John 17:1 Meaning: The Hour of Mutual Glorification
Jesus said these things, then lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you;
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:
These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the Son may glorify thee:
These things spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to the heaven, and said--`Father, the hour hath come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee,
These things Jesus spoke, and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee;
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Jesus pray 'Glorify your Son' as his hour of suffering arrives? Explore the mutual glorification between Father and Son.
Context
Jesus has just finished a long farewell to his disciples. The meal is over. Judas has gone out into the night. Now, before they cross the Kidron Valley to Gethsemane, Jesus stops. He looks up to heaven and begins to pray aloud. John is the only Gospel writer who records this prayer, sometimes called the High Priestly Prayer. It is the longest prayer of Jesus we have, and it is spoken at the most tender and solemn moment of his ministry. Everything he has taught and done now narrows to one point: the hour has come.
Key Words
Three Greek words carry the weight of this verse. Hour (hōra) is not just a tick on the clock. Throughout John’s Gospel, “his hour” is the appointed time set by the Father for Jesus to be glorified through suffering and death. That hour now arrives, and Jesus meets it not with dread but with readiness. Glorify (doxazō) means to honor, to reveal the true weight and worth of someone. Jesus does not ask for glory as we might, attention or praise. He asks the Father to reveal him as the Son, so that he in turn can reveal the Father. The word lifted up (epairō) pictures Jesus raising his eyes deliberately. It is a posture of trust and confidence, not of defeat. In a world where we often look down or away in our hardest moments, Jesus shows us what it looks like to set our gaze on the Father.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this verse as the doorway to Jesus’s final prayer. Protestant commentator Matthew Henry saw it as a prayer after a sermon, Christ speaking to God for those he had just taught. John Calvin noted that Jesus seals his teaching with prayer, showing teachers that doctrine without prayer lacks power. Methodist Adam Clarke compared Jesus’s actions to the high priest on the Day of Atonement, who prayed for himself before offering sacrifice. The mutual glorification is understood the same way across traditions: the Father honors the Son by sustaining him through the cross and raising him, and the Son honors the Father by completing the work of salvation.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that Jesus prays for glory because he wants to avoid the suffering of the cross. In fact, he asks for glory through the cross. His suffering is the very path by which the Father will be revealed. Jesus is not asking to escape the hour; he is asking to be upheld in it so that the Father’s name is lifted up.
Living This Out
You may have an hour this week that feels heavy, a difficult conversation, a health concern, a hard decision. Jesus shows you a different way to face it. Instead of praying only for the trouble to pass, you can pray, “Father, let this hour bring glory to you through me.” That does not mean pretending the pain is not real. It means trusting that your obedience, even in small things, can put the Father’s love on display. You can lift your eyes to heaven and ask for strength not to escape the hour but to walk through it with him.
Main takeaway: Facing his darkest hour, Jesus prays not for escape but for the Father to be revealed through his obedience and suffering.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jesus knew he was going to die soon. He looked up to heaven and asked God to help him, so that God would be shown to be great. We can ask God to help us too, even in hard times.
For ages 9, 12
This verse is the start of Jesus’s great prayer just before his arrest. He doesn’t ask to skip the pain; he asks God to be honored through it. It shows that our hardest moments can be used by God to show his love. When you face something hard, you can pray like Jesus: “Father, please help me to honor you through this.”
Questions People Ask
What does “the hour has come” mean in John 17:1?
In John’s Gospel, “the hour” refers to the specific time appointed by the Father for Jesus to be betrayed, suffer, die, and be raised. It is the climax of his mission, the hour of his glorification through the cross.
Why does Jesus ask the Father to glorify him?
Jesus asks for glory not for selfish reasons but so that he may glorify the Father in return. His obedience unto death reveals the Father’s love and justice, and the Father’s response of raising and exalting the Son confirms Jesus’s identity.
What is the significance of Jesus lifting up his eyes to heaven?
It shows his confidence and focus on the Father, especially in contrast to the tax collector in Luke 18 who would not even lift his eyes. Jesus is not ashamed or afraid; he is speaking as the Son who knows he is heard.
How does Jesus’s suffering glorify the Father?
By perfectly obeying the Father’s will, Jesus reveals God’s character, his holiness, love, and mercy. The cross becomes the place where God’s glory is most fully displayed, as it makes salvation available to all.
Is this prayer only for Jesus’s disciples or for all believers?
The prayer begins with Jesus praying for himself (verse 1), then for his disciples (verse 9), and finally for all who will believe through their message (verse 20). So it reaches every Christian who trusts in Christ today.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study