1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."
What the Lord is Saying: Since chapter 14, Jesus has been speaking over a small period of time in what has been labeled as His Farewell Discourse and now in chapter 17 this is often called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.
Intercession is interesting. In Numbers 14, most of the chapter is an exchange between Moses and the Lord. The Lord speaks and then Moses pleads for his people. Moses asks for the forgiveness of Israel and God grants Moses' request and doesn't kill them, but does punish them. In 2 Chronicles 30:27 it is the Levitical priests who speak on behalf of the people. Hebrews 7:25 says of Jesus, "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
As Jesus begins, we see this is a prayer as it describes Jesus, "lifting up His eyes to heaven." I have always thought it was interesting how we always bow to pray. I wonder if we do this so as to not be distracted and yet in some ways it seems more natural to speak to God in the way we speak to one another but with the difference of looking up to the heavens.
Jesus says, "Father, the hour has come." John 7:30, "His hour had not yet come." John 8:20, "His hour had not yet come." John 12:23, "Jesus [answered them], saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." - The Hour is the appointed time for Lord's death on the cross. And though while here in this verse it is not yet arrived, the events that culminate it have begun. This is the time. It has arrived. There isn't a surprise. This time has been planned.
And then Jesus speaks of himself in the third person asking the Father to glorify Himself, the Son. I wonder if Jesus is speaking of His divinity in referring to the Son. This hour that is coming is the result of Jesus being glorified - Jesus' work on earth being completed. Jesus has really done a lot on earth, in a short amount of time.
In this passage, as has been the focus very often in this gospel - Jesus is pointing to the Father. Now, is he just doing this to make his message more palpable to his audience, primarily Jews? Possibly. Or Possibly his focus is meant to be on God the Father.
On a typical Sunday at church, I often will people watch and observe what is going on in the church and one thing I notice in our church, more than others I have attended is the complete focus on Jesus. The song selection is really focused on Him. I suppose as I read scripture I see this very even focus in Scripture on all members of the Trinity and as I read John, I see a focus that Jesus has often on the Father.
The focus in these words is what God has done - "You gave Him authority over all flesh." Jesus and the Father clearly have the same authority. And this authority has a purpose, "He may give eternal life." This is the purpose of Jesus - to give eternal life to all, in His name. If there is one big message in the book of John this is it -- the giving of eternal life to all in the name of Jesus from the authority of the Father.
John 17:3 is such a huge verse that Jesus is speaking, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." To know God, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Eternal life is what we want. We want to know that our future is secure. We don't want to go to another place of not being with God. We are selfish in this way. We only want good things to come in our life. We hate mistakes and bad times and situations. But Jesus takes us beyond what we want to declare that the goal of our lives is to know God. We are to know God. Life is about knowing God. And Jesus Christ. This is the purpose of God's spirit, to communicate the knowledge of Jesus and what He has done and Jesus is all about the Father and His business.
Summary: Jesus voices in this prayer that the hour has come for the son to be glorified with the Father. Jesus came to give us all eternal life and this is a life of knowing God and His Son Jesus.
Promise: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
Prayer: Lord, what a joy it is always to read and study your word and specifically the words you have given to us through John and the difference a little in his emphasis from the other gospel writers, namely that Jesus gives eternal life. That is clear and remains clear. Lord, I love to study your words but it remains hard at times to talk to people and spend time sharing with others and conveying these words that I am learning and talk to people open and honestly about them. Lord, your words seem clear. I am to know God and in the process I receive eternal life, but my zeal and goal in life is knowing God.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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