Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about getting what you want; it reveals prayer's ultimate purpose: to bring glory to God the Father through Jesus. When we ask in Jesus' name, it means aligning our requests with who He is and His mission, ensuring that His life and work are magnified in the answers we receive.
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is speaking to his disciples during the Last Supper, just before his arrest and crucifixion. Philip has just asked Jesus to "show us the Father," and Jesus is explaining that seeing him is seeing the Father, as he is in the Father and the Father is in him. He's assuring them that as he prepares to go to the Father, they will be able to do the works he has done and even greater ones, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Ever wonder what it really means to ask in Jesus' name? It’s more than just adding a signature to your prayers.
Jesus' command to ask in His name isn't about a magical phrase. It's about aligning our hearts and requests with who Jesus is and what He represents.
The Heart of the Request:
When we pray 'in Jesus' name,' we are essentially bringing our prayers to God the Father based on Jesus' merits, His relationship with the Father, and His authority. It means asking with the same spirit and for the same purposes that Jesus Himself would ask.
Consistent with His Character:
Our prayers should reflect Christ's character and His mission. As one commentator put it, praying in Jesus' name means our requests are within the scope of what conduces to salvation and aligns with Christ's mission as Savior. It's about our prayerful activity moving within the sphere of who Jesus is.
Why does Jesus link our answered prayers to His Father's glory? There's a beautiful theological reason for it.
The ultimate goal of our prayers, and Jesus' fulfillment of them, is the glorification of the Father.
Divine Collaboration:
Jesus states, 'that the Father may be glorified in the Son.' This reveals a dynamic relationship where the Father's glory shines through the Son's work and His interaction with us.
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God's Reputation:
When we pray in Jesus' name and our requests are answered, it isn't just about us receiving something. It's about demonstrating God's power, faithfulness, and love through Jesus. Our experience of answered prayer becomes a testimony to the Father's character, revealing His greatness through the Son's intercession and work.
Understand the original words
doxasthē · Greek Verb
To be made manifest, honored, or celebrated in the excellence and character of God; the revelation of God's majesty and divine nature.
aitēsēte · Greek Verb
To present a request to God; in a biblical context, it implies reliance upon God's provision and alignment with His sovereign will.
onoma · Greek Noun
In the Bible, a name represents the person's character, authority, and presence; to ask in Jesus' name means to pray according to his authority, nature, and purpose.
This passage reinforces the idea that asking in Jesus' name is about more than just a formula; it's about asking with the understanding that Jesus is the true mediator through whom all requests are made to the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11This passage speaks to the ultimate purpose of all that Jesus does, which is to bring glory to God the Father. It echoes the sentiment in John 14:13 that the Father is glorified through the Son's work and our participation in it.
1 John 5:14This verse provides a crucial condition for answered prayer, aligning with the spirit of John 14:13 by stating that if we ask anything according to God's will, He hears us, which is essential for His glory.
Colossians 3:17This verse offers a broad principle that whatever we do, whether in word or deed, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him, which aligns with the unified purpose of prayer and action in John 14:13.
vincentJohn 14:13: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
In my nameThe first occurrence of the phrase. See on Matthew 28:19. Prayer is made in the name of Jesus, "if this name, Jesus Christ, as the full substance of the saving faith and confession of him who prays, is, in his consciousness, the element in which the prayerful activity moves; so that thus that Name, embracing the whole revelation of redemption, is that which specifically m…
calvinJohn 14:8-14: "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us."
- Philip saith to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9. Jesus saith to him, Have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known me, Philip? He who hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou, Show us the Father? 10. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words which I speak to you I speak not from myself; but my Father who dwelleth in me, he do…
This verse isn't just about getting what you want; it reveals prayer's ultimate purpose: to bring glory to God the Father through Jesus. When we ask in Jesus' name, it means aligning our requests with who He is and His mission, ensuring that His life and work are magnified in the answers we receive.
Jesus is speaking to his disciples during the Last Supper, just before his arrest and crucifixion. Philip has just asked Jesus to "show us the Father," and Jesus is explaining that seeing him is seeing the Father, as he is in the Father and the Father is in him. He's assuring them that as he prepares to go to the Father, they will be able to do the works he has done and even greater ones, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is speaking to his disciples during the Last Supper, just before his arrest and crucifixion. Philip has just asked Jesus to "show us the Father," and Jesus is explaining that seeing him is seeing the Father, as he is in the Father and the Father is in him. He's assuring them that as he prepares to go to the Father, they will be able to do the works he has done and even greater ones, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." — This verse isn't just about getting what you want; it reveals prayer's ultimate purpose: to bring glory to God the Father through Jesus. When we ask in Jesus' name, it means aligning our requests w…
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Last reviewed October 2026