Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 17:11-16

"And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we [are]. While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one]. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world." — John 17:11-16 (ASV)

1. After Christ stated his reasons for praying for the apostles, he makes his petitions here. He asks for two things:

   1. He asks for their protection.
   2. He asks for their sanctification: sanctify them (John 17:17).

   They are to be protected from evil and sanctified by good.

   Regarding their protection, he does two things:

   1. He asks for their protection.
   2. He mentions why they need protection: while I was with them, I kept them in your name.

2. Regarding the first point, four things must be considered:

   • Whom he asks.
   • What he asks for.
   • For whom he asks.
   • Why he asks.

   The one he asks is the Father, so he says, Father. This is with good reason, for the Father is the source of every good: every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). He adds, holy, because the Father is also the source and origin of all holiness and because, in the final analysis, he was asking for the sanctification of the apostles: you will be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2); there is none holy like the Lord (1 Samuel 2:2).

   He asks for their protection, saying, keep them, for as we read, unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalms 127:1). Our good consists not only in receiving existence from God, but also in being kept in existence by God. As Gregory says, all things would return to nothingness, if the hand of the Almighty did not uphold them; upholding the universe by his word of power (Hebrews 1:3). Accordingly, the Psalmist prays, keep me, O Lord, for I have put my trust in you (Psalms 16:1). We are kept from evil and from sin in the name of God; thus he says, keep them in your name, that is, by the power of your name and of your knowledge, for in these lay our glory and our well-being: some trust in chariots, and some in horses. But we will call upon the name of the Lord our God (Psalms 20:7).

   He is praying for those who were given to him; he says, whom you have given me. Consider the work of God; who can make straight what he has made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13). For one can be kept from evil only by God’s choice, which is indicated when he says, whom you have given me—that is, by a gift of grace, so that they remain with me: not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given (Matthew 19:11). Those who are given to Christ in this way are kept from evil.

   Then he states why he is asking for their protection, saying, that they may be one, as we also are. This can be connected with what has gone before in two ways. First, it can show the way they will be kept or protected, meaning they will be protected by being kept as one. For a thing is preserved in existence as long as it remains one, and it ceases to exist when it becomes divided: every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste (Matthew 12:25). Accordingly, the Church and its people can be preserved if they remain one. Alternatively, this phrase can state the purpose of their being kept. The meaning would be: let them be protected so that they may be one, for our entire perfection lies in a unity of spirit: eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3); behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity (Psalms 133:1).

3. He adds, as we also are.

   This causes a problem. The Father and Son are one in essence. Will we also be one in essence? This is not true.

   The solution is that the perfection of each thing is simply a sharing in the likeness of God, for we are good to the extent that we resemble God. Accordingly, our unity contributes to our perfection to the extent that it shares in the unity of God. Now, there is a twofold unity in God. There is a unity of nature—I and the Father are one (John 10:30)—and a unity of love in the Father and Son, which is a unity of spirit. Both of these unities are found in us, not in an equal way, but with a certain likeness. The Father and the Son have the same individual nature, while we have the same specific nature. Again, they are one by a love that is not a participated love or a gift from another; rather, this love proceeds from them, for the Father and Son love themselves by the Holy Spirit. We are one by participating in a higher love.

4. Then he mentions why they need this protection: while I was with them, I kept them in your name. They need it for two reasons:

   • Because he is leaving them.
   • Because the world hates them: I have given them your word.

   Regarding the first reason, he does three things:

   1. He recalls the eagerness with which he protected them while he was with them.
   2. He states that he is leaving to return to the Father: and now I come to you.
   3. He mentions why he is saying these things: and these things I speak in the world.

   Regarding his protection of them, three things are mentioned:

   1. The way he protected them.
   2. His obligation to protect them.
   3. The effectiveness of his protection.

5. The way they were protected was appropriate because it was by the power of the Father. Accordingly, he says, while I was with them, that is, physically present: afterward he appeared on earth and lived among men . I, the Son of man, kept, that is, protected, them from evil and sin, not by human power, but rather by divine power, because it was in your name. This name is also common to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)—because the Father and the Son are one God, and because the name of Son is implied in the name Father, for one who has a son is called a father.

   Note that before, when Christ denied that he had a demon, he did not deny that he was a Samaritan, that is, a guardian, because Christ is a guardian: watchman, what of the night? (Isaiah 21:11). This refers to the night of this world, for like a shepherd, Christ guards his flock.

6. His obligation to protect them is stated when he says, whom you have given me, for a guardian is bound to protect those placed in his care: keep this man (1 Kings 20:39); I will take my stand to watch (Habakkuk 2:1). This is how a superior acts when he carefully watches over those entrusted to his care: and in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8).

