Jesus mentioned to the Father that he (Jesus) was no longer in the world, no longer involved in its struggles etc., but these men, whom the Father had given him, were so involved. He was leaving them and returning to the Father. What was to become of them? Therefore, at this point Jesus actually began praying for his disciples, that is, he made requests on their behalf, and those requests aren’t something Jesus wanted the Father to do out of mercy or out of his good graces. No, Jesus prayed that the Father would fulfill an obligation.
Jesus’ prayer for his disciples seems to have a connection to the New Covenant that he made with his Father (cp. John 17:1-5). For example, earlier Jesus mentioned he had manifested his Father’s name unto the men whom the Father had given Jesus out of the world, and they kept the Father’s word. Put another way, Jesus revealed who the Father was to these men (cp. John 1:18), expressing what his character was like (Hebrews 1:3), and the disciples sought to live by that manner or to image what Jesus made clear to them (cp. Genesis 1:27). Now that this was fulfilled, the Father owed his response to what was done by Jesus with the men the Father had given him. The New Covenant demanded that the Father do his part and keep those Jesus had kept, guard them he had guarded, keeping them in his name, now that Jesus was leaving and returning to him (John 17:11), because none of them strayed (G622, translated lost in the text) except for Judas, who was destined to stray in order to fulfill the scriptures (John 17:12). Thus, Jesus was leaving his disciples, and they are one, and he requested that his Father would continue keeping them one, just as both he and the Father were one.
As Jesus was preparing to leave the world and return to his Father, he mentioned that these things he spoke while yet in the world in order that his joy might be fulfilled in his disciples (John 17:13). What did he mean, and how would his joy be fulfilled in his disciples in his absence? Well, first of all, his mentioning these things pertained to more than just his prayer. The whole evening was spent speaking with his disciples and telling them about these things.[1]
These things referred to the example of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:14-17), and also to his going away and sending them another Comforter (John 14:3-6, 16-18, 25), and to abiding in him as the True Vine (New Covenant) rather than the vine of Israel (Old Covenant) in order to bear fruit to the Father, and herein would their joy be fulfilled (John 15:1-11). These things involved loving one another, as Christ loved them (John 15:12-17), and that not only involved persecution (John 15:18-21), but would also morph into complete ostracism and even death for some (John 16:1-3). These things weren’t dwelt upon in the beginning of their relationship with Jesus (John 16:4), just as in a wedding the vows taken until the death of one parts the couple, death is not what is in the mind and hearts of the husband and wife. Nevertheless, now Jesus was leaving (death) and returning to his Father, so these things were thrust into the foreground, and they had to be dealt with. Although there was much sorrow (John 16:6), the fact that Jesus was telling them ahead of time would be an encouragement. They would not be caught by surprise. They would know beforehand. Moreover, their present confusion would unfold into clarity in a very short time (John 15:25), and their sorrow would give way to joy, and in this they would find peace. They would have the satisfaction of knowing that the world hadn’t overcome Jesus at all, but that he had overcome the world (John 16:33).
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[1] See my previous study in John 16 entitled: “These Things…”
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