And now come I to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
come.
John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
that.
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
John 16:22-24,33 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you…
and I am saying these things while I am in the world,
Jesus emphasizes His current presence in the world, which is significant because it underscores His incarnation—God becoming flesh (John 1:14). His teachings and actions are meant to be a direct revelation of God's will and character to humanity. The world, in Johannine literature, often represents a realm opposed to God, yet it is the very place where Jesus chooses to reveal divine truth. This phrase also connects to the concept of Jesus as the Light of the World (John 8:12), bringing truth and salvation to a fallen creation.
so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.
The joy Jesus refers to is not a fleeting emotion but a profound, spiritual joy rooted in the relationship with God. This joy is a fulfillment of the promises found in the Old Testament, such as the joy of salvation (Psalm 51:12) and the joy of the Lord being one's strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It is a joy that transcends circumstances, grounded in the assurance of eternal life and the presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Jesus' desire is for His disciples to experience this complete joy, which is a reflection of His own joy in fulfilling the Father's will. This joy is also a foretaste of the eternal joy believers will experience in the presence of God (Revelation 21:4).
Jesus states plainly, “But now I am coming to You” (John 17:13).
• He is referring to His imminent return to the Father after the cross, resurrection, and ascension (John 16:28; Acts 1:9–11).
• The Son’s deliberate movement back to the Father underscores His heavenly origin and divine mission (John 13:3; Hebrews 9:24).
• For the disciples, this promise assures them that His departure is purposeful, not a defeat (1 Peter 3:22). They can trust that the One who is leaving is still governing all things from the Father’s right hand (Ephesians 1:20–22).
Jesus prays aloud so His followers can overhear and later remember.
• “These things” include everything He has just taught in the Upper Room (John 13–17), words intended to anchor them when He is no longer physically present (John 14:25–26).
• By speaking “while I am in the world,” He provides a tangible, audible record, similar to when He said, “I have spoken these things to you so that in Me you may have peace” (John 16:33).
• His public prayer mirrors an earlier moment at Lazarus’s tomb: “I said this for the benefit of the people standing here” (John 11:42).
Christ’s goal is not a generic good feeling but His own joy reproduced in His followers.
• Earlier He promised, “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
• His joy flows from perfect fellowship with the Father, a fellowship now opened to believers through His saving work (1 John 1:3–4).
• This joy stands firm regardless of circumstances, just as He endured the cross “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 4:4).
• It is part of the Spirit’s fruit (Galatians 5:22), growing richer as believers abide in Christ (John 15:5).
Jesus wants that joy “fulfilled,” meaning brought to full measure, deep inside His people.
• The verb points to a steady, ongoing filling, not a fleeting burst (Romans 15:13).
• Because the Spirit will dwell “with you and will be in you” (John 14:17), the joy Christ supplies is internal, secure, and complete (1 Peter 1:8).
• This inner fullness equips believers to face hostility from the world (John 16:20–22) and to serve with glad endurance (Nehemiah 8:10).
In John 17:13 Jesus anticipates His return to the Father, speaks aloud for His disciples’ benefit, and reveals His purpose: that His own divine joy would fill them to overflowing. His departure is neither loss nor abandonment; it is the pathway for the Spirit to implant Christ’s unshakable joy within every believer—a joy that is complete, abiding, and victorious.
(13) And now I come to thee.--Comp. the first words of John 17:12, with which these are in contrast.And these things I speak in the world.--The thought is that He is about to leave them, and that He utters this prayer in their hearing (comp. John 11:42) that they may have the support of knowing that He who had kept them while with them, had solemnly committed them to His Father's care. The prayer itself was a lesson, and this thought is to be remembered in the interpretation of it.
That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.--Comp. Notes on John 15:11; John 16:24. The joy here thought of is that which supported Him in all the sorrow and loneliness of His work on earth, and came from the never-failing source of the Father's presence with Him. (Comp. Note on John 16:32.) He would have them fulfilled with the abundance of this joy. . . .
Verse 13. - But now come I to thee. So that the condition, the shielding protection of my love is removed, thou, O my Father, must be their Sun and Shield. And these things I am uttering in the world; uttering, i.e. in their hearing before my last step is taken, and perhaps in the very midst of the machinations which are going on against me. That they might have the joy that is mine fulfilled, fully unfolded and completed, in themselves. By overhearing the high-priestly prayer, they would be assured of the Divine guardianship, and would receive the transfer of even his joy as well as of his peace. They would find the higher joy also of the return of their Lord to the bosom of the Father. Christ has taught his disciples to desire such joy and peace as he found on the night of the Passion.