The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 364

striking il!ustrntion of the definiteness of the pmyerR of Jesus. He knowR e:rnctly for whom ho 18 prnyin;r, and what he wants for them. He defines them positively, and ho defines them negatively, It ie not enough for him to call them his own. It must nlso be snid why they nre his own. If they belonged to the world, and had in them, unc_hecked and unmixed, the spirit of the world, they would not be hie. ThiR is a very decided exclusion for the purpose which JesuB has in view; but no one who under- stands the whole drift of the work of Jesus will say that it is a harsh exclusion. When Jesus prays for hie own, he ie really doing the best he can for the world. What can the Father of Jesus do for the world, so long as it remains the world? He has nothing to give that the world cares for. What God bestows on the world is given irrespective of prayer-given to all; given, a great deal of it, to the lower creation as well. If more is to be given, it is because of the appearing of a spirit of recipiency which is in itself a sign of passing from the world to the Church. When Jesus prays for his own, he is really praying that they may so let their light shine as to attract and 1)6rsuade the world. The very best things that Jesus can do for the world are to be done through the character of his own people. II. THE GROUNDS OF THE REQUEST. Jesus prays to the Father for those whom the Father had given to him. What a view of the claims of the heavenly Father is here ! When we give anything it implies that we have a right to give it. We have made it our own by purchase or manufacture. We could not take any human life and make a. present of it to somebody else that he might use it for his own purposes. There would be a protest at once. But God makes this claim, and gives over human souls to the control of Jesus. To that control and to no other. The same truth is expressed when Jesus says that all authority is given to him in heaven and on earth. What an inspira- tion there should be in the thought that the Father reckona us worthy to be bestowed on the Son for him to use! What a folly and misuse of ourselves if we, who are intended for gifts to Jesus, should refuse to Jesus the necessary control! What an explanation of the frequent misery and waste of life! If Jesus cannot get a proper use , of his own, how can we turn it to anything but misuse? But Jesus goes on to say how : that in receiving be only receives to give back. "All mine are thine, and thine are mine." No wonder that, in the first fulness of Pentecostal blessing, the disciples had all things in common. The Father and the Son have all things in common. The , Father gives humanity to the Son that Jesus may send out consecrated men and , women to glorify him. And then these consecrated men and women, used as they only can be used by Jesus, are rendered up to the Father who bestowed them on the Son. The heavenly Father is the great Fountain of the highest good, and all that he gives comes back to him at last, having ministered strength and gladness to human hearts innumerable. All that is in God and all that is in Jesus are for us ; and we a.re, not for ourselves-that is only a small part of the truth-but for the Son in the Father, and the Father in the Son. There is no serving the Son without serving the Father, nor glorifying the Son without glorifying the Father. .A.nd we need that the Father should strengthen and equip us through invisible means for all this serving and glorifying, because the Son no longer remains visibly in the world. The invisible ministry is far to excel in depth and extent the visible one.-Y. Ver.16.-Not removal, but safety. I. NOT REMOVAL FROM THE WORLD. 1. To 1rw.ny this will seem a swperfluous statement. There must be many to whom it will seem e. marvellous thing that nny one should want to go out of the world e.t all. If praying to God would ma.ke it so, the young, the strong, the prosperous, the ambitious, would pray e. dozen times a. day that they might stay in the world. Every day thousands are going out of the world who, if they could get their own way, would stay in it. Probably the disciples themselves rather wondered at Jesus suggesting departure from the world as desirable. They were mostly young men, or men in their early prime. And, indeed, what so many wish is just what Jesus wishes himself. Every human beino- was manifestly intended to live out his days and do his work before he departs. That the old only should die is in the very order of nature, just like the falling of the leaves in the nutumn and the setting of the sun at eventide. 2. 'l'he thought expressed was a very natural one to come into the hea.rt of Jesus at this particular moment. He foresaw the pain and strain and trial his frienu:; wonlu have to pass through. He fore-  'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S1.'. JOHN. [on. xvn. 1~26,