And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
And now - `the whole purpose I am here for being accomplished,'
O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, х para (G3844) seautoo (G4572)] - or 'beside Thine own Self (apud Teipsum, or Temetipsum, as the Vulgate, Calvin, and Beza render it). The nearest, strictest, Personal conjunction is beyond doubt meant, as in John 1:1, "The Word was with God" х pros (G4314) ton (G3588) Theon (G2316)], and John 17:18, The Only begotten Son who is in" - `on' or 'into' - "the bosom of the Father" х eis (G1519) ton (G3588) kolpon (G2859) tou (G3588) Patros (G3962)]. Compare Zechariah 13:7, "The Man that is My Fellow," or 'My Associate' х `ªmiytiy (H5997)].
With the glory which I had with thee, [ para (G3844 ) soi (G4671 ), or 'beside Thee,'] before the world was. That the Son divested Himself of this glory in some sense by His incarnation, and continued divested of it during all the days of His flesh, is implied in the words. And that the restoration of this which He here asks was the restoration of what He laid aside-neither more nor less-is equally plain. But what that was is not easily conceived, though more easily conceived than expressed. Abstract theological discussions, as they do nothing whatever to clear this up, so on such a subject they are very unsavoury. But two things seem to meet the facts of the case, and pretty nearly to exhaust all that can safely be said upon the subject.
First, In His ordinary contact with people here below, He appeared not to be what He was, and appeared to be what He was not. Instead of its being impossible for any person, at any moment, to doubt that He was the Everlasting Son of the Father in human flesh, it seemed hardly possible to believe it-so entirely like other men was He in His appearance anal ordinary movements, and often even more helpless than many other men.
Secondly, That this was a shrouding of His proper glory, and a continual and sublime exercise of Self-restraint, is evident not only from what we know of His proper glory and dignity and freedom, and what He once and again said of it, but from the occasional breakings forth of that glory and majesty of His-as if to let men see for a moment Whom they had in the midst of them, and what a carriage He might have assumed if it had been but fitting that His whole glorious Self should be habitually displayed before them. Well, He submitted during all the days of His flesh, for the high ends on which He came here, thus to restrain Himself; and so "the world knew Him not" and "received Him not." But it could not be that He should be contented with this abnormal condition; it could not be but that He should desire its cessation and feel it to be such joy as He told His disciples, scarcely a brief half hour before this, they should rejoice in on His account (see the note at John 14:28). But the wonder of this restoration of the glory which He had with the Father before all time is, that it was to be in our nature. His divine glory as the Only begotten of the Father was never lost, and could not be parted with; it was inalienable and essential. But during the days of His flesh it was shrouded from human view; it was not externally manifested; in respect of it, He restrained Himself. And what He now asks is, that this veil might be removed from Him as the Incarnate One, and that as the risen and ascended Representative of Humanity-the Second Adam-He might be invested and manifested in the glory which He had with the Father before the world was. Transporting thought!