John 17:11

The title "Holy Father" appears only here in the fourth Gospel and is a reminder of both aspects of God’s nature. It balances ideas of ultimate purity with intimate paternity and so prepares for what lies ahead, namely, the need for loving sanctification (John 17:17-19). The Father’s holiness serves as a model for the holiness of disciples (cf. Leviticus 11:44; Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:16). The reason Jesus and disciples can be holy is that the Father is holy.

Jesus asked His Father to keep these disciples "in your name" (Gr. en to onomati sou). The NIV interpreted this phrase to mean "by the power of your name" (cf. Psalms 20:1; Psalms 54:1; Proverbs 18:10). [Note: Bruce, p. 332.] However the preposition en may be locative instead of instrumental in mood. In that case the idea would be "keep them in your name," meaning keep them loyal to you. [Note: Lindars, p. 524.] Some commentators argued that both ideas were in Jesus’ mind. [Note: E.g., Brown, 2:759.] The context favors the second view. Loyalty seems to be the objective of the keeping and the dominant idea, not the means to it, namely, the Father’s power. The name that the Father had given to the Son probably refers to the revelation of God’s character that Jesus had manifested (John 17:6-8; cf. John 1:18; John 14:9).

The ultimate end of God keeping these disciples loyal to the revelation that Jesus had given them was that they might experience unity. They would be one with one another as well as one with the Son and the Father if they remained loyal to Jesus’ revelations. Projecting this idea further we can see that the Scriptures are the basis for the unity of believers with one another and with God.