Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 17:24-26

"Father, I desire 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. O righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew thee; and these knew that thou didst send me; and I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them." — John 17:24-26 (ASV)

1. Above, our Lord prayed for the perfect unity of his disciples; here he is asking for the vision of glory for them.

   1. He mentions the persons for whom he is praying.
   2. He shows the way he is praying.
   3. He states what he is asking for.

2. He is praying for those given to him; he says, Father... whom you have given me. Something is considered "given" to a person when it is subject to his will, so that he can do with it as he wishes.

   We can distinguish two wills in Christ: a will to mercy and a will to justice. His will to mercy is fundamental and absolute, because his compassion is over all that he has made (Psalms 145:9); who desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). But his will for a punishing justice is not fundamental, as it presupposes sin: God does not delight in the destruction of men . He says, I do not desire the death of the sinner, in an absolute sense; rather, he wills it as a consequence of sin (Ezekiel 18:32).

   All people have been given to the Son: you have given him power over all flesh (John 17:2), that is, over all humanity, to accomplish his will for them. This includes his will for mercy, leading to salvation, or his will for justice, leading to punishment: he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). However, those given to him absolutely are the ones given so that he might accomplish his will of mercy for their salvation. He says of these people, whom you have given to me, that is, in your predestination from all eternity: behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me (Isaiah 8:18).

3. The way he asks is revealed when he says, I will. This can indicate either authority or merit. It indicates authority if we refer this to Christ’s divine will, which is the same as the will of the Father, for by his will he justifies and saves people: he has mercy upon whomever he wills (Romans 9:18).

   If we refer this to Christ’s human will, it indicates merit, because Christ’s human will merits our salvation. For if the wills of the just, who are the members of Christ, have merit entitling them to be heard—ask whatever you will, and it will be done unto you (John 15:7)—then the human will of Christ, who is the head of all the saints, has much more merit.

4. He mentions what he is asking for when he says, where I am, they... may be with me.

   1. He asks that the members be united to the head.
   2. He asks that his glory be shown to his members: that they may see my glory.

5. He says, I will... where I am, they... may be with me. This can be understood in two ways. First, it can be understood in reference to Christ in his human nature.

   Christ, in his human nature, is soon to ascend and be in heaven: I ascend to my Father and your Father (John 20:17). The meaning, then, is: I will that in heaven, where I am about to ascend, they—that is, the faithful—may be with me in that place. This is like the saying, wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together (Matthew 24:28), where the eagles represent the saints. This is also what Christ promised: rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven (Matthew 5:12).

6. A difficulty arises with this interpretation. Since Christ was not yet in heaven, it seems he should have said, "where I will be," and not where I am.

   Furthermore, he also said, and no man has ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven (John 3:13).

   I reply to the first objection that Christ, who was speaking, was both God and man. Although he was not yet in heaven in his human nature, he was there in his divine nature. Therefore, while present on earth, he was also in heaven, and so he says, where I am.

   As to the second objection, when we read that no man has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven (John 3:13), we should understand the following. The Son is in heaven by reason of his divinity; he descended by taking on a human nature; and he then ascended by reason of his human nature, now glorified. Since we have been made one with him, he alone descends from heaven in himself, and he alone returns there by ascending into heaven, now one with us. This is the observation of Gregory.Moralia in Job 27.15.30.

   He says, where I am, using the present tense instead of the future, either because he would be there very soon or because he was referring to himself as God.

7. But since God is everywhere—do I not fill heaven and earth? (Jeremiah 23:24)—it seems to follow that the saints also will be everywhere.

   We should reply that God is related to us as light is to people. When the sun is over the earth, light spreads everywhere. Although the light is with all, not all are in the light—only those who see it are.

   Likewise, since God is everywhere, he is with all people, wherever they are. Yet not all are with God, but only those joined to him by faith and love. They will finally be joined to him in complete joy: I am continually with you (Psalms 73:23); we will always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

   Thus, the meaning is this: where I am—that is, in your divinity, Father, which I have by nature—they... may be with me by participating in grace. For he gave power to be made sons of God (John 1:12), and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16).

8. He speaks of manifesting his glory to his members when he says, that they may see my glory.

   1. He makes his request.
   2. He mentions the source of this glory: which you have given me.
   3. He gives the reason for this glory: because you loved me before the creation of the world.

9. He says that he not only wants them to be with him, but he also wants them to see my glory in a beatifying vision: when he appears we will be like him, for we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

   This glory can be understood in two ways. It can refer to the glory of his human nature after the resurrection—he will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:21). Or, it can refer to the glory of his divine nature, for he is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the figure of his substance (Hebrews 1:3), and the radiance of eternal light .

   The saints in glory will see both of these glories. We read about the first: your eyes will see the king in his beauty (Isaiah 33:17). The wicked will see this first glory only at the judgment: and then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and majesty (Luke 21:27); Mark adds, and glory (Mark 13:26). But the sight of this glory will be taken away from them after the judgment: let the wicked be taken away so they cannot see the glory of the Lord (Isaiah 26:10), as we read in one version.

   Yet the saints will see the second glory—the divine glory—forever. In your light (that is, of grace) we see light (that is, of glory) (Psalms 35:10), which the wicked will never see. In his hands... he hides the light... that it is his possession, and that he may come up to it (Job 36:32–33).

10. The source of this glory is the Father, so he says, which you gave me. The Father gave him the glory of his body at the resurrection. Although this had not yet happened, it had already been accomplished in the divine decree, which is why he says "gave": you have crowned him with glory (Psalms 8:5).

    But he gave him divine glory from all eternity, because the Son is from the Father from all eternity, just as radiance is from light.

11. He explains the glory given to him when he says, because you loved me before the creation of the world. If we refer this to Christ in his human nature, then "because" indicates the cause.

