And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
for.
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
2 Corinthians 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
I sanctify.
John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
that.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
sanctified through the truth.
so that they too may be sanctified
The purpose of Jesus' sanctification is for the benefit of His followers. The disciples, and by extension all believers, are to be set apart for God's purposes. This reflects the call to holiness found in Leviticus 20:7-8, where God commands His people to be holy as He is holy. The sanctification of believers is a process of being made holy through the work of the Holy Spirit, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. This phrase underscores the transformative power of Jesus' sacrifice, enabling believers to live lives that reflect God's holiness.
by the truth
The truth here refers to the Word of God, as Jesus previously stated in John 17:17, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." The truth is the divine revelation found in Scripture, which guides and transforms believers. This aligns with Jesus' declaration in John 14:6, where He states, "I am the way and the truth and the life." The truth is not only a set of doctrines but is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. The sanctification of believers is achieved through their relationship with Christ and adherence to His teachings, which are the ultimate truth.
• Jesus is crystal-clear about His motive: everything He is doing in this prayer is “for them,” the people the Father has given Him (John 17 : 6).
• He is acting on behalf of His disciples, and by extension all who will later believe through their word (John 17 : 20).
• This self-giving focus echoes John 10 : 15—“I lay down My life for the sheep”—and Romans 5 : 8, where Christ’s love is demonstrated “while we were still sinners.”
• The phrase positions the coming cross as a substitutionary work, just as Isaiah 53 : 5 foretold: “He was wounded for our transgressions.”
• “Sanctify” has the idea of setting apart for God’s special purpose. Jesus, already perfectly holy, now dedicates Himself to the Father’s saving plan in a unique, once-for-all way.
• Hebrews 7 : 26 describes Him as “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners.” By stepping toward the cross He intentionally sets Himself apart as the flawless sacrifice, fulfilling Hebrews 10 : 10—“we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
• His voluntary consecration heightens the wonder of Philippians 2 : 8, where He “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death.”
• The goal is not merely His own consecration; it is the transformation of His people.
• Ephesians 5 : 25-27 says Christ “gave Himself up for her to sanctify her,” linking His self-offering with believers’ cleansing.
• 2 Corinthians 5 : 15 reinforces this purpose: “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves.”
• The same setting-apart Jesus embraces is now applied to us.
• Hebrews 2 : 11 stresses the shared family bond: “Both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family.”
• God’s will, 1 Thessalonians 4 : 3 tells us, “is your sanctification.” Here Jesus ensures that will is accomplished.
• Practically, this means a life progressively conformed to Christ’s likeness (Romans 8 : 29) and separated from the world’s corruption (James 1 : 27).
• The means of our sanctification is “the truth,” immediately defined two verses earlier: “Your word is truth” (John 17 : 17).
• Psalm 119 : 160 affirms, “The entirety of Your word is truth,” underscoring the substance God uses to reshape us.
• 2 Timothy 3 : 16-17 explains that Scripture “is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” equipping believers “for every good work.”
• By anchoring us in objective, revealed truth, Jesus protects us from the lies of the evil one (John 17 : 15) and guides us into increasing holiness.
Jesus deliberately sets Himself apart for the cross “for them,” securing our salvation. His consecration has a clear purpose: that we also be set apart for God. This sanctifying work is activated and sustained “by the truth,” the living, unchanging Word of God. In Christ’s self-dedication we find both the foundation and the means for our ongoing transformation into holy, truth-shaped lives.
(19) And for their sakes I sanctify myself.--Comp. Note on John 17:17. The consecration here thought of is that to the work which was immediately before Him--the offering Himself as a sacrifice. The word was in frequent use in the special sense of an offering or sacrifice set apart to God. As a New Testament example of this, comp. Romans 15:16. By this consecration of Himself--which in a wider sense is for all men, but in the special sense is "for their sakes"--He will, as both Priest and Sacrifice, enter into the Holy of Holies of the heavenly temple, and will send the Holy Ghost, who will consecrate them.That they also might be sanctified through the truth.--Better, as in the margin, . . . . might be truly sanctified. The words "they also" are emphatic, answering to "their sakes" and "myself" in the preceding clause.
Verse 19. - And for their sakes - on their behalf - I sanctify, consecrate, myself. The Father had consecrated him and sent him into the world, but over and above all this there were special and sacrificial acts of love and devotion which he made on behalf of his own. He went up voluntarily into the wilderness to be tempted for them; he wrought for them while it was yet day. He now was ready to commend himself to the supreme will of the Father, and to offer himself through the Spirit in his perfected humanity without spot of sin to God. Ἁγιάζω is equivalent προσφέρω σοὶ θυσίαν, as Chrysostom says, and it is used for הִקְדִּישׁ (Exodus 13:2; Deuteronomy 15:19). Christ is the Priest and the Victim, and the dedication of himself to this climax of his consecrated life is for the sake of the disciples (so Lange, Meyer, Godet, and Westcott). That they also may be sanctified indeed - truly or veritably.(1) We have to notice that the passive form of the second clause shows that that which the Lord, in its highest form, effects for himself, they receive as a work wrought in them by another.
(2) Using the word ἁγιάζειν in the same sense in both clauses, the consecration effected in the disciples must correspond with Christ's consecration in self-sacrificial love, in abandonment to the power of the Word which has revolutionized their whole being, in entire equipment for their calling, even to the point of hatred and antagonism from the world, and death for his sake. They are indeed to drink of his cup, and be baptized with his baptism. They must be crucified with him and buried with him, and rise again with him, in the activity of their faith.
(3) Ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, without the article, has the sense of "verily and indeed" (Matthew 22:16; 2 Corinthians 7:14; 1 John 3:18, etc.). It is not certain that 2 John I or 3 John I can be thus translated, but the classical usage of this phrase, and also of ἐπ ἀληθείας, leaves little doubt about its use here.
Parallel Commentaries ...