John 17:3 should be the last place anyone should visit in an effort to disprove that Jesus is God. Not only does John 17:3 alone confirm that Jesus is God but it also confirms the special and exclusive relationship [“I and the Father are ONE” (John 10:30) between the Father and the Son, thereby revealing also, the truine nature of God. John 17 also supports verses like John 3:35 which state that the Father loves the Son and has given EVERYTHING to the Son, including the AUTHORITY to give ETERNAL LIFE (John 17:2) to mankind and the AUTHORITY to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). Part of the problem for Muslims is the use of dishonest “miracle of reinterpretation” which involves deliberately skipping other relevant verses within the chapter.
What is the broader and honest understanding of John 17:3?
‘Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, AND JESUS CHRIST whom You have SENT.
John 17:1-3
Muslims would like for the verse to read “…You, the only true God WHO SENT JESUS CHRIST” but that’s not what the verse says. It says “You, the only true God, AND JESUS CHRIST whom You have sent.” The verse clearly ASSOCIATES Jesus with God. Jesus Christ, the Son, just like the Holy Spirit is God in essence. He is subservient to the Father and is SENT.
The ASSOCIATION of Jesus with God is also found described in the prophetic book of Revelation regarding the end of the age when the Son will rule in the kingdom of God:
‘The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our LORD AND OF HIS MESSIAH, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)
[This confirms the prophecies by the Law of Moses (Torah) and the Prophets about the ONE to come, Messiah the Son of God who will be “obeyed” and “worshipped” by the nations and will “rule the kingdom of God forever” (Genesis 49:1-10, 1 Chronicles 17:11-15, Daniel 7:13-14, Isaiah 9:1-6, Luke 1:31)]
In their relationship, the Son and the Holy Spirit are subservient to the Father. They are both SENT by the Father. The Son is GIVEN and is SENT. Verse 2 is also informing you of the deity of Christ because he “has authority over all flesh” and has power to grant ETERNAL LIFE to those who believe in his death and resurrection:
“as You have GIVEN Him authority over all flesh, that He should give ETERNAL LIFE to as many as You have given Him. (John 17:2)
Do you know of a prophet who has AUTHORITY over all mankind? Can a prophet have power to give ETERNAL LIFE? Only God gives eternal life and he does not give this divine attribute to a creature, to a prophet. Did the false prophet, Muhammad, have power to give eternal life? Only God can grant eternal life. Jesus grants ETERNAL LIFE. Did Muhammad have authority to FORGIVE SINS? Muhammad asked for forgiveness of his sins from his god, Allah (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307)
John 17:3 in fact confirms that the Son, who is ONE with the Father is God, by adding “AND JESUS CHRIST”.
The prophet of old, Daniel (before Paul, the Greek, the Romans and before the word “Trinity”), sheds some light into the relationship between the Messiah (son of man) and the Ancient of days (God):
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
The prophetic book of Revelation gives further insight into the eternal reign of the Messiah (Check the reign of the Messiah/”the Branch” in Isaiah 4 and 11 as well):
What about verses BEFORE and AFTER John 17:3? John 17:5 (just two verses down from 17::3) is even more DEVASTATING. It clearly states that Jesus existed with the Father BEFORE creation.”And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You BEFORE the world was. (John 17:5).
This is in agreement with John 1:1 which states that the Son exists in ETERNITY and was involved in creation:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:1, 3, 10, 14
Even the prophets of old state that the Messiah is EVERLASTING (eternal):“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From EVERLASTING.”
Micah 5:2
The eternal nature of the Son of God is further expressed in the same book of John (John 1:15 and John 8:54-58)
What about the verse in the book of John where, for example, his disciple Thomas says to Jesus “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28)?
The ONLY true God? Yes. The only God, in opposition to all false gods like Allah of the Qur’an. The ONE and true God of the Torah and Gospel who spiritually is our Father (Deuteronomy 32:6, Isaiah 63:16, 64:8, Jeremiah 31:9) and whose special, eternal and covenant name (which he revealed to mankind through Moses in the Torah) is given as follows: ‘God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is MY NAME FOREVER, the name you shall call me from GENERATION to GENERATION.” (Exodus 3:15). Is this covenant name any one of the 99 names of the 7th century god, Allah? In which verse of the Qur’an or hadith can you find the eternal and covenant name of God?
Allah of the Qur’an, in no way, shape or form is he FATHER to anyone one. (QS 6:100)
Beloved, if you believe in the Only true God AND JESUS CHRIST, the Messiah, you will receive ETERNAL LIFE. Blessings!
1.JEWS react to the title ‘Son of God’ https://youtu.be/55MVA2BD0_M
2. Israeli eyes opening to Jesus: https://youtu.be/9ctBTjPhv_w
3. Clear proof Jesus is the Son of God
https://youtu.be/kW8c26K5jwc