John 17:24
Having discussed each line of the 5-line stanzas in vv. 21-23 last week, the daily notes this week will focus on the remaining verses (24-26) of the great Prayer-Discourse of Jesus in John 17.
“Father, (for that) which you have given to me, I wish that, where(ever) I am, they also would be with me, (and) that they would look (upon) my honor [do/ca] that you have given to me, (in) that [i.e. because] you loved me before (the) casting-down [i.e. foundation] of (the) world.” (v. 24)
The wording of Jesus’ request here follows that of vv. 21-23, in the use of the subjunctive verb of being to express his wish for believers (“they would be…” [w@sin]). In vv. 21-23, as we discussed last week, the emphasis was on unity or oneness; now, the request relates back to ideas expressed earlier in the Last Discourse, regarding the identity of Jesus (as Son of the Father) and the relationship of believers to him.
The neuter relative pronoun o% (“that which”) is a bit awkward, combined with the plural pronoun and syntax (“they…”) in the remainder of the verse. Many manuscripts and versions naturally read the easier masculine plural relative pronoun ou%$, but this is certainly a ‘correction’ for the neuter form. The neuter pronoun must be understood as relating back to the neuter numeral e%n (“one”) in verses 21ff—i.e., for the collective sense of all believers, in union. It also reflects the earlier wording in verse 2 (“all that [o%] you have given to him…”). This refers generally to “all things” (cf. 3:35 etc), but more specifically to all believers (the elect).
One of the main themes of the Last Discourse, restated here, is that of Jesus’ departure from the world and his return to the Father. Given his impending departure, two primary issues are dealt with in the Last Discourse:
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- That the disciples (believers) would be “with” Jesus, including, and ultimately, with him in heaven alongside the Father.
- That, correspondingly, Jesus would remain in/with believers as they/we continue to live in the world.
The first of these is emphasized especially in 14:1-7ff, and is also the focus here in v. 24.
As in vv. 21-23, the key clauses are subordinate clauses marked by a beginning i%na (or o%ti) particle. There are three such statements (i%na/o%ti clauses) in verse 24, and it will be useful to look at each of them in order.
i%na o%pou ei)mi\ e)gw\ ka)kei=noi w@sin met’ e)mou=
“that where(ever) I am, they also would be with me”
Just as in the two stanzas of vv. 21-23, the first i%na clause states the primary wish/request of Jesus (“I wish that…”). In vv. 21-23 the request was “that they [all] would be one”, and the wish here must be understood in the light of that earlier request for the unity/oneness of believers. As we discussed, the basis of that unity is the union of believers with Jesus the Son (and God the Father), and that this union is realized both in terms of the presence of the Spirit, and our sharing in the love that binds Father and Son together.
The difference in v. 24 has to do with the emphasis on Jesus’ departure back to the Father (in heaven). This is one of the main ways that Jesus uses the locational conjunction o%pou (“where[ever]”) in the Discourses. In 7:34-36; 8:21-22, the thrust was negative—people in the world were not able to come to the place where Jesus goes. At the beginning of the Last Discourse, he says the same thing to his disciples (13:33, 36), but with the promise to them (spec. to Peter) that ultimately they will be able to follow him. This sets the stage for the sayings in 14:3-4, and the subsequent exposition by Jesus. By seeing Jesus (= knowing & trusting in him), believers know the “way” to the Father (vv. 6-7ff). This trust/knowledge leads to being united with Father and Son through the presence of the Spirit, a point expounded by Jesus in the remainder of the Last Discourse. By way of this union, believers are with Jesus wherever he might be. This was declared by Jesus, using more conventional (discipleship) terminology, earlier in 12:26:
“If any one would serve me, he must follow me, and where(ever) I am [o%pou ei)mi\ e)gw\], there also my servant will be…”
The wording is quite similar to that here in v. 24.
Returning to 14:1-7, this portion of the Last Discourse seems to preserve a traditional eschatological understanding of Jesus future/end-time return, at which point all believers will be gathered to him (and taken up to heaven)—Mark 13:26-27 par; 1 Thess 4:14-17, etc. Admittedly, the emphasis throughout the Gospel of John is on what we would call a “realized” eschatology—that is, the end-time events (resurrection, judgment, inheriting/entering eternal life) are already being realized for believers, in the present, through the presence of the Spirit. There, are however, instances of the more traditional future aspect that are preserved in the Gospel Discourses as well. While believers are present with Jesus even now, through the Spirit, this union will be fulfilled, and made complete, when he appears to us at the end-time.
Paul expresses this eschatological dimension of our union with Jesus, in a slightly different (but highly memorable) manner, in Colossians 3:1-4. This passage builds upon the Pauline theme of our participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus (i.e. dying and rising with him), expressed at numerous points in the letters (and drawing upon the symbolism of the baptism ritual). At first, the wording suggests customary early Christian ethical instruction, using the context of baptism as a starting point: “So, if you were raised together with the Anointed, you must seek the (thing)s above, where the Anointed (One) is… You must set your mind (on) the (thing)s above, not the (thing)s upon the earth” (vv. 1-2). Then comes the powerful and striking eschatological declaration in vv. 3-4:
“For you died away, and you life has been hidden with the Anointed (One), in God; (and) when the Anointed (One) should be made to shine forth, (who is) your life, then also you will be made to shine forth with him in honor/splendor.”
This emphasis on honor/splendor (do/ca) is central to the next i%na-clause of verse 24, and will be discussed in the next daily note.