Jesus isn't just asking for a divine announcement to boost his own comfort; his prayer, "Father, glorify your name," is a bold declaration that his ultimate desire is the Father's honor, even above his own immense distress. The Father's response, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again," assures Jesus that His name has been and will be supremely honored, not just through the Father's direct intervention, but ultimately through Jesus' own sacrificial path.
Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is facing the immense suffering of his impending crucifixion, and in a moment of profound human struggle, he cries out to his Father, expressing his distress and asking for deliverance, yet ultimately submitting to God's will. Immediately following this prayer, a voice from heaven declares God's glory, assuring Jesus that His name has been and will continue to be glorified through Him, which reassures the disciples and the crowds present. This divine affirmation frames Jesus' suffering not as a defeat, but as the very means by which God's ultimate plan for salvation will be revealed and realized.
Why would Jesus, facing immense suffering, ask to be saved from 'this hour'? It seems contradictory, but it reveals a profound truth about his humanity and his mission.
In John 12:27, Jesus cries out, 'Father, save me from this hour!' This isn't a sign of weakness or a lack of resolve. Instead, it's a raw, human expression of the immense agony he faced as he contemplated the suffering and death ahead. The commentaries highlight that his human feelings were real, not feigned. He experienced genuine fear and distress because he was taking on the weight of sin and God's wrath for humanity.
However, this moment of anguish is immediately followed by a correction: 'but for this cause I came to this hour.' This shows Jesus’s profound submission to God's will. Even though his human nature recoiled from the pain, his divine purpose and obedience anchored him. He understood that his suffering was not a random tragedy, but the very reason he came into the world – to be the atoning sacrifice for sin.
When Jesus prayed, he didn't just ask for personal relief. His deepest desire was for something far greater, something that puts all our personal concerns in perspective.
Jesus’s prayer transitions from his own distress to a plea for God's honor: 'Father, glorify your name' (John 12:28). This reveals the absolute centrality of God’s glory in Jesus’s mission. Even in his darkest hour, his ultimate concern wasn't his own comfort or even his own suffering, but the glorification of the Father.
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The commentaries explain that 'glorify your name' means to reveal, display, and honor God's character – His wisdom, justice, mercy, and power. Jesus understood that his impending death and resurrection were not just about his personal fate, but about the ultimate demonstration of God's attributes to the world. This willingness to prioritize God’s glory above all else, even his own life, serves as a powerful model for us.
In response to Jesus’s prayer, a voice from heaven declares something astonishing. What does this divine affirmation mean for Jesus and for us?
The Father's response, 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again' (John 12:28), is a profound affirmation. It tells us that God’s glory is not a new project; it has been, and will continue to be, manifest through Jesus.
Understand the original words
doxazō · Greek Verb
To make manifest, reveal, or display the true character, majesty, and holiness of God. To glorify God is to bring Him the credit and awe that are His due.
This pivotal moment occurs just before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. The divine voice confirms that His impending suffering and death are not a defeat, but the very means by which God's name will be supremely glorified and ultimately, His plan for humanity's salvation fulfilled.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus makes a public entry into Jerusalem, hailed by crowds as a king, shortly before his arrest and crucifixion.
c. AD 30
Jesus predicts his death
Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer, be killed, and be raised again, a difficult concept for them to grasp.
c. AD 30
The Plot to Arrest Jesus
Religious leaders, fearing Jesus' popularity and potential disruption, conspire to arrest and kill him.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Arrest and Trial
Jesus is arrested, tried by Jewish authorities, and then handed over to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
c. AD 30
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus is executed by crucifixion, a brutal method reserved for criminals and rebels.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Resurrection
According to Christian belief, Jesus is raised from the dead three days after his crucifixion.
c. AD 30
The Ascension of Jesus
Jesus is said to have ascended into heaven in the presence of his disciples.
This passage echoes the divine affirmation from heaven, underscoring Jesus' identity and purpose, just as the voice in John 12:28 confirms God's ongoing glorification of His name through Jesus.
John 17:1-5In His high priestly prayer, Jesus speaks of His own glorification and the glory He shared with the Father before creation, directly connecting to the Father's promise to glorify His name again in John 12:28.
Philippians 2:8-11This passage highlights Jesus' obedience unto death, leading to His exaltation and the universal recognition of His name, paralleling the Father's affirmation that Jesus' suffering and death would bring Him glory.
Hebrews 5:7-9Here we see Jesus' prayers and tears in His agony, leading to His obedience and perfection, mirroring the sorrow He expressed in John 12:27 before the Father's voice confirmed the path of glorification through suffering.
calvinJohn 12:27-33: "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."
- Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause came I into this hour. 28. Father, glorify thy name. Then came a voice from heaven, I have both glorified and will glorify it again. 29. Therefore the multitude, who were there, and heard it, said that it thundered. Others said, An angel spoke to him. 30. Jes…
henryJohn 12:27-33: "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."
12:27-33 The sin of our souls was the troubled of Christ's soul, when he undertook to redeem and save us, and to make his soul an offering for our sin. Christ was willing to suffer, yet prayed to be saved from suffering. Prayer against trouble may well agree with patience under it, and submission to the will of God in it. Our Lord Jesus undertook to satisfy G…
Jesus isn't just asking for a divine announcement to boost his own comfort; his prayer, "Father, glorify your name," is a bold declaration that his ultimate desire is the Father's honor, even above his own immense distress. The Father's response, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again," assures Jesus that His name has been and will be supremely honored, not just through the Father's direct intervention, but ultimately through Jesus' own sacrificial path.
Jesus is facing the immense suffering of his impending crucifixion, and in a moment of profound human struggle, he cries out to his Father, expressing his distress and asking for deliverance, yet ultimately submitting to God's will. Immediately following this prayer, a voice from heaven declares God's glory, assuring Jesus that His name has been and will continue to be glorified through Him, which reassures the disciples and the crowds present. This divine affirmation frames Jesus' suffering not as a defeat, but as the very means by which God's ultimate plan for salvation will be revealed and realized.
Jesus is facing the immense suffering of his impending crucifixion, and in a moment of profound human struggle, he cries out to his Father, expressing his distress and asking for deliverance, yet ultimately submitting to God's will. Immediately following this prayer, a voice from heaven declares God's glory, assuring Jesus that His name has been and will continue to be glorified through Him, which reassures the disciples and the crowds present. This divine affirmation frames Jesus' suffering not as a defeat, but as the very means by which God's ultimate plan for salvation will be revealed and realized.
"Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”" — Jesus isn't just asking for a divine announcement to boost his own comfort; his prayer, "Father, glorify your name," is a bold declaration that his ultimate desire is the Father's honor, even above h…
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Last reviewed October 2026
