The
particle ινα with
the subjunctive δοξαση introduces the final clause. The Father must
glorify the Son, in order that the Son may glorify the Father. Therefore, the
ultimate purpose of Jesus’ sending is the glorification of the Father.
The
nature of the glorification of the Father is further explained in v. 2. The Son’s
glorification consists in that he has the authority or power (εξουσια) to bestow life
everlasting (ζωην αιωνιον).
The aorist εδωκας is a historical aorist indicating that the
action was a simple event of the past. The prayer does not specify when the
father gave the Son this authority, neither is there any event in the Gospel
that signifies such a transaction. Therefore, this event could be traced back
to the time of the pre-existence of the Logos with God. At the
incarnation the Johannine Jesus already possessed this glory and authority (Jn
1.14). In other words, the Son did not receive his glory at the incarnation but
already possessed it before his early appearance (cf. Jn 17.5). The Son
received from the Father the εξουσια to bestow life eternal, since all εξουσια is the prerogative which includes the ability
to do something (cf. Jn. 1.12; 5.27; 10.18). Here it is the ability to grant
life everlasting. And this prerogative to give life is over all flesh (πασης σαρκος),
that is, the Son is able to bestow life on all human beings. In other words,
this expression has to be understood positively. This is in contrast to R. E. Brown
who suggest that judgment is in view here (1966: II, 740). Instead, J. Becker
has seen the positive aspect of the text when he says, ‘Also here Christology
comes to the fore only in terms of its meaning for soteriology’ (1991: II,
619).
This
thought of the Son’s authority is further explained with the final (epexegetic)
clause introduced by ινα. The Son’s authority consists in
his prerogative to give life to all the Father has given him. The transition between
πασης σαρκος to παν ο δεδωκας αυτω
is important. Though the Son has the power to grant life to everyone, it is
only granted to a select few, that is, to those whom the Father has given to
the Son (ο δεδωκας αυτω). It is the Son therefore that has the power
to call a special community, distinguished by the possession of life, into
existence. The full force of the perfect indicative δεδωκας should be insisted upon here. It is a
perfect of existing state and it identifies those belonging to Jesus as the ones
given to him by the father and who continue to belong to him. The neuter παν with the following relative pronoun ο should be translated as ‘the whole which’
and underscore the collective nature of believers. Therefore, believers are
viewed in terms of a collective or a community, rather than individually.
Similarly, Barrett comments:
The
αυτοις which follows shows that παν, although neuter
singular, refer to the disciples. Their unity is thus represented in the
strongest possible way (not παντες,
‘all’, but ‘the whole’) (1955: 419).
Therefore,
the Son glorifies the Father by giving his community life, and not just
individual believers. (Johan Ferreira, Johannine Ecclesiology [Journal
for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 160; Sheffield: Sheffield
Academic Press, 1998], 88-89, italics in original)
