And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

“(Hom. lxxxii) Or thus: For their sakes I sanctify Myself, i. e. I offer Myself as a sacrifice to Thee; for all sacrifices, and things that are offered to God, are called holy. And whereas this sanctification was of old in figure, (a sheep being the sacrifice,) but now in truth, He adds, That they also might be sanctified through the truth; i. e. For I make them too an oblation to Thee; either meaning that He who was offered up was their head, or that they would be offered up too: as the Apostle saith, Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy. (Rom. 12:1)”

“(Tr. cviii) It is manifest by this, that He is still speaking of the Apostles; for the very word Apostle means in the Greek, sent. But since they are His members, in that He is the Head of the Church, He says, And for their sakes I sanctify Myself; i. e. I in Myself sanctify them, since they are Myself. And to make it more clear that this was His meaning, He adds, That they also might be sanctified through the truth, i. e. in Me; inasmuch as the Word is truth, in which the Son of man was sanctified from the time that the Word was made flesh. For then He sanctified Himself in Himself, i. e. Himself as man, in Himself as the Word: the Word and man being one Christ. But of His members it is that He saith, And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, i. e. them in Me, since in Me both they and I are. That they also might be sanctified in truth: they also, i. e. even as Myself; and in the truth, i. e. Myself.”

“Above, the Lord asked for the preservation of the disciples; here he asks for their sanctification. And first he asks for their sanctification; second, he assigns the necessity of the sanctification, at the place "as you sent me into the world"; third, he intimates the beginning of this sanctification, at the place "and for them I sanctify myself." He says therefore: I have asked in this way that they be kept from evil, but this is not sufficient unless they are perfected in good; Psalm 36:27: "Turn away from evil, and do good." And therefore, "Father, sanctify" — that is, perfect — "them," and make them holy. "And this in truth," that is, in me your Son, who am the truth, above, John 14:6, as if he were saying: make them partakers of my perfection and holiness. And therefore he adds "your word" — that is, your Word — "is truth," so that the sense is: sanctify them in me, the truth, because I, your Word, am the truth. Or, sanctify them by sending into them the Holy Spirit; and this in truth, that is, in the knowledge of the truth of faith and of your commandments; above, John 8:32: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." For through faith and the knowledge of the truth we are sanctified; Romans 3:22: "For the justice of God is through faith in Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all who believe in him." And therefore he adds "your word is truth": because, namely, the truth of the words of God has no falsity mixed in with it; Proverbs 8:8: "My words are right, there is in them nothing crooked nor perverse." And because his word teaches uncreated truth. Or otherwise. In the Old Testament there was a manner of speaking, that everything which is set apart for divine worship is said to be sanctified; Exodus 28:1: "Bring to me Aaron your brother, with his sons, from among the children of Israel, that they may perform the office of priesthood for me." He says therefore "sanctify" — that is, set apart, as it were by way of sanctification — "them in the truth," that is, for the preaching of your truth: because "your word," which they must preach, "is truth." And the necessity of sanctification is subjoined when he says "as you sent me into the world, so I also have sent them into the world"; as if he were saying: I came for this, that I might preach the truth — below, John 18:37: "For this was I born... that I should give testimony to the truth"; so also I have sent the disciples to preach the truth; Mark, last chapter, 15: "Going into the whole world, preach the Gospel to every creature." They must therefore bear witness in truth; below, John 20:21: "As the Father has sent me, I also send you." But they must be sanctified not only on account of the office to which they are appointed, but because it has already been begun by me; hence he says "and for them I sanctify myself." For according to Augustine it must be known that in Christ there is a twofold nature: but as regards the divine, Christ is holy by essence, whereas as regards the human, Christ is holy by grace, which is derived from the divine nature. He says therefore, according to the divinity, "I sanctify myself," by assuming flesh for them: and this, so that the holiness of grace, which is from me as God in me as man, might be derived from me to them; because "of his fullness we have all received"; above, John 1:16. Psalm 132:2: "Like the ointment which is on the head" — of Christ, which is God — "which ran down upon the beard of Aaron" — that is, upon his humanity — and from this, "ran down upon the skirt of his garment" — that is, upon us. Or otherwise, according to Chrysostom, he asked that they be sanctified with a spiritual sanctification. But in the Old Testament there were carnal justifications; Hebrews 9:10: "justices of the flesh laid on them until the time of correction." But those were figures of spiritual sanctification, which nevertheless were brought about through some sacrifice; and therefore, for the sanctification of the disciples, it was fitting that some sacrifice be made. And this is what he says: that they themselves may be sanctified, I now sanctify myself — that is, I offer myself as a sacrifice; Hebrews 9:14: "he offered himself to God"; ibid. 13:12: "For which cause Jesus, that he might sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered outside the gate." And this in truth, not in figure, as in the Old Testament.”

