O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

JOHN 17:25KJV
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John 17:25 (KJV)

What does John 17:25 mean?

John 17:25 shows Jesus speaking to God the Father, calling Him "righteous" and saying that the world does not truly know God, but Jesus does, and so do those who recognize that God sent Him. The verse highlights a difference between the general world and those who understand Jesus’s unique relationship with God.

In this part of John’s Gospel, Jesus is praying just before His arrest. He addresses God as "righteous Father," emphasizing God’s justice and goodness. Jesus points out that most people ("the world") have not come to know God in a real way, but Jesus Himself knows God fully, and His followers have come to realize that Jesus was sent by God. This verse is part of a larger prayer where Jesus talks about His mission and those who believe in Him.

The Greek behind John 17:25

  • "righteous" (δίκαιε, dikaios): This word means just, upright, or morally right. Jesus calling God "righteous Father" underlines God’s perfect fairness and trustworthiness, especially in contrast to the world’s misunderstanding.
  • "world" (κόσμος, kosmos): This word often means the human world or society, especially as it stands apart from God. Here, it refers to people who do not recognize or accept God’s true nature.
  • "known" (ἔγνω, egnō): This verb means to know in a deep, personal, or experiential way. Jesus is not just talking about factual knowledge, but a real, relational understanding of God.
  • "sent" (ἀπέστειλας, apesteilas): This word means to send with a purpose or mission. Jesus’s followers have come to understand that He was purposefully sent by God, not just appearing on His own.

Why John 17:25 matters

  • John 17:25 clears up the idea that everyone automatically knows God; Jesus makes a clear distinction between "the world" and those who truly recognize God through Him.
  • The verse emphasizes Jesus’s unique relationship with God, showing that His knowledge of the Father is complete and personal, unlike the world’s.
  • This verse fits into Jesus’s larger prayer for His followers, highlighting the importance of recognizing Jesus as sent by God and the special connection believers have with the Father through Him.

Where else these words appear

“righteous” Greek G1342 · used in 76 verses

  • Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
  • Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

“sent” Greek G649 · used in 130 verses

  • Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
  • Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
  • John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.