John 17 New English Translation

Jesus Prays for the Father to Glorify Him

17 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward[a] to heaven[b] and said, “Father, the time[c] has come. Glorify your Son, so that your[d] Son may glorify you.

Reflection: Was this specific prayer that pertains to Christ alone or can this prayer apply to you and me?

Jesus Christ came to be who He was and by doing so to show who the Father was.

In a way, this is our passive purpose of life too. How we live testifies who our Father is.

Then there is active witnessing as well. Jesus Christ wanted to make sure that what He came to accomplish would be so.

The Lord gave us life to accomplish what He wants from us. When we do so, we give Him glory.

So, how do we know what God wants from us to accomplish?

This is where spending time with God comes in. He can reveal that purpose through His Word, prayer, meditation and it is all work of the Holy Spirit in us if we call Him into our lives.

Prayer: Here I am Lord, fulfill Your purposes through me today and may that give You glory. Amen

Commentary: Biblehub.com gave me these few cross reference verses for our verse 1:

John 12:23 But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

John 13:31-32 When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. / If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify the Son in Himself—and will glorify Him at once.

Commentary: Part of Jesus’ glorification included this contrast of betrayal, the shameful treatment of Jesus, the cross and death. It was not only the pretty stuff.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, / that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, / and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Hebrews 5:7 During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.

Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Luke 22:41-42 And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed, / “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

John 11:41-42 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. / I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.”

Commentary: Total surrender is about giving glory to the Father because the Father knew what was best for Jesus and the humanity He came to save.

John 7:39 He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Commentary: The final act of Jesus’ glorification in AD 31 is the sitting on the throne with the Father. When that happened, the Holy Spirit was to take primary role of leading people into a saving relationship with Christ Jesus.

John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 16:28 I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Commentary: Jesus’ character was a good balance between the truth and grace.

Reflection: How much of that balance we need as His followers.

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.

Daniel 7:13-14 In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. / And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Psalm 2:7-8 I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. / Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.

Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

Commentary: Jesus deserves the glory because He stooped to the lowest of the low. He endured all kind of setbacks and could not see beyond the grave in his humanity.

Prayer: Father You have glorified Christ and You desire to glorify all of us as we stay faithful to You in our walk with You. May this be true for us and our children and grandchildren o Lord. Amen

Peter Caran

Pastor of Cobourg and Harmony Churches