“Neither pray I for these alone,.... Meaning his immediate apostles and disciples, for whose preservation and sanctification he had been particularly praying in Joh 17:19; and now, that it might not be thought that these were his only favourites, and the only persons he had a regard for, and to whom his intercession and sacrifice were confined; he adds, but for them also which shall believe in me through their word: Christ is the object of true faith; which faith is not a mere assent of the mind to any truth concerning Christ, as that he is the Son of God, the Messiah and Saviour of the world; but it is a spiritual sight of him, of the necessity, fitness, and suitableness of him as a Saviour, a going forth unto him, laying hold on him, and depending upon him for life and salvation; of which the preaching of the Gospel is the instrumental means: it is indeed a gift of God, and a fruit of electing grace, and which is secured by it; hence our Lord knew that there would be a number, in all successive generations, that would believe in him, through the ministry of the word; and for these persons, and their conversion, and the success of the Gospel, to the good of their souls, he prays.”

“I sanctify myself - I consecrate and devote myself to death - that I may thereby purchase eternal salvation for them. There seems to be here an allusion to the entering of the high priest into the holy of holies, when, having offered the sacrifice, he sprinkled the blood before the ark of the covenant. So Jesus entered into the holiest of all by his own blood, in order to obtain everlasting redemption for men: see Heb 9:11-13. The word, ἁγιαζω, to consecrate or sanctify, is used in the sense of devoting to death, in Jer 12:3, both in the Hebrew and in the Septuagint: the Hebrew קדש signifies also to sacrifice.”

“And for them do I sanctify myself [6]. St. Augustine expounds it, I sanctify them, who are my members, in myself. The interpretation of St. Chrysostom and St. Cyril, seems preferable, that to sanctify in the style of Scriptures, is oftentimes the same as to offer up a sacrifice: so the sense here is, I sacrifice, and offer up myself on the cross for them and all mankind. (Witham) — By this Christ shews, that he sanctified the apostles, by sanctifying himself; because they are the members of his body. (St. Augustine, tract. 107. in Joan.) — Or, according to St. Chrysostom, I offer myself up to be the victim in their behalf. For victims, and whatever is dedicated to God, are called holy. He, their head, was offered up, and they also are immolated, according to that of the apostle, Romans xii. Exhibit your members a living sacrifice, holy, &c. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxxxi. in Joan.)”

“And for their sakes I sanctify--consecrate. myself that they also might--may. be sanctified--consecrated. The only difference between the application of the same term to Christ and the disciples is, as applied to Christ, that it means only to "consecrate"; whereas, in application to the disciples, it means to consecrate with the additional idea of previous sanctification, since nothing but what is holy can be presented as an offering. The whole self-sacrificing work of the disciples appears here as a mere result of the offering of Christ [OLSHAUSEN]. through--in. the truth--Though the article is wanting in the original here, we are not to translate, as in the Margin, "truly sanctified"; for the reference seems plainly to be "the truth" mentioned in Joh 17:17. (See on Joh 17:17).”