The Grammar of Glory: The High Priestly Prayer Text: John 17:1-5
Introduction: The Inner Life of God
We come now to what is rightly called the Holy of Holies of the New Testament. In the Upper Room, having washed the disciples' feet and given them the Last Supper, Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and prays. But this is no ordinary prayer. This is not a prayer of desperation, or a prayer of uncertainty. This is the eternal Son reporting to the eternal Father at the completion of His earthly mission, just before the final battle of the cross. This is the Captain of our salvation filing His final report before securing the decisive victory.
In our therapeutic and sentimental age, we have reduced prayer to a form of self-expression, a way to get our feelings out, or a grocery list of requests we present to a celestial concierge. But here, the Lord Jesus Christ pulls back the veil that separates time from eternity, and He allows us to listen in on the eternal counsel of the Godhead. This prayer is the constitution of the new covenant. It is the executive summary of the entire plan of salvation, spoken from the Son to the Father. To misunderstand this prayer is to misunderstand the gospel, because this prayer is the gospel in its most distilled and potent form.
This is not a prayer that is hoping for the best. This is a prayer that is declaring what is. It is a prayer of sovereign authority, of definite purpose, and of guaranteed success. It establishes the ground of our salvation not in our fickle decisions, but in the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. Everything about our redemption is here: the sovereignty of the Father, the finished work of the Son, the nature of eternal life, and the unbreakable bond between Christ and His people. To study this prayer is to study the very grammar of glory.
The Text
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, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having finished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."
(John 17:1-5 LSB)
The Appointed Hour and Reciprocal Glory (v. 1)
The prayer begins with a declaration of divine timing and divine purpose.
"Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You," (John 17:1)
Throughout John's gospel, Jesus has repeatedly stated that His "hour" had not yet come. But now, it has arrived. This is not an accident. The cross is not a tragedy that befell a good man; it is a divine appointment, set in eternity past. The "hour" is the climax of all history, the very purpose for which Christ came into the world. It is the hour of suffering, yes, but it is primarily the hour of glory.
And notice the request. "Glorify Your Son." How is the Son glorified? By being lifted up on a Roman cross. This is the great paradox of the gospel. The world sees the cross as the ultimate symbol of shame, weakness, and defeat. God defines it as the ultimate instrument of glory, power, and victory. On the cross, the Son's perfect obedience, love, and righteousness are put on full display. This is His glorification.
But it is not an end in itself. The purpose is immediately stated: "that the Son may glorify You." This is a transaction within the Trinity. The Son's glory on the cross does not terminate on Himself; it reflects back to the Father. How does the cross glorify the Father? It displays His perfect justice, for sin is punished. It displays His unfathomable love, for He gives His only Son. It displays His infinite wisdom, for He redeems His people in a way that satisfies both His justice and His love. The cross is the place where all the attributes of God shine with their brightest intensity. The ultimate end of all things is the glory of God the Father.
Sovereign Authority and Definite Redemption (v. 2)
Jesus now states the basis of His request, which is the sovereign authority the Father has given Him.
"even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life." (John 17:2 LSB)
The Father has given the Son "authority over all flesh." This is not a limited authority. It is comprehensive dominion over every human being, believer and unbeliever alike. He is not the king of a willing volunteer army; He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is the foundation of the Great Commission. We go to all nations because He has all authority.
But notice the precise application of this authority. His authority is universal, but its saving application is particular. He exercises this authority so that "to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life." This is a direct assault on the modern idol of autonomous free will. Our salvation does not begin with our decision to "give our hearts to Jesus." It begins in eternity past, when the Father, in His sovereign love, gave a particular people to the Son. The Son's mission is not to make salvation possible for everyone and then hope some people choose Him. His mission is to actually save, with absolute certainty, every single person the Father has entrusted to His care. The gift of eternal life is not a vague offer made to the masses; it is a definite, effective gift bestowed upon the elect.
The Definition of Eternal Life (v. 3)
What is this eternal life that Jesus gives? He defines it for us with perfect clarity.
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3 LSB)
Eternal life is not, first and foremost, about a quantity of time. It is about a quality of relationship. It is not just living forever; it is knowing God. The word for "know" here is not a detached, academic knowledge. It is a deep, personal, covenantal intimacy. This is the purpose for which we were made. Sin is the disruption of this knowledge, and salvation is its restoration.
And who is it that we are to know? "You, the only true God." This is a polemic against all idolatry. There are not many paths to God. There is one true God, and all other claimants are frauds. This demolishes the pluralism and syncretism of our age. But it is not enough to know the Father. We must also know "Jesus Christ whom You have sent." There is no access to the one true God apart from the Mediator He has sent. Jesus is not one of many options; He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.
The Finished Work (v. 4)
Jesus now gives an account of His earthly ministry, and the verdict is one of perfect completion.
"I glorified You on the earth, having finished the work which You have given Me to do." (John 17:4 LSB)
This is one of the most comforting verses in all of Scripture. Jesus does not say, "I have done My best," or "I have made a good start." He says, "I have finished the work." His life was one of perfect, seamless obedience to the will of the Father. The cross, which is just hours away, is not an interruption of this work but the final, crowning act of it. When He cries out from the cross, "It is finished," He is not sighing in defeat; He is shouting in triumph. He has completed the mission.
This is the bedrock of our assurance. Our salvation does not depend on our ability to finish our work, but on the glorious reality that He has finished His. We are not saved by our obedience, but by His. Our righteousness is not a product of our efforts, but a gift credited to our account because of His perfect, finished work. We do not stand before God hoping that our good deeds outweigh our bad. We stand before God clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ, whose work is complete.
The Restoration of Eternal Glory (v. 5)
The prayer concludes this section with a staggering request that confirms His identity.
"Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." (John 17:5 LSB)
Here, Jesus Christ explicitly claims pre-existence, co-eternity, and co-equality with God the Father. He is not asking for a new glory He has never known. He is asking for the public manifestation of the glory that has been His from all eternity. In the Incarnation, He voluntarily veiled His divine glory, taking on the form of a servant. Now, having completed His work, He prays for that glory to be restored in His glorified, resurrected human nature.
This verse is a cannon shot that sinks the ships of every heresy that would diminish the person of Christ. He is not a created being, like the Arians and Jehovah's Witnesses claim. He is not a lesser god. He is the eternal Son, who shared the Father's glory "before the world was." Our Savior is not a mere man or an angel. Our Savior is Almighty God. And it is because He is God that His finished work has infinite value, sufficient to save all who were given to Him.
Conclusion: Our Security in His Prayer
Why does God give us this intimate look into this conversation between the Father and the Son? He does it for our assurance. This prayer is the unshakeable foundation of our faith. Our salvation is not a fragile thing that depends on us. It is a mighty fortress, secured by the eternal plan of the Father, the sovereign authority of the Son, the finished work of the Son, and the shared glory of the Godhead.
You were given to the Son by the Father. The Son was given authority to give you eternal life. That eternal life is to know the Father and the Son. The work required to secure this was finished perfectly by the Son. And the Son now reigns in the very same eternal glory He had before the foundation of the world. This prayer is not just a prayer He prayed once. It is a declaration of the eternal realities that secure your soul. He is not hoping you make it. He has guaranteed it. This is the grammar of glory, and it is the bedrock of our everlasting peace.