Question 1

What does Jesus mean by saying, "Father, the hour is come"?

Accepted Answer

When Jesus says, “Father, the hour is come,” He is talking about the set time for His suffering, death, and then His glorification. All through His ministry He spoke of an “hour” that had not yet arrived. Now He knows that the time has come for Him to finish the work the Father gave Him, especially His sacrifice on the cross. This hour looks dark from a human view, but here it is seen as God’s planned moment when salvation will be carried out and God’s glory will be clearly shown.

Question 2

What does "glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee" mean?

Accepted Answer

When Jesus prays, “Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee,” He is asking the Father to honor Him in the coming events of the cross, resurrection, and ascension. This is not about selfish praise. He wants to be upheld and shown as the true Son so that, through His death and victory, the Father’s wisdom, love, and justice will be seen. The Son’s glory and the Father’s glory go together, so as Jesus is lifted up, the Father is honored before the world.

Question 3

What does Jesus mean by having "power over all flesh"?

Accepted Answer

“Power over all flesh” means that the Father has given Jesus authority over all people. This includes every kind of person, not just one group. With that authority, His purpose is to give eternal life to those the Father has given Him. So His rule is not only about control, but about saving. He is the appointed King and Judge, yet He uses this position to bring life to His own. This shows both His greatness and His kindness toward those who belong to Him.

Question 4

How does Jesus define eternal life in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Jesus says eternal life is “that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” So eternal life is not just living forever. It is a real, personal knowing of the Father and the Son. It includes trust, love, and fellowship with God, not just ideas about Him. This knowledge sets the true God apart from all false gods. Those who know the Father through Jesus share in God’s family and the hope of being with Him forever.

Question 5

Why does Jesus call the Father "the only true God" here?

Accepted Answer

Jesus calls the Father “the only true God” to set Him apart from all idols and false gods. He is not denying His own deity. In the same breath He speaks of Himself as the One whom the Father has sent and joins knowing the Father and knowing Himself together. He speaks in a way that highlights the Father as the source and shows that real knowledge of God always includes faith in Jesus. The verse shows there is one real God, known through the Father and the Son.

Question 6

What does Jesus mean by "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do"?

Accepted Answer

When Jesus says, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do,” He is looking at His whole mission on earth. He has obeyed the Father, preached, done signs, revealed God’s character, and gathered and taught His followers. He speaks of the work as finished because He has fully committed Himself to the path that now ends at the cross. The main tasks given to Him are complete, and the sacrifice that secures salvation is as good as done in God’s plan.

Question 7

What is the significance of "the glory which I had with thee before the world was"?

Accepted Answer

This line shows that Jesus existed with the Father before the world began and shared divine glory with Him. When He asks, “Glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was,” He is looking beyond the cross to His return to that place of honor. During His earthly life He laid aside the open display of that glory. Now He prays to enter again into that heavenly glory in His risen and exalted human nature.

Question 8

What was happening when Jesus prayed these words?

Accepted Answer

These words are part of Jesus’ prayer just before He is arrested. He has finished speaking to His disciples about His leaving, the coming of the Spirit, and their sorrow turning to joy. Knowing that His suffering is near, He lifts His eyes toward heaven and prays out loud. The disciples are there to hear Him talk with the Father. It is a calm but serious moment, where He speaks about His mission, His glory, and the eternal life He gives to those who belong to Him.

Question 9

What does this passage teach about Jesus' relationship with the Father?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows a close, loving, and eternal relationship between Jesus and the Father. Jesus speaks to God as “Father,” shows that His whole mission came from the Father, and says He had glory with the Father before the world existed. He is not a stranger coming with His own plan, but the Son sent and supported by the Father. Their glory is shared, their purpose is one, and Jesus’ prayer shows trust, obedience, and confidence in the Father’s will.

Question 10

How can this prayer shape the way believers pray today?

Accepted Answer

This prayer can shape our prayers in several ways. Jesus begins with God’s glory, not His own comfort, so we learn to ask that God would be honored first. He remembers the work given to Him and speaks about finishing it, which can lead us to pray about being faithful in what God calls us to do. He also trusts the Father’s timing, calling it “the hour,” even when it involves suffering. Believers can bring their own hard hours to God, asking that His glory and their good be joined together.

John 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:

Prayer for the Son

Cross References

John 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:

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Prayer for the Son

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