    Just as love and predestination are the cause of our having the radiance of grace in this life and of glory in the future—for he chose us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)—so too are they the cause of the radiance which Christ has in his human nature: predestined the Son of God in power (Romans 1:4).

    So the meaning is this: I say that you have given me this radiance, and the cause is that you have loved me—because you loved me before the creation of the world. The result is that this man is united to the Son of God to form one person: blessed is he whom you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts (Psalms 65:4).

    However, if we refer this to Christ as God, then "because" indicates a sign, not a cause. In this case, the Father did not give glory because he loved, for when we say the Father "gave" to the Son, we are referring to the eternal generation of the Son.

    If "love" is taken essentially, it indicates the divine will; if it is taken notionally, it indicates the Holy Spirit. The Father gave radiance to the Son by nature, not by an act of will, because the Father begot the Son by nature. Therefore, he also did not give radiance to the Son because he brought forth the Holy Spirit.

12. Now he gives the reason why his prayer should be heard. Previously, our Lord had included the faithful in his petition when he said, not for them only do I pray, but for those also who through their word will believe in me (John 17:20). He also excluded the world and unbelievers when he said, I pray for them; I pray not for the world (John 17:9). Now he gives the reason for this distinction.

    1. He mentions the failure of the world.
    2. He mentions the progress of the disciples: but I have known you.

13. Note that when he prayed for their sanctification, he called the Father holy Father (John 17:11). But now, calling for retribution, he refers to the Father as just: God, the just judge (Psalms 7:12). This refutes the old error which claimed that there was a just God of the Old Testament and a different, good God of the New Testament.

    The failure of the world concerned its knowledge of God. He says, the world... has not known you—referring to the world not as reconciled, but as condemned. This echoes an earlier passage: through him the world was made, and the world knew him not (John 1:10).

14. This seems to conflict with Romans 1:19: for what can be known about God is plain to them... his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.

    We should respond that knowledge is of two kinds: speculative and affective. The world did not know God completely through either of these ways.

    Although some gentiles knew God as having certain attributes knowable by reason, they did not know God as the Father of an only-begotten and consubstantial Son, and our Lord is speaking about this deeper knowledge. Furthermore, even if they had some speculative knowledge of God, it was mixed with many errors. Some denied his providence over all things; others claimed he was the soul of the world; still others worshiped other gods alongside him. For this reason, they are said not to know God.

    Composite things can be known in part and unknown in part, while simple things are unknown if they are not known in their entirety. Thus, even though some erred only slightly in their knowledge of God, they are said to be entirely ignorant of him. Since these people did not know the unique excellence of God, they are said not to know him: for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened (Romans 1:21); nor did they recognize the craftsman while paying heed to his works .

    Furthermore, the world did not know God with an affective knowledge, because it did not love him, like heathen who do not know God (1 Thessalonians 4:5). So he says, the world has not known you—that is, without error, and as a Father, through love.

15. Then the progress of the disciples is mentioned: but I have known you, and these have known.

    1. Their progress in knowledge.
    2. The fruit of this knowledge: that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.
       1. He gives the root and fountain of this knowledge of God.
       2. He describes the branches and streams that flow from it.
       3. He shows their origin in that root or fountain.

16. The root and fountain of our knowledge of God is the Word of God, who is Christ: the fountain of wisdom is the Word of God . Human wisdom consists in knowing God, but this knowledge flows to us from the Word. To the extent that we share in the Word of God, we know God.

    Thus he says, the world has not known you in this way, but I—the fountain of wisdom, your Word—have known you, eternally and fully: and if I said that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you (John 8:55).

17. From this knowledge of the Word, which is the fountain and root, springs all the knowledge of the faithful, like streams and branches. Accordingly, he says, and these have known that you sent me.

    Augustine understands the word "that" (Latin: quia) as meaning "because," indicating the reason for their knowledge.Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John 111.5. Note that the Latin conjugation quia can be used to introduce an object clause in the way that we use 'that' in English (e.g. these have known that you sent me) but its more predominant use parallels 'because' and introduces an explanatory clause (e.g. these have known because you sent me). The meaning would then be: I have known you by nature, and these have known you by grace. Why? Because you sent me, so that they may know you: for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37); I have manifested your name (John 17:6).

    If we understand quia as meaning "that," it refers to the content of what is known. The meaning is: and these have known... what? That you sent me. This is because he who sees the Son also sees the Father (John 14:9).

18. They did not know this by themselves; they learned it from me, because no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:27). So he says, I have made known your name to them, and will make it known.

    He is indicating the two types of knowledge the faithful have through him. The first is doctrinal knowledge, to which he refers by saying, I have made known to them your name, teaching them with his external words: no man has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made him known (John 1:18); it was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him (Hebrews 2:3).

    The other knowledge is from within, through the Holy Spirit. He refers to this when he says, and I will make it known, by giving them the Holy Spirit: when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will teach you all truth (John 16:13). Alternatively, I have made known your name to them refers to the knowledge of faith, where now we see in a mirror dimly, and will make it known refers to the vision of glory in their heavenly homeland, where they will see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

19. The fruit of this knowledge is that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them. This can be explained in two ways.

    The first and better way is this: since the Father loves the Son (as shown by the glory he gave him), he consequently loves all those in whom the Son is present. The Son is in them insofar as they have knowledge of the truth. So the meaning is: I will make... your name... known to them; and because they know you, I, your Word, will be in them. And because I am in them, the love with which you loved me may be in them—that is, it will be given to them, and you will love them as you have loved me.

    The second explanation is: that the love with which you loved me may be in them means that just as you have loved me, so they, by sharing in the Holy Spirit, may love you. By that fact, I will be in them as God in a temple, and they will be in me as members of the head: he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16).