faithfulness or love?

It is a tremendous insight of Marcus Rainsford to ask this question.   Certainly a big part of the answer to the question relates to the nature of the threat that we face in this world. This world is an unholy place influenced by the enemy of our souls who is the father of lies and the source of evil (1 John 5:18, 19). Therefore the keeping that we need, the protection that is most necessary for us is protection from the enemy of our souls and his influence (1 John 2:15-17).   This is what Jesus taught us to pray for in the prayer we call the Lord’s prayer, “Deliver us from evil.”   It is because God is holy that we must be holy in order to meet God.  That is why we must be kept by God.  

Jesus prays for the Father to protect us by “the power of your name.”   He affirms that he had protected and kept us safe by “that name you gave me.”    How is God’s name powerful for our keeping and protection?

We tend, as Christians, to focus on the power of Jesus’ name; but here Jesus is talking about the power of God the Father’s name. 

One way to look at the power of God’s name is to think about his reputation, with what Jesus had taught about him and what the OT had taught about him.  Leon Morris (NICNT) says that when Jesus speaks of the “name you gave me” he refers to the “the power of the God who revealed Himself.”  In this regard it is instructive to look at Old Testament passages that illustrate with various metaphors the keeping power and intentions of our heavenly Father.   Psalm 23 and Ezekiel 34:11 – 16 both explain how our heavenly father is our shepherd and he cares for us and watches over us as a shepherd watches over his flock.  Isaiah 27:2, three pictures our God as a husbandman keeping his vineyard.   Psalm 121 actually uses the word keep or keeper six times in the ESV, giving us a picture of a watchman carefully watching over us.  

Rainsford has a very profitable expansion of this thought about God keeping us in his name too.

That they should be kept through the name, the holy, holy, holy name, the ineffable name. Keep them in Thy name, in the knowledge of it, in the love of it, in the enjoyment of it, in the experience of it, in the power of it, and keep them by Thy name.  Doubtless, the full meaning of the Lord’s Prayer embraces the gift of the Holy Ghost, who was to come personally to them after He left the world. Again, keep them for Thy name; keep them for the praise of the glory of Thy name; keep them so as to manifest that Thou canst keep them in the most unfavorable circumstances, and against all conceivable foes. Put Thy name upon them, my Father, and let it be as a bulwark for them, against the world, the flesh, and the devil (p.189).

Rainsford further suggests that one way that our heavenly Father keeps us is to keep us depending upon him and discovering that he is sufficient for our needs.  As Paul discovered,, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2Cor. 12:9 NIV).”  

 Thus they are kept in such a way as to be humbled themselves, while He is glorified; and all the praise is given to Christ, and no merit is attributed to themselves. It is very trying to the self-righteousness of flesh and blood, but it is the way the Son of God kept His disciples, and it is the way our heavenly Father keeps us now. (p. 201, 202) 

More than likely, the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost is part of the foreordained answer to Jesus’ prayer.  So God keeping us becomes then a function of the entire Trinity.   Jesus continues in prayer for us at the right hand of God today while the Holy Spirit represents the keeping power of both Father and Son in us and among us. 

To whom does Jesus refer when he says, “Except the one doomed to destruction”?   What does he mean by this?    In what sense does this happening fulfill Scripture as he mentions?

There is no doubt that Jesus is referring to Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.    NIV’s “one doomed to destruction” is an interpretation for us of the literal Greek “son of ruin.”      The point here is not related to modern theological debates about eternal security, rather it is simply that one of Jesus disciples had turned away through decisions of his own, and that those acts had fulfilled Scripture which predicted that one who was close to the master would turn against him.   Jesus had given him the same privileges as other disciples, but Jesus knew that his heart was not right  (John 6:70).

What Scripture was being fulfilled?   One good candidate is Psalm 41:9 (NIV) “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”   Rainsford suggests Psalm 109, one of the Psalms from which  Peter quoted in Acts 1:20 when the early church discussed replacing Judas in the disciples.

 

 

Jesus tells us that a key purpose of his prayer is that we might have the full measure of his joy in us (v. 13).   What can we learn from and how can we be encouraged by this statement?

 

First we cannot help but remember Jesus parallel statement in John 10:10 very tells us plainly that the reason he had come is that we might have life abundantly.   IN two other places he talks about making our joy complete (John 15:11; 16:24).  Secondly, we understand from the Old Testament how beneficial harmony is to the happiness of God’s people.   Psalm 133 is completely dedicated to this theme.   Thirdly, is a principle that holiness and wholeness go together in our lives so that as Jesus prayed for holiness, he knew that our happiness was also at stake (Heb. 12:10-13; Gal. 5:19-26).  

This prayer encourages us once again, by affirming to us Jesus concern for our happiness, wholeness and joy.   His purposes for us are never to restrict our “freedom” unless it is for our good by guiding us away from choices influenced by the world the flesh and the devil and toward choices that lead to our healing.