The Father
It is neither the intention of
this thesis, nor is it necessary, to appraise and analyze all that has been
said about Father God, even if we limit the discussion to the Fourth Gospel.
However, in the prayer of John 17, we can observe several key points about
Father God that are noteworthy to our investigation concerning the prayer
itself.
First, the “only true God” is the
Father who is “knowable” by humanity (17:3). To know the one who Jesus calls
“the Father” is to understand that he is the one and only true and just God.
Jesus is not God; the Son is not the Father, but is “sent” by the “only true
God.” Father and Son are one, but they are not identical. Additionally, eternal
life is given to those who know both the Father and the Son (17:3). Although
“the world” does not know God (17:25), the one who knows and believes Jesus
knows the Father. Jesus summarizes this knowledge in 20:17: “I am returning to
my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” By believing that Jesus is
from God, the believer is able to know “the only true God” as Father (17:7). In
contrast, the rejection of the knowledge of the “true father” is the basis for
Jesus’ debate with the Jewish leaders in 8:31-41. Marianne Thompson outlines
the process of “knowing God” through the words and actions of Jesus; she
concludes that “because in this world the Son makes the Father known, one truly
‘sees’ God: but only indirectly, and in hidden ways.” (Judith A. Diehl, “The
Puzzle of the Prayer: A Study of John 17” [PhD Dissertation; University of
Edinburgh, 2007], 87)
