John 17:1
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus’ prayer begins with a profound, intentional shift: "Father" emphasizes their intimate relationship, but the request "glorify your Son" transitions to his role as God's unique emissary, setting the stage for how He, the Son, will then bring glory back to the Father. This isn't just about personal honor; it's about fulfilling a divinely appointed mission.
Having just finished his final instructions to his disciples, Jesus transitions into a prayer to his Father. This prayer marks a solemn shift from His earthly ministry to the impending suffering and glorification that lie ahead. It's a profound moment where Jesus, as both Son and Mediator, addresses God to prepare for His ultimate mission of salvation.
Jesus’s prayer begins by declaring a pivotal moment: 'the hour has come.' What makes this 'hour' so significant?
Jesus recognizes that the time for His ultimate mission is at hand. This isn't just any hour; it's the culmination of all that was prophesied and planned.
A Predetermined Time
This 'hour' refers to His impending suffering, death, and subsequent resurrection and ascension. It’s the moment He will fulfill His atoning work for humanity.
Purposeful Transition
As scholars note, this prayer marks a crucial transition. Jesus has just finished His discourses to the disciples, preparing them for His departure. Now, He turns to His Father, sealing His earthly ministry with prayer before entering into His passion.
Confidence in the Plan
Jesus’s posture—lifting His eyes to heaven—and His direct address, 'Father,' convey not dread, but calm confidence. He is entering into the Father’s will and plan, assured of divine support.
Jesus’s first request is for glory. But it’s immediately tied to glorifying the Father. What does this reciprocal relationship look like?
Jesus’s prayer for glorification is not selfish; it’s intrinsically linked to the Father’s glory. This establishes a beautiful, mutual exchange that is central to God’s redemptive plan.
Glorify the Son
Jesus asks the Father to 'glorify Your Son.' This refers to His return to the divine glory He shared before His incarnation, a glory that will be fully displayed through His death, resurrection, and ascension. It's about vindication and the unveiling of His true identity and authority.
The Son Glorifies the Father
Crucially, Jesus adds, 'that the Son may glorify You.' His glorification isn't an end in itself. It’s the means by which the Father will be made known. By completing His mission, suffering, and rising again, Jesus reveals the Father’s love, justice, power, and faithfulness to the world.
Understand the original words
patēr · Greek Noun
The title used by Jesus to address God, emphasizing the intimate, familial, and relational nature of the Godhead and the believer's access to God through Christ.
hōra · Greek Noun
In the Johannine literature, this refers to the predetermined, climactic moment of Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, which reveals the Father's glory.
doxazō · Greek Verb
The manifestation of God's divine nature, splendor, and presence; to glorify is to make this excellence known or visible.
This prayer marks the pivotal moment just before Jesus' suffering and death, acting as a transition from His earthly ministry to His heavenly intercession. It highlights His awareness of the 'hour' and His confident appeal to the Father for glorification as the necessary precursor to His own work of glorifying the Father.
c. AD 30— this verse
Last Supper and Institution of the Lord's Supper
Jesus shares his final meal with his disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper and teaching them about His impending departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
c. AD 30
Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus withdraws to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, experiencing intense anguish and submitting Himself to the Father's will before His arrest.
c. AD 30
Arrest and Trial of Jesus
Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane and undergoes a series of trials before the Jewish and Roman authorities, leading to His condemnation.
c. AD 30
Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
Jesus is crucified at Golgotha and dies, fulfilling the Scriptures and accomplishing the atonement for sins.
This passage describes the exaltation of Jesus after his suffering and death, directly echoing Jesus' prayer in John 17:1 to be glorified, so that He might glorify God. It shows the divine plan for Christ's glorification and the resulting worship of God.
Hebrews 5:7-8Hebrews describes Jesus offering prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, aligning with the solemn and fervent prayer in John 17. It highlights Jesus' humanity and obedience through suffering, a key theme in His intercessory prayer.
John 12:27-28Just before this prayer, Jesus expresses his anguish about the 'hour' and prays 'Father, glorify your name.' This earlier moment shows Jesus' anticipation of the same hour of suffering and His desire for the Father's glory, setting the stage for the more comprehensive prayer in chapter 17.
Matthew 26:39While John 17:1 shows Jesus lifting His eyes to heaven in calm confidence, Matthew 26:39 depicts Him falling on His face in the Garden of Gethsemane in prayer. These contrasting but complementary accounts reveal different facets of Jesus' prayerful submission to the Father's will as the 'hour' approached.
Colossians 1:15-20vincentJohn 17:1: "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:"
These words (ταῦτα)Literally, these things. So Rev.SaidJohn nowhere says that Jesus prayed, as the other Evangelists do.Thy Son - thy Son (σοῦ τὸν υἱὸν - ὁ υἱός)Properly, thy Son - the Son. The second phrase marks a change from the thought of personal relationship to that of the relation in which Jesus manifests the Father's gl…
cambridgeJohn 17:1: "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:"
1 . These words ] More exactly, these things , as in John 16:1 ; John 16:4 ; John 16:6 ; John 16:25 ; John 16:33 . lifted up his eyes ] in calm confidence and in the assurance of victory ( John 16:33 ). The attitude is in marked contrast to His falling on His face in the garden ( Matthew 26:39 ). ‘To heaven’ does not prove that He was i…
Jesus’ prayer begins with a profound, intentional shift: "Father" emphasizes their intimate relationship, but the request "glorify your Son" transitions to his role as God's unique emissary, setting the stage for how He, the Son, will then bring glory back to the Father. This isn't just about personal honor; it's about fulfilling a divinely appointed mission.
Having just finished his final instructions to his disciples, Jesus transitions into a prayer to his Father. This prayer marks a solemn shift from His earthly ministry to the impending suffering and glorification that lie ahead. It's a profound moment where Jesus, as both Son and Mediator, addresses God to prepare for His ultimate mission of salvation.
Having just finished his final instructions to his disciples, Jesus transitions into a prayer to his Father. This prayer marks a solemn shift from His earthly ministry to the impending suffering and glorification that lie ahead. It's a profound moment where Jesus, as both Son and Mediator, addresses God to prepare for His ultimate mission of salvation.
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A Unified Purpose
This isn't a negotiation but a statement of unified purpose. As commentators point out, the Son’s exaltation and the Father’s renown are inseparable. The Father is glorified as the Son fulfills the mission given to Him, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Father’s plan and the salvation He offers.
c. AD 30
Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus is raised from the dead on the third day, demonstrating His divine power and victory over death.
c. AD 30
Ascension of Jesus
Jesus ascends into heaven, returning to the Father's glory and preparing to send the Holy Spirit.
This passage highlights Christ's pre-eminence and His role in reconciling all things to God through His death. It reflects the 'glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you' dynamic, showing how Christ's mediation brings glory to the Father by reconciling creation.
"When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you," — Jesus’ prayer begins with a profound, intentional shift: "Father" emphasizes their intimate relationship, but the request "glorify your Son" transitions to his role as God's unique emissary, settin…
