John 17:25

“O righteous Father, etc.] God is righteous in all the divine persons: the Father is righteous, the Son is righteous, and the Holy Spirit is righteous: he is so in his nature; righteousness is a perfection of it; he is so in all his purposes and promises; in all his ways and works of providence and grace; in predestination, redemption, justification, pardon of sin, and eternal glory. Christ makes use of this epithet, as containing a reason why he might justly expect that all his petitions and claims, on behalf of himself and people, would be regarded: the world hath not known thee; the unbelieving Jews, and idolatrous Gentiles, wicked men, one or another, know not God: as not the Father, so…”

“O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee--knew thee not. but I have known thee--knew thee. and these have known--knew. that thou hast sent--sentest me--As before He said "Holy Father," when desiring the display of that perfection on His disciples (Joh 17:11), so here He styles Him "Righteous Father," because He is appealing to His righteousness or justice, to make a distinction between those two diametrically opposite classes--"the world," on the one hand, which would not "know the Father, though brought so nigh to it in the Son of His love, and, on the other, Himself, who recognized and owned Him, and even His disciples, who owned His mission from the Father.”

“Hath not known thee - See the notes at John 17:3. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Righteous Father - The admission of believers to God through Christ, flows even from the justice of God. John 17:26”

“righteous: Joh 17:11; Isa 45:21; Rom 3:26 the world: Joh 8:19, Joh 8:55, Joh 15:21, Joh 16:3; Mat 11:27; Luk 10:22; Act 17:23, Act 26:18; Rom 1:28; Rom 3:11; Co1 1:21, Co1 15:34; Co2 4:4; Gal 4:8, Gal 4:9; Th2 1:8; Heb 8:11; Jo1 5:19, Jo1 5:20; Rev 13:8 but: Joh 1:18, Joh 5:19, Joh 5:20, Joh 7:29, Joh 10:15 these: Joh 17:8, Joh 6:19, Joh 16:27, Joh 16:30; Mat 16:16 John 17:26”