Only God could say these words. If a man said this, it would be a most terrible and arrogant thing to say.
On this earth we cannot imagine his glory. If we are in an unspiritual mood, it may not even seem marvellously attractive to us. But to the saved mind set free from all sin and protected in the heavenly glory to be able to see our God in Christ in his glorified, human nature; to see the kindness, to see love, to see compassion and mercy and power and wisdom, it is so exciting and amazing and astounding and absorbing and energising and praise provoking. If only we could see the depths of the words – ‘Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory.’ That is our chief occupation, the sight of Christ our dear Saviour. Up till now we have seen not even a fraction of the wonders of the Godhead in Christ.
Most of the modern versions try their best to keep this in the mode of prayer, of a subordinate to a superior. But they are not right in doing this, and therefore they translate verse 24 – Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. But the older versions, the King James Version also, are quite right – ‘Father, I will …’ The Greek is absolutely to do with the will, not with the desire, and that is how the term is used and translated elsewhere in the New Testament. We could turn, for instance, to Ephesians 1.11 where the apostle Paul speaks of – ‘the counsel of his own will’. It is a translation of the same word. ‘I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may be behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.’ There was the equality, the concert of the Trinity, the equality of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equally glorious, and it is the will of the Son, so it must be the will of the Father and the Spirit also that his people are with him where he is.