“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
(John 17:3)
John introduced us to “eternal life” in chapter 3: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
In 3:16, we saw that believing in Jesus would result in eternal life. In today’s verse, Jesus indicates that if we have eternal life, we know the only true God and Jesus whom He sent.
If we smash up these two verses (3:16 + 17:3), we can see that Jesus is the gateway to the Father, which is exactly what John 14:6 says: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” By believing in Jesus, we come to know the one true God (I.e., the Father).
This is really deep, but I’m afraid we are so familiar with John 3:16 that we walk right past the significance. Eternal life means that we know (I.e., are in relationship with) the one true and living God. Jesus has not only shown us the Father (14:9), but he also brings us into a relationship with the Father. In the Old Testament, such closeness was rare (as is true in all other religions). Usually, people interacted with God indirectly via intermediaries, whether that was priests, sacrifices, or angels. They couldn’t say they knew God.
By knowing Jesus, we know the Father because they are one. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, not just with us. This is Trinitarian theology.
Father, help me to see the significance and depth of believing in Jesus. Amen.
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