CH Spurgeon on John 17 verses 11–12

Spurgeon on John chapter 17 verses 11-12

Verse 11–12. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name.

What a wonderful intercommunion and fellowship exists between the Father and the Son in the matter of redemption! It is the Father who gave the Son; it is the Son who gave Himself. It is the Father who gave us to the Son; it is the Son who has bought us with a price, and has kept us by His hand. Here, the Father who gave receives back from the Son, the Son praying to Him in these terms, “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.”

Observe that our text is all about keeping. Three or four times over we have some tense or other of the word “keep.” “Holy Father, keep those whom thou hast given me.” “While I was with them in the world, I kept them.”

Greatly we do need keeping. You have been redeemed, but you must still be kept. You have been regenerated, but you must be kept. You are quickened with the divine life, you have aspirations after the holiest things, your love to Christ is intense, but you must be kept. You have had a deep experience, and you know the temptations of the enemy, but still you must be kept. The sunlight of heaven rests upon your honored brow, you are near the gates of glory, but you must be kept.

The same hand that bought you must keep you, and the same Father, who has begotten you again unto a lively hope, must keep you to His eternal kingdom and glory. All glory be unto Him who is able to keep us from falling!

You notice what the Saviour did for the twelve who were round about Him—“While I was with them in the world, I kept them.” This care was continuous. He was a guard to His people. While He went about doing good, and reclaiming the wandering, He never diverted His care from His people. Loving them as His own, He loved them to the end.

Surely, brethren, this teaches us that this care is ever needed. Sheep never outgrow the necessity for their being kept by the shepherd. If the eleven always required keeping, I am sure that you and I do. We are full of flaws and failures, are we not? We shall crumble to the dust if the Lord does not keep us. Is there one man among us that can live unless the eternal life shall continue to flow into him? I am sure there is not.

I bless His name that the eleven enjoyed a ministry so tenderly personal, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name.” He lays stress upon His personal care—“I kept them.” The Good Shepherd kept the sheep, not by proxy, but by His own hands. There is no nourishment for the child like that which comes from its own mother’s breast, and a child of God only thrives as he lives upon Christ Himself.

Our Lord’s care was most successful. Of the eleven not one was lost. They were very fickle at first, and extremely ignorant. And at the same time, they were strongly tempted. Influences which made some go back, and walk no more with Jesus, would naturally have had the same power over them if Jesus had not kept them, yet of those whom the Father gave Him not one of them was lost.

Verse 12. Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

Our Saviour never meant us to understand that Judas was one of those whom the Father gave Him. Judas was numbered among the twelve apostles, and outwardly shared their ministry, but he was not one of those given to Christ to be eternally saved and kept. Very early our Lord had said, “I have chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil.”

Yet Judas shows us how far a man may go in the outward appearance of discipleship and still lack the essential matter. He cast out devils and in Christ’s name did many wonderful works. To human eyes it would have been impossible to distinguish him from the other apostles. There were fine qualities within him, but they were all leavened by that supreme covetousness which mastered him and made him the son of perdition.

As there is inexpressible sweetness in the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints, so there is an unutterable horror in other doctrines which guard it. Final perseverance is a rose of heaven’s own garden, but it is set with thorns, and those thorns are such cases as those of Judas and of others that drew back unto perdition.

See then the great need there is of keeping. Let us pray for Him to keep us to the end.

Verse 11. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Beneath this divine petition we all find shelter. Notice how He begins—“Father.” Oh, yes, it is the Father who keeps us! Children of God, who can be a better keeper for you than your Father? To whom can you cry with such certainty of being heard as to your Father in heaven? Whose heart will so soon be moved, whose ears will be so quick to hear, and whose feet will be so swift to save as your Father’s?

And then He puts it, “Holy Father.” Why that? Just because the keeping means, keep us holy; and who can make us holy but the Holy God, and who can keep us holy but He who is Himself holy? Who will have such an intense interest in our growing holiness as One whose name is the Holy Father?

Beloved, I love well this title; it commends itself to my faith, and breeds assurance in my soul. If the blessed hand of Jesus has put me into the bosom of the Holy Father that I may be kept, why, the keeping is sure and certain!

We need keeping from discord. “Holy Father, keep them that they may be one.” We need keeping from error. The world swarms with false doctrines. It is a great mercy to be kept from the silly love of novelties, and to be helped to adhere to the old faith, to cling to the old cross. Happy is he who is determined to know nothing save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. “Holy Father, keep us.”

But it would not be enough for us to be kept united and firm in the truth; we need also to be kept from sin. Saints must be kept, or they will soon be sinners. You and I are so ready to be upset by a sudden squall of temptation that we have need to pray each one for himself, and then for all his brethren, “Holy Father, keep us: keep us from all evil.”

Nor would that be enough, for our hearts may gradually subside into spiritual death. O church of God, beware of accepting the semblance of life. God keep us that we never fall into the condition of spiritual decay!

Our Lord Jesus Christ asks that we may be kept through God’s own name. By the word “name” is sometimes meant the whole character of God, the whole royal power and prerogative of God. There is no keeping one of us, much less the whole ship’s company, except the sacred name of God shall exert all its power to keep off our foe.

The Father gave you to Jesus because He loved Jesus. He wanted Jesus to have that which would give Him most delight, and so He gave you to Him; and now that Jesus cannot be with you by His bodily presence, He gives you over to the great Father, from whose loving hands He first received you, and He says, “Holy Father, keep them.”

Do you think the Father will answer the Son’s request? I am sure that He will. I feel safe in that Almighty hand in which Jesus has placed me.