Good News Translation inverts the order of the two clauses in this verse. The Greek literally reads “just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.” This inversion produces a more natural English style. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has the same restructuring. Five times it is said in this chapter that the Father sent Jesus into the world, and in this verse Jesus speaks of sending the disciples into the world in the same way that the Father sent him into the world. The time perspective of this verse is best understood as the time of the writing of the Gospel, rather than that of Jesus’ prayer. In fact, not until 20.21 (where the present tense is used) does Jesus actually send the disciples into the world.

If the past tense form of sent is retained in translation, the reference of this verse may be limited to such occasions as the one when Jesus sent his disciples out two by two to proclaim the kingdom in the villages and towns. The wider implications of this statement would then be lost. Therefore it may be preferable in some languages to use a perfect tense, and so avoid the resulting misunderstanding, for example, “I have sent them into the world.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .