John 17:1-26

John 17:1-5:

^17:1These-things Jesus uttered-forth and having lifted-up his eyes into the heaven said, "Father, the hour came² - You must glorify Your son in order that the son may glorify You ^.2according as You gave to him authority of all flesh in order that everything which You gave² to him he may give to them eternal life; ^.3but this is the eternal life in order that they may know You, the only true God - and whom You apostled, Jesus Christ. ^.4I glorified You on the earth having made-complete the work which You gave² to me in order that I may do; ^.5and now You must glorify me, Father, with Yourself - with the glory which I had before the world is with You.

Jesus had been speaking to his learning-disciples (students) while they were going towards the Mount of Olives where the garden of Gethsemane is located at the west side.

Here in chapter 17, John the writer of this book next records that after Jesus lifted-up his eyes into the heaven (raised or took his eyes upwards into the heaven, which is literally referring to anywhere above the earth, the sky above, but figuratively referring to God's spirit realm - God's location) he said...

• "Father (addressing God with the word "Father" which emphasizes Jesus' sonship relationship with God because of having received holy spirit-life from Him and therefore being in God’s family, their family relationship of Father and son),
• the hour came and continues come (the short limited period of time has already come and continues) -
• You must glorify Your son (it is imperative that You give the importance, splendor, renown to Your son; the word "son" emphasizes Jesus' origin, quality, and essence, clearly identifying the Father and son relationship between God and Jesus)
  • for the purpose and result that the son would glorify You (I would give You the importance, splendor, renown)
• according as (just as, according to how, in comparison to the way that)
• You gave to him authoritative-power of all flesh (permitted right pertaining to, over every fleshy-being, all of mankind, every human-being)
• for the purpose and result that everything (all, every single thing) which You gave and continue given to him
  • he would give to them eternal life (the action of giving is an unforced presenting or yielding something which one already has to someone else who does not have it yet - the son would give to people agelong life – this duration of life will not end and so it is ‘eternal’, referring to holy spirit-life);
• but this is the eternal life (the effect or result of having eternal life is)
• for the purpose and result that they would personally know (have a truly active and relative knowing, be personally knowledgeable of)
  • You,
  • the only true God (You alone have the quality and essence of trueness; there is no other God Whose consistency is truth, You are the actual, certain, real, genuine God, the source of truth, the essential reality, the inherent verity – as opposed to a copy such as the false, fictitious, unreal gods, the idols) -
• and
• whom You apostled (sent forth/away on this specific mission or assignment),
• Jesus Christ (Jesus who is the Messiah, the Anointed-one).
• Emphatically I glorified You on the earth (in Greek there is a definite word for “I” plus the verb meaning “I glorified” giving emphasis – I myself gave You the importance, splendor, renown in manifestation, evidence, as an exhibition, demonstration, or illustration on the location of the earth)
  • having made-complete the work (caused the deed to reach its ending-issue, made the end-product perfect, caused the effect produced with/by the action of expending my energy to arrive at the ultimate state of completeness)
  • which You have already given and continue given to/for me (this remains unchanged)
    • for the purpose and result that I would do (perform that work);
• and at the present time emphatically You must glorify me (in Greek there is a definite word for “You” plus the verb meaning “You must glorify” giving emphasis – it is imperative that You Yourself give me the importance, splendor, renown),
• Father (again addressing God as his Father),
  • with Yourself (at rest beside, at or with Yourself, in proximity to You) -
    • specifically with the glory (the importance, splendor, renown)
    • which I used-to have/hold during a past time, historically,
    • before the world is with You (prior to, in front of, in advance of the time when the world is at rest beside, at or with You - before the occurrence of the world existing in proximity to You).

The promise of the glory of the savior, the Christ, was first spoken by God in Genesis 3:15 after Adam's rejection of God's Word to him. This was followed by Adam's expulsion from the garden of Eden where God's presence was available to Adam. The world of mankind is-not and will-not be with God until the time of the third/future heavens and earth, as recorded in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

During Jesus’ everyday living of life he was God’s glory in manifestation, in evidence, as an exhibition, demonstration, or illustration. He lived his life in accordance with God's words to/for him being the Christ, and he looked forward to everything that God said about the Christ coming to pass. After Jesus' death, burial, resurrection by God making him alive from being dead, and after his ascension into heaven - Jesus was glorified by God being the Lord and the Christ, the new kind of man having a spiritual body with its eternal holy spirit-life, and God placed him at His right-hand side on His throne.

In verses 2 and 3, the Greek word translated "eternal" is aionios and may also be translated "agelong". In this context, the life being referred to will not end. It is eternal, agelong, lifelong, everlasting. It lasts throughout all durations of life, all ages from the time a person receives it. This life can only be received by God's giving of holy spirit by means of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Reference: Matthew 28:18; John 3:16, 17 and 35, 4:14 and 34, 5:36-38 and 44, 6:27, 37-40 and 57, 7:29 and 39, 8:42, 10:28 and 36, 11:4 and 41, 12:23-28, 13:3, 31 and 32, 14:13; Acts 2:30, 3:13-15; I Thessalonians 1:9; I Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 1:2-4, 5:5-9, 8:1, 12:2; II Peter 3:13; I John 5:20; Jude 1:25; Revelation 3:21, 21:1-4, 22:1-3. Also refer to the articles The Name of God, The Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Creation, Adam and Eve, and Pentecost and holy spirit. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

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John Chapter 18