John 17:26 Meaning and Explanation

To declare the Father's name is to reveal who God is, his character, his purposes, his heart. Jesus has done this throughout his ministry in parables, miracles, and teaching. I have declared unto them thy name. But note the future tense that follows: and will declare it. Even after his death and resurrection, through his Spirit, Jesus will continue to reveal God to his followers. The work of making God known does not end at Calvary but continues through every generation, every believer who encounters Jesus and learns through him who the Father is. And why does Jesus reveal the Father's name and character? That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them. The aim is not merely information but transformation. As the disciples come to know God truly, they come to experience the same love the Father has always held for Jesus. That love, infinite and particular, becomes the atmosphere in which they live.

And in the receiving of that love, Jesus himself takes up residence: and I in them. This is the final promise and the answer to every prayer. We are loved by the Father with the same love he holds for Jesus, and Jesus indwells us, making that love real, present, active in our hearts. The declaration of the Father's name is complete when we live as bearers of that love, when Christ lives in us and through us, and when the watching world sees people transformed by knowing God truly.