Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 17:1

"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:" — John 17:1 (ASV)

John records even the gesture of Jesus: “He lifted up his eyes” (lit. tr.). This was a typical Jewish gesture of prayer, whether offered to God or to idols (Psalms 121:1; Psalms 123:1; Ezekiel 33:25; Daniel 4:34). The prayer begins with the announcement “The time has come.” Jesus’ consciousness of living by a “calendar” has been manifest from the beginning of the gospel (7:8; 7:30; 8:20); but now he acknowledges that the time of crisis has arrived (cf. 12:23; 13:1). This announcement enhances the significance of the prayer because it becomes Jesus’ evaluation of the purpose of his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Jesus petitions the Father to glorify him. The word “glorify” (GK 1519) should be applied to the total complex of these events as the climax of the Incarnation. The Son glorified the Father by revealing God’s sovereignty over evil, his compassion for humans, and the finality of redemption for believers. His entire career was focused on fulfilling the Father’s purpose and on delivering the Father’s message (see also v.5).