John 17:9

John 17:9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

In this, our Lord’s last great intercessory prayer, he was especially engaged in petitions for his own people. There is a sense in which he intercedes for all mankind; but in the higher and more special sense referred to in this verse, Christ’s own chosen ones occupied all his thoughts: "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."