7. The effectiveness of Christ’s protection is complete, because none of them is lost: my sheep hear my voice (John 10:27); and no man will pluck them out of my hand (John 10:28); everyone who... believes in him, may have eternal life (John 6:40). One person is excluded: the son of perdition, Judas. He is called the son of perdition as though foreknown and foreordained to eternal perdition. In this way, those destined to die are called the sons of death: you are the sons of death (1 Samuel 26:16); you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte... and you make him a son of death twice as much as yourself (Matthew 23:15).

   A Gloss says that a son of death is one who is predestined to perdition. It is not customary to say that one is predestined to evil, so here we should understand predestination in its general meaning of knowledge or orientation. Actually, predestination is always directed to what is good, because it has the double effect of grace and glory, and it is God who directs us to each of these. Two things are involved in reprobation: guilt, and punishment in time. God ordains a person to only one of these, that is, punishment, and even this is not for its own sake. This is so that the Scripture, in which you predicted that he would betray me—O God, be not silent in my praise, for wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me (Psalms 109:2)—may be fulfilled.

8. And now I come to you, physically leaving them: I leave the world, and I go to the Father (John 16:28). He had said before, I kept them in your name, so that some would not fall into unbelief by misunderstanding this present statement. They might think it means that he could not protect them after he had left, or that the Father was not protecting them before. He says, I kept them in your name, to show that the Father was protecting them before, and the Son could also protect them after he left.

9. He gives the reason why he said these things when he says, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy filled in themselves. It is as if to say: I am like a man who is praying, and these things I speak to console my disciples, who think that I am merely human. In this way, they can at least be consoled because I am entrusting them to you, Father, whom they believe to be greater than I, and so they can rejoice in your protection. This is the interpretation of Chrysostom.

   In the interpretation of Augustine, this present statement is related to that they may be one, as we also are. In this case, these words indicate the fruit of being one. It is as if to say: that they may have my joy—by which they can rejoice in me, or which they have received from me—filled in themselves. They will obtain this joy by a unity of spirit, which will give them the joy of eternal life, which is full joy. And so this joy follows from being one, because unity and peace produce perfect joy: those who follow plans for peace have joy (Proverbs 12:20); the fruit of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22).

10. Now we have another reason why they need protection, which is because of the hatred of the world. He does three things:

    1. He mentions the benefit he had given his disciples.
    2. He mentions the hatred of the world for them: and the world has hated them.
    3. He asks the Father’s help to protect them: I pray not that you would take them out of the world, but that you would keep them from evil.

11. He says, I have given them your word, which I have received from you: because the words which you gave me, I have given them (John 17:8). Or, I have given, that is, I will give them by the inspiration of the Paraclete, your word, that is, the word about yourself, which is the greatest of gifts and benefits: I will give you a good gift, do not abandon my law (Proverbs 4:2).

12. The result of this is the hatred of the world: because they have received your word, the world has hated them. Blessed are you when men hate you (Luke 6:22); do not wonder, brothers, that the world hates you (1 John 3:13). The reason for this hatred is that they have left the world. For the word of God causes us to leave the world since it unites us to God, and one cannot be joined to God without leaving the world, for one who loves the world does not have a perfect love for God. Thus he says, because they are not of the world, as he said above, I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:19). For it is natural for one to love others who are similar: every beast loves its own kind, and hates the others ; the very sight of him is a burden to us, and this is because his manner of life is unlike that of others .

13. Then he mentions the model according to which they are not of the world when he says, as I also am not of the world. This should be understood to refer to their affections, for just as Christ was not in the world by his affections, so neither were they. It does not apply to their origin, because at one time they were of the world, while Christ was never of the world because even considering his birth in the flesh he was of the Holy Spirit: you are of this world, and I am not of this world (John 8:23).

14. Then he asks for help in facing this hatred when he says, I pray not that you would take them out of the world, but that you would keep them from evil. He does two things:

    1. He makes his prayer.
    2. He gives the reason for what he asks: they are not of the world.

15. In the first part, he mentions two things. He says he is not asking for one thing, which is that they be taken out of the world.

    But how can they be taken out of the world if they are not of the world? We should say that they are not of the world as regards their affections, as we said before. But they are in the world by continuing to be physically present in it, and in this way he does not want them to be taken out of the world. This is because they would be of benefit to the faithful whom they would bring to the faith: go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15).

    He asks for something else: namely, that while they remain physically in the world, the Father would keep them from evil, that is, worldly evil. For it is difficult for a person who lives among those who are bad to remain free from evil, especially since the entire world is set in evil: when you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you (Isaiah 43:2).

16. He gives the reason for this request when he says, they are not of the world. This seems to be a useless repetition since he had just said the same thing. But it is not useless, because the words are spoken in different contexts. They were spoken before to show why the disciples were hated by the world; here they are spoken to show why they should be protected by God.

    We can see from this that the reason the saints are hated by the world is the same as the reason God loves them: their disdain for the world. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5). Therefore, whatever good a person does makes this person hateful to the world, but loved by God: we sacrifice what the Egyptians worship (Exodus 8:26).