Father, the Hour Has Come

Jesus begins by lifting his eyes to heaven and declaring, 'Father, the hour has come.' The 'hour' repeatedly anticipated throughout John now denotes the passion, resurrection, and return to the Father as a unified movement of glorification. Jesus asks the Father to glorify the Son so that the Son may glorify the Father. The request is therefore not self-exaltation detached from divine purpose; Father and Son are mutually glorified through the completion of the mission.

Verse 2 grounds the request in the authority given to the Son 'over all flesh' so that he may give eternal life to those the Father has given him. Verse 3 defines eternal life relationally: knowing the Father as the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. The verb ginōskō denotes more than factual cognition, though it includes genuine knowledge; in Johannine usage it describes participation in the revealed relationship established through the Son.

Jesus states that he has glorified the Father by completing the work entrusted to him, even though the crucifixion still lies ahead. The perfective perspective reflects the certainty of the approaching completion. He then asks to be glorified with the glory he had 'with' the Father before the world existed. This language strongly expresses preexistence and distinguishes Jesus' requested glorification as restoration to a prior shared glory rather than acquisition of status for the first time.

John 17 concludes the farewell discourse with an extended prayer in which Jesus addresses the Father immediately before his arrest. The prayer moves in three broad stages: Jesus speaks concerning his own glorification, then intercedes for the disciples who have received his revelation, and finally prays for those who will believe through their testimony. Major Johannine themes converge here, including glory, eternal life, divine name, mission, truth, sanctification, unity, and the mutual indwelling of Father, Son, and believers.

The chapter also interprets the approaching passion as completion rather than defeat. Jesus speaks as one who has finished the work entrusted to him and anticipates restoration to the glory he shared with the Father before the world's existence. His followers remain in the world and therefore require preservation, sanctification, and unity for their continuing mission. The prayer consequently forms a bridge between Jesus' earthly ministry and the witness of the post-Easter community.