Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 17:4

"I glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do." — John 17:4 (ASV)

I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

What a blessed thing that our Saviour was able to say this just before his death! Oh, that you and I may be able to utter some humble echo of this speech when we come to the end of our lives!

This is indeed a life worth living.

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

Here our Saviour speaks by anticipation. He foresaw that he would pass through his passion, that all the work of his people's redemption would be fully accomplished, and in this his final prayer on earth to the Father he could truly say, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. May you and I be able to say the same when we depart out of this world! Not boastingly – there was no boasting in our Lord – but truthfully conscientiously, from the bottom of our heart may each one of us be able to say, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do!

I have glorified you on the earth: I have finished the work which you gave me to do.

Which no other man could ever have said – not even Adam in his perfection, for his work was not finished; and, alas! how marred it was before it came near to finishing! And the most gracious man that ever died could not, in his last moments, say, "I have finished the work which you gave me to do," for it was still imperfect.

There were many things which he would have wished to do, and many errors which he would have wished to rectify; but our Lord is more than man, and rises to this point – "I have finished the work which you gave me to do."

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

"My teaching is all done, my ministry is finished; and though there are still some arrears of suffering, yet those shall be fully discharged in due time. 'I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.'"

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

Jesus regards his work as already done, although he had yet to die, to pay the ransom price for his people, yet by a leap of holy faith he says, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.