Question 1

In verses 1 and 5, what exactly does Jesus ask the Father to do, and how are the two requests connected?

Accepted Answer

In v. 1 Jesus asks, “Glorify your Son,” and he immediately gives the goal: “that your Son may also glorify you.” The request is framed as mutual honoring—what happens to the Son results in honor to the Father. In v. 5 Jesus restates the request more specifically: “glorify me with your own self,” and he connects it to “the glory which I had with you before the world existed.” So the second request clarifies the first by focusing on shared glory “with” the Father, and by grounding it in a prior relationship or prior reality described as existing before creation.

Question 2

How does verse 2 explain the reason Jesus gives for asking to be glorified?

Accepted Answer

Verse 2 links the request for glory to authority and purpose. Jesus says the Father already “gave him authority over all flesh,” and that this authority has a specific aim: “that…he will give eternal life” to those the Father has given him. In other words, Jesus’ request about glory is not presented as separate from his mission. It is connected to the Father’s prior granting of authority and to the outcome of giving life. The passage does not fully explain how glory and authority work together, but it clearly treats them as parts of the same mission logic.

Question 3

What does the phrase “to all whom you have given him” contribute to the meaning of verse 2?

Accepted Answer

The verse distinguishes between Jesus’ authority “over all flesh” and the group described as those the Father has “given” to him. The immediate result stated is that Jesus gives eternal life to the given ones. That wording suggests a particular people are in view as the recipients of eternal life in this sentence, even while Jesus’ authority is described in universal terms. The passage does not explain the full story of who is “given” or on what basis; it simply treats this giving as a Father-to-Son action that shapes the Son’s mission and the scope of those receiving eternal life.

Question 4

According to verse 3, what is “eternal life,” and what two objects of knowledge does it include?

Accepted Answer

Verse 3 defines eternal life as knowing someone, not merely living forever. It specifies two related objects of knowledge: (1) knowing “you, the only true God,” and (2) knowing “him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” The Father is identified as the only true God, and Jesus is identified as the one the Father sent. The verse does not spell out all that “know” includes (mental awareness, trust, relationship, loyalty), but it clearly frames eternal life as a relational and recognition-based reality centered on the Father and on Jesus’ identity as the sent Christ.

Question 5

In verse 4, what does Jesus claim to have already done, and how does he say it glorified the Father?

Accepted Answer

Jesus says, “I glorified you on the earth,” and he explains how: “I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do.” The glorifying of the Father is tied to Jesus completing an assigned mission while still “on the earth.” The verse implies that Jesus’ faithful completion of the Father’s work publicly displays or honors the Father’s purpose and character. It also sets up the next request: because the earthly work is completed, Jesus asks for glory “with” the Father (v. 5). The text emphasizes completion and mission rather than private spirituality.

Question 6

What does verse 5 add that was not stated in verse 1 about the glory Jesus requests?

Accepted Answer

Verse 1 asks for glorification with the stated outcome of glorifying the Father, but it does not define what kind of glory is meant. Verse 5 adds two clarifications: the location/relationship (“glorify me with your own self,” i.e., with the Father) and a time reference (“the glory which I had with you before the world existed”). This makes the request sound like a return to, or restoration of, a shared glory connected with the Father that predates creation. The verse therefore intensifies the claim behind the request by tying Jesus’ glory to a pre-world frame.

Question 7

How do verses 1–5 connect Jesus’ “hour/time,” his “work,” and his “glory” into one sequence?

Accepted Answer

The passage presents a sequence of ideas. First, the “time has come” (v. 1), signaling a decisive moment in Jesus’ mission. Second, Jesus speaks as someone who has been entrusted with authority and a purpose—giving eternal life (v. 2), defined as knowing God and the sent Jesus (v. 3). Third, he claims the Father has already been glorified through his completed work on earth (v. 4). Finally, on that basis he asks to be glorified with the Father (v. 5). The flow ties crisis moment (“time”), mission completion (“work”), and requested outcome (“glory”) together.

John 17:1-5

Scripture