John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that John 17:20-24 presents profound insights into Jesus’ prayer for His followers and His declaration of divine unity and glory:
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
These words from our Lord are often used to undermine the testimony of His deity. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus speaks about a glory He had with the Father before the world was:
4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Rather than understanding this in light of the rest of John’s gospel teachings, which affirm Jesus’ divinity with the Father before creation, some interpret it differently to evade such a conclusion. Unitarians, for instance, suggest this refers to a future predestined glory. However, the text points to a past glory that belongs to Christ, as evidenced by John 1:14, which speaks of the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, and we beheld His glory. This profound revelation of God is possible because Jesus is God, capable of revealing Himself in a way surpassing all previous revelations.
When Moses asked God to show him His “glory,” he was asking for a revelation of God’s essence. The Lord responded by proclaiming His name Yahweh, which means “I am that I am,” signifying God’s eternal self-existence and essence.
Because the word glory defines the very essence of God’s being, it came to be used of the very presence of God among His people. So we read in Exodus 16:10 that the people of Israel looked into the wilderness and “the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.” Biblical scholars call this type of appearance of God the shekinah glory, that is, the dwelling presence of God with His people. It is this glory cloud that descends on and covers Mount Sinai when God reveals His word to His people (Ex. 24:15–16). It is this glory cloud that descends into the Holy of Holies in both the tabernacle and the temple (Ex. 40:34–38; 1 Kings 8:10– 11). The shekinah glory is a sign that God’s very being and essence reside in the midst of His people.
The greatest manifestation of the dwelling presence of God’s glory among His people is in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John tells us that:
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The Greek word for “dwelt” here means “to tabernacle,” referencing the dwelling presence of God in the tabernacle/temple of the Old Testament.
The contention arises when Unitarians argue that Jesus shares this glory with His apostles (v. 22) and thus it cannot be divine glory. Those with certain Neo-Platonic theologies might accept it as divine glory (Theosis). However, both views present a false dilemma.
The glory Christ had before the world began differs from the glory given to His disciples. This is evident because the glory in verse 5 is not the one given to the disciples, but the glory He wishes for them to behold (v. 24). In the Septuagint, the word for ‘glory,’ doxa, commonly translates Hebrew kāḇôḏ, used for God’s visible manifestation in theophany (Ex. 33:22; Dt. 5:22) and the ‘glorious’ status of God’s people (Is. 60:1). Jesus’ glory was displayed in His signs (John 2:11; 11:4, 40) and His death and exaltation (John 7:39; 12:16, 23; 13:31–32). He enjoyed glory with the Father before the incarnation and reclaimed it post-resurrection (John 17:5, 24).
The glory John and others saw was the glory of the One and Only. The underlying expression was rendered ‘only-begotten’ Son in earlier translations. The NIV’s translation indicates the kind of glory a father grants to his best-loved Son. This ‘father’ is God, hence the glory witnessed was God’s glory manifested in the Word-made-flesh.
The theory that Jesus gives us the Glory of God is unlikely, considering OT passages asserting God’s exclusive possession of His glory (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11).
Jesus’ revelatory task, completed and entrusted to His disciples, reflects a different type of glory. This glory, manifested through His miracles and ministry, is distinct from His preexistent glory. It indicates a continuation of His mission, characterized by service and suffering (Carson 1991: 569; Ridderbos 1997: 563).
Jesus has completed his revelatory task; it now remains for his followers to pass on the message to others (Carson 1991: 569; cf. 2 Tim. 2:2). The glory that the Father has given to Jesus and that he has passed on to his disciples is not Jesus’ preexistent glory, which he is yet to reclaim (see 17:5), but the glory that Jesus was awarded in order to carry out his earthly mission (e.g., 1:14; 2:11; 11:4, 40; see Ridderbos 1997: 563). As they continue his mission, Jesus wants his followers to share in the glory that has been a hallmark of his own ministry, including at the cross (Ridderbos 1997: 563). This implies that the disciples’ path, too, entails lowly service and suffering on behalf of others (Morris 1995: 650).
The glory given to Jesus’ disciples is a glory of revelation and mission. It signifies their role in continuing Jesus’ work, marked by service and suffering, and reflects the unity of believers through the indwelling presence of Christ.
The glory that the Father has given to Jesus and that He has passed on to His disciples is not Jesus’ preexistent glory, but the glory awarded to carry out His earthly mission (e.g., 1:14; 2:11; 11:4, 40).
Jesus’ disciples sharing in His glory unites Christians across ages through the Father in Jesus by His Spirit, expressed in Christian love (John 15:10; 17:23, 26). This unity does not imply Jesus’ purely human nature. As Sam Shamoun noted:
Jesus explains the reason why the disciples could be given the glory of Christ; it is because Jesus lives in them, indicating His omnipresence and thus His divinity.
In conclusion, Christ procured believers’ right to partake in His glory through His perfect righteousness and atoning death. This sharing of glory underscores Jesus’ divinity, as it is predicated on His ability to dwell in believers and unite them to God.
Hence, although the disciples sharing in Christ’s glory doesn’t make them God, it demonstrates that Jesus is God since the reason why His followers can partake of His eternal glory is due to His indwelling presence and sovereign authority to make them children of the Most High.
For further insights, see Greater Than the Temple and Answering Islam.
Andreas J. Köstenberger adds further insight into the distinction of glory shared with disciples in his commentary:
Jesus has completed his revelatory task; it now remains for his followers to pass on the message to others (Carson 1991: 569; cf. 2 Tim. 2:2). The glory that the Father has given to Jesus and that he has passed on to his disciples is not Jesus’ preexistent glory, which he is yet to reclaim (see 17:5), but the glory that Jesus was awarded in order to carry out his earthly mission (e.g., 1:14; 2:11; 11:4, 40; see Ridderbos 1997: 563). As they continue his mission, Jesus wants his followers to share in the glory that has been a hallmark of his own ministry, including at the cross (Ridderbos 1997: 563). This implies that the disciples’ path, too, entails lowly service and suffering on behalf of others (Morris 1995: 650).
The Council 