What is the meaning of John 17:4? I have glorified You on earth • Jesus looks back over His entire earthly life and ministry and can truthfully say the Father has been honored at every step. “The Word became flesh… we have seen His glory” (John 1:14). • Every healing, teaching, and act of compassion radiated the Father’s character (John 2:11; 11:4; Acts 10:38). • His obedience was continuous: “I always do what pleases Him” (John 8:29), a fulfillment of Isaiah 42:1 and echoed in Matthew 5:16. • Even impending suffering would amplify that glory: “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him” (John 13:31). by accomplishing the work • “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34); that resolve frames everything from His wilderness temptation (Matthew 4:1-11) to His final breath. • Though the cross is still hours away, Jesus prays as though it is already finished, underscoring the certainty of the Father’s plan (John 12:27-28; Revelation 13:8). • Preaching the kingdom (Luke 4:43), training disciples (Mark 3:14), fulfilling prophecy (Isaiah 61:1-2; Matthew 11:4-5)—all are facets of the completed assignment. • The climax will be declared from the cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). You gave Me to do • The mission originates with the Father. “For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). • Love motivates the commission: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16-17; Romans 8:32). • The task includes revealing the Father’s name (John 17:6), securing redemption (1 Peter 1:18-20), and gathering those the Father has given Him (John 6:37-39). • Father and Son act in perfect unity (John 5:19-23; Hebrews 2:10-11), displaying eternal harmony and shared glory (John 17:5, 24). summary John 17:4 is Jesus’ own concise evaluation of His earthly mission: He has brought the Father visible honor by fully carrying out the assignment entrusted to Him, a work that will soon be sealed by the cross and validated by the resurrection. For every believer, the verse becomes both assurance and invitation—we, too, glorify God when we walk in wholehearted obedience to the tasks He sets before us. |
    |