John 17:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

NIV: "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

NASB: Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

CSB: "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation.

NLT: Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

KJV: Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

NKJV: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus repeats several earlier points made in this High Priestly Prayer. These also echo promises and statements He made to the disciples earlier this same evening. Among these are that saved believers have an eternal destiny "with" Christ, and that Jesus is an uncreated, eternal, divine part of the Trinity.

Speaking to the disciples during the Last Supper, Jesus noted that He was preparing to take His followers to be with Him (John 14:2–3). Interestingly, He then said His followers knew "the way," to this destination though they did not know the actual "where" to which they were going. This was then explained by Jesus' famous statement "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Faith in Christ, not personal effort or knowledge, is what saves (Titus 3:5; John 3:16–18). Here, near the end of the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus reiterates this promise. Those who place their trust in Jesus are guaranteed both eternal life (John 10:28) and, eventually, a total transformation (1 Corinthians 15:50–55; 1 John 3:2).

Another point repeated here is that Jesus is eternal, divine, and God the Son. John began this gospel noting that Jesus was both God and "with God" before creation (John 1:1). Here, Jesus repeats this assertion that He has always been (John 8:58–59; 1 Peter 1:20).

This also ties into John's early comment that seeing Jesus meant seeing the glory of God (John 1:14)—another concept about which Jesus has recently prayed (John 17:22).

John 17:20–26 completes the High Priestly Prayer offered by Jesus just before He goes to Gethsemane, where He will be captured by His enemies. His prayer has included requests on behalf of Himself and His closest disciples. Now, Christ begins to pray for those who will come to faith in Him through the writings and teachings of those apostles. A major theme of this prayer is for love and unity.

In this passage, known as the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus speaks to God about three main topics. First is Christ Himself, asking God the Father to glorify Him so He can glorify the Father. Next, Jesus prays for the faith and courage in His closest disciples. Finally, He prays for those who will come to faith because of the apostles' writing and teaching. This moment occurs before Jesus enters Gethsemane, where the other Gospels will record His final anguished prayers before being arrested (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46).

Over the last several chapters (John 13—16), Jesus has been giving last-minute instruction to His closest disciples. These lessons composed a large part of the Last Supper. Among those teachings were several warnings about persecution, with the encouragement of knowing the Holy Spirit would come. In chapter 17, we read Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, making requests on behalf of Himself, the apostles, and future believers. After this, Jesus will go into Gethsemane where Judas will turn Him over for arrest and His eventual execution.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.