John 17 (NRSVue)
1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Here are some questions for discussion:
1. Think about the great monuments to God and the simple moments with God, which do you most identify with? Which demonstrates better the idea of “ginosko” knowing?
2. In verse 3, Jesus gives a definition of eternal life as “knowing the true God and Jesus Christ” and as Dr. Tamara points out, is written in the present tense. How does this resonate with you? Does this feel like a new or unfamiliar way of understanding eternal life? If so, how might this perspective create tension with passages, teachings, or church traditions that primarily frame eternal life as something received after death, and is it possible these ideas are meant to complement rather than contradict one another?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. In this week’s passages, Jesus is praying aloud before His followers during a moment of impending trauma. Why might John portray Jesus not as emotionally detached but as deeply relational and vulnerable? What does this reveal about vulnerability as strength, and how might modern religious cultures sometimes suppress lament, uncertainty, dependence, or emotional honesty?
2. Why is this heart “knowing” (ginosko) so much more difficult for us as individuals than a simple head knowledge of God?
3. Like a runner who is a runner throughout their training as well, how can we be Christians throughout our lives? How can we shape this concept with that of someone in training?
4. For those in margins, those brothers and sisters that struggle each day in a world that doesn’t see their value as our Heavenly Father does, how much more glory is there for God in their knowing (ginosko) God?
5. If eternal life is understood as living in relationship with God and with one another, what might these verses suggest about systems or histories that divide people—slavery, segregation, economic inequality, incarceration, or displacement? What social consequences should flow from eternal life and how might racism and other forms of dehumanization distort the biblical idea that all people are created for relationship, dignity, and shared humanity in the image of God?
For further contemplation, consider these prompts:
1. The message suggests, we have to be runners [or Christians] in what we’re doing each day but also in the day before as we prepare for the run tomorrow. How do you set yourself up today to be prepared for tomorrow?
2. How might this passage invite churches to move beyond simply valuing diversity toward building deeper shared life through trust, mutual care, peacemaking, and community support? If eternal life is understood as participating together in God’s relational life now, what cultural habits, social patterns, or church structures might make that kind of authentic communion more difficult to cultivate? What would make it more inclusive and inviting?