JOHN 17:20 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;”
I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word — The prayer's scope expands beyond the Twelve to encompass all future believers, including the Johannine community and beyond. "Through their word" (dia tou logou autōn, through their message) establishes the disciples as instrumental in transmitting faith, emphasizing the role of apostolic witness. This verse envisions the Church's missionary expansion as the fruit of the disciples' faithful testimony.
Church Fathers on John 17:20
When our Lord had prayed for His disciples, whom He named also Apostles, He added a prayer for all others who should believe on Him; Neither pray I for these alone, but for all others who shall believe of Me through their word.
Another ground of consolation to them, that they were to be the cause of the salvation of others.
As you, Father, are in Me, and I in you, that they also may be one in Us, i.e. that as the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, so after the likeness of this unity, all may be one in the Father and in the Son.
Read all 17 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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