With Dale Ratzlaff
John 17:12
While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
“While I was with them…” From the Gospel records, except during the short mission of the 12 and 70, we do not find a time during the ministry of Christ that He was separated from His disciples. They traveled together; they ate together, they ministered together. We could translate this phrase as “I was continually with them.” He was with them and experienced real, human life Himself as the Sinless One. He was continually with them, and He witnessed their times of doubt, misunderstanding, selfishness, lack of faith and denial. All during this time, Jesus “was keeping them.” The Greek word translated, “was keeping” has the following shades of meaning: “was keeping watch over,” “was keeping guard over,” “was preserving.” During all the time of the Gospel records, Jesus was continually keeping His disciples.
It was the presence of Jesus with His disciples that kept them. We, with the saints of the Old Testament and New Testament believers, have the same promise.
The LORD appeared to him [Isaac] the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.” (Gen. 26:24)
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; (Jn. 14:16)
When Paul was being persecuted by the Jews in the city after city, Jesus gave him this promise.
And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10).
As believers, we, with Paul, can be assured of the continual presence of Jesus.
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Phil. 4:9).
How did Jesus “continually” keep, or guard His disciples? The answer is, in the name which the Father had given Him. The meaning of that name is developed throughout Scripture. The name of Jehovah, or simply, YHWH, was first given to Moses at the burning bush.
Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations (Ex. 3:13-15).
Later Moses records the time when the Lord stood with Him on the Mount Sinai.
The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations” (Ex. 34:5-7).
Here we have a revelation of the loving and just character of God. All these characteristics are included in “the name.” A quick glance back in the Gospel of John we see the various uses and benefits of the “Name.”
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (Jn. 1:12).
Here, right at the beginning of John’s Gospel, we have this wonderful promise. If we believe—fully trust—in the eternal, self-existent God, then we have the right (authority) to become children of God. As children of God, we can live in an ongoing state of confidence. We will not be judged again as we have already been judged “in Christ.” We can ask in faith knowing that our prayers will be answered.
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:18).
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (Jn. 14:13).
“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it (Jn. 14:14).
As a good Father, He will send the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and bring to our remembrance all that Jesus said.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (Jn. 14:26).
All of these promises, and more besides are included in the short statement of our text.
While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
Judas was included with the twelve for three years. He witnessed all that the other disciples did, yet, he chose to go his own way as was predicted by the foreknowledge and sovereignty of God and prophesied in the Old Testament.
Application
The promises in this short passage are significant.
- As Jesus was with His disciples, He will be with us and will never leave us. This promise is true even when we, like the disciples, stumble in our Christian walk, even when our faith is weak. He remains faithful and He will be by our side to keep us from falling. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 1:24).”
- Now that Jesus is no longer here in person, we have the promise that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever. “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever (Jn. 14:16).”
- There are some who teach that if you do a certain deed, you have committed the unpardonable sin. Remember, however, that Peter who denied His Lord three times was restored into full fellowship with the Risen Christ. There are others that teach the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from the earth, and that believers will have to “go it on their own” in the end times. Note well the promise of this verse. The Holy Spirit is to be with us forever.
- As Jesus guarded His disciples, so He will guard us. Knowing and accepting who we are “in Christ” we can put on the “full armor of God” and withstand the assault of the devil. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11).”
- If, as we read in John 1:12, we have believed in Christ, then we are adopted into the family of God and as children of God not one of us will perish. “Not one of them perished.” The Christian life is a battle against the forces of darkness. Several of the Apostles were martyred for their faith. History records that many thousands, perhaps millions of Christians have also been persecuted or put to death for their faith. Even in these circumstances, Christ’s promises remain true. Not one of them lost their eternal life.
Prayer
Father, may I understand the importance of your name. Help me understand your character and know for sure that I am your child. May I receive all that you are ready to give me. Thank you that the Holy Spirit will never leave me and that I am assured of eternal life because I trust the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
In Jesus name.
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