7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
17:7
Now
The word “now” transitions Jesus’ past experiences with the apostles in verse 1 to their immediate responsibilities. Since He trained them in their mission and they believed it, they now had the responsibility to fulfill His mission on earth. This was a summary for the apostles of Jesus’ entire public ministry.
they [the apostles] have known
The apostles had come to understand and accept Jesus and His mission from the Father. They reached a stage where He could trust them with His message; He was more than a man from Galilee or more than a man. The tense of the verb “have known” indicates their grasp, belief, and conviction about that message (perfect tense).
There is very little difference between the words “have known” or acknowledge and “believe.” The word “known” carries the idea of personal knowledge, which is close to the idea of trust in the word “believe.”
that all things which You have given Me are from You.
The apostles came to grips with all that Jesus taught as being from the Father. His words were not the mere dead words of man.
17:8
For
The “for” here explains “all things” of verse 7. The apostles came to know that the Father was the source of everything that Jesus taught.
I have given to them the words which You have given Me;
Jesus gave the apostles divine revelation. He faithfully communicated the “words” that the Father had given Him for His followers. It was a God-given revelation. Jesus spoke as a mediator of revelation from the Father.
and they have received them,
The last three phrases of this verse show the attitudes of the apostles:
(1) They “received” or accepted Jesus words as authentic, as revelation from God.
(2) They came to the certainty that Jesus’ words were true.
(3) Their faith in the divine origin of the incarnation was strong.
and have known surely [truly] that I came forth from You;
First, the apostles accepted Jesus’ words as divine truth. The word “surely” indicates the certainty with which the apostles came to know about the incarnation (Jn 1:14).
and they have believed that You sent Me.
The apostles believed in the divine mission of Jesus (Jn 16:27).
PRINCIPLE:
Certainty comes from divine revelation.
APPLICATION:
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Ro 10:17). We strengthen our faith by listening to and responding to the Word of God. Diligent attention to God’s Word and appropriation of its principles will produce a dynamic faith.
It is possible to come to a conclusion about what is real. The apostles came to certainty about what they believed. Paul came to that place as well (2 Ti 1:12).
