Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Jn 17:1-2. Indeed, having made his dear disciples his last recommendations and farewells, the Lord Jesus turns to his Father. He who has never claimed anything for Himself now asks for glory. For it is a question of the glory of God, the “righteous Father” (Jn 17:24-26), to honor, by glorifying him, the obedient Son. And as a faithful messenger, he gives an account of his mission accomplished here on earth.
Indeed, one of the sides of this work had been to speak of the Father to his people. Now He speaks of His people to the Father to entrust them to Him since He himself will leave them. And his arguments are infinitely touching: “They kept your word… they believed that you sent me”, they have love for me (Jn 14:23-24), while we know how weak the faith of the poor disciples was (Jn 14:8-11). Besides, “they are yours…”, continues the Lord; how would you abandon them?
For “I am glorified in them,” He adds, appealing to the Father’s interest in the glory of the Son. Finally, He emphasizes the difficult situation of His redeemed who are in such a dangerous and trying world for faith, a world that He himself knows only too well. Yes, it is in perfect intercessor that Christ Jesus pleads the cause of his disciples, and today ours.
Indeed, not only are believers not withdrawn from the world, but they are even expressly sent there by the Lord to do the work He has given them to do (Jn 17:4-5). However, they are not of the world, as Jesus was not. For their position is that of foreigners called to serve their sovereign in an enemy country. But we learn here that, far from being forgotten here on earth, believers are brought to the throne of grace by a “high priest” (Heb 4:14-16).
Let us note what He asks of the Father for them: a)”Let you keep them from evil”, exposed as they are in such a world. b) “Sanctify them by the truth”: it’s the setting apart of those who obey the Word. c)”Let all be one…”: desire of his heart that humiliates us when we think of the divisions of Christians. d)”Let me where I am, they may also be there with me…”. For those who are not of the world will not remain in the world. Their eternal part is with Jesus to see His glory. “I want…”, said the Lord Jesus, for the presence of his people in heaven with Him, testifying to the full results of His work, is part of His glory and that of the Father.
What can we learn from this priestly prayer?
- Unity in glory
“And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given it to them, that they may be one, like us, we are one; I in them, and you in me; that they may be consumed in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me, and that you have loved them as you have loved me.” God having been glorified here on earth by his Son, glorified him as the Son of man(Jn 13:31). It is this glory that he gives to his own, that of Son of man, since, by his work, he has placed them in the same position and with the same privileges as him; they will share his glory eternally. They will be one as the Father and the Son are one: “I in them, and you in me”, says the Lord; He will be seen in them, and since one cannot see the Son without seeing the Father, the Father will be seen in Him. In this glory the world will see the appearance of the Lord and his people, consumed in one, at his glorious appearance and during the millennial reign. Because of the infidelity of the believers the world was unwilling and could not believe that the Father had sent the Son; but when Christ appears in glory, this wonderful fact will be visible. The world will see Christ in his and the Father in him. Then he will know that the Father had sent him; this glorious manifestation of unity will be the result. It is not said that he will believe; this will no longer be the time tobelieve. There is no need for faith to believe what one sees. The world will also learn that these saints, manifested in the same glory as the Lord, will have been loved with the same love as the Father for the Son. Today the world cannot see it, because they share the same pains, the same sufferings as all humans. God does not change for them the conditions of existence in a creation spoiled by sin. But believers know that they are loved by the Father as He loves His Son, and that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy of comparison with the coming glory that is to be revealed. They also know that God makes all the sorrows of life work for their good. The world does not know; he does not know the blessings that belong to the relationship of Children of God. But when he saw them in the same glory as Christ, he would find that there was no difference between the love the Father had for the Son and the love he had for his redeemed. At that time, the results of the trials will also be gloriously manifested in all who have endured them with patience.
We have seen in this wonderful prayer, three well-characterized units. The first concerned the disciples. This is the unity that existed between the Father and the Son in all the activity of Jesus here on earth, necessary for those whom the Lord sent to proclaim the gospel in the world, so that their service might be fruitful. The second unit concerns all those who are brought to the knowledge of the Father by the apostles. It is the unity of communion,deriving from the possession of the same life, that of the Father and the Son; seeing it the world had to believe that it could only come from the sending of the Son by the Father. The third, unity in glory,is the one in which all thesaints will be seen when they appear in the same glory as Christ. By seeing it, the world will know what it did not want to believe: that the Father sent the Son and that all believers are loved with the same love as him. The circle of these units grows in the order in which they are enumerated. First the apostles; then those who believe by their word, and finally all believers together with the Lord, manifested as the glorious results of His coming.
(b) Jesus wants his people to see His glory
In the three units the Lord spoke of, it is a question of what the world can see. Itis about what the believers will see:”Father, I want, as for those whom you have given me, that where I am, they may also be there with me, that they may see my glory, which you have given me; for you loved me before the foundation of the world.” This is not the glory of the Son of man, which the Lord shares with his people, but the glory which he had eternally, as the object of the delights of God the Father and into which he entered as a glorified Man, after having left it to come and do the work which the Father had given him to do. This glory can only be seen in heaven; it does not appear in the world. The Lord wants his people to see her; so you have to be where it is visible.
It is god’s grace, wonderful and unfathomable, that makes us share with Christ the glory he gained by coming here on earth to glorify God in a life of perfect obedience. He alone is worthy of it; he alone did what was necessary to deserve it. But God’s love would not have been satisfied if he saw the redeemed of the Son in a position inferior to his own; he also owed it to him to place them in the same glory as himself, although he was “firstborn between several brothers” and “anointed with an oil of joy above his companions.” It is the pure grace of God who, after forgiving us, wants to place us in this glory. But we will be happy to be where the Lord is, to contemplate Him eternally in a glory that belongs only to him, his share of all eternity, in which he enjoyed the eternal love of his God and Father and which he left to come and save us. As we see her, we will understand the infinite love that made her leave this place. We will be happy to contemplate this adorable Savior in all his glories, after seeing him in contempt, humiliation, suffering, forsa abandonment of God. What a glorious prospect.
Then the Lord appealed to His Father, saying to Him, “Righteous Father; and the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and they have known that you have sent me.” When he addresses his Father in favor of his own, he calls him “Holy Father”; but here, in the presence of the unbelief and hatred of the world towards him, he appeals to the character of justice of his Father, with which the world will have to deal. In contrast to the world, he says: “But I have known you…”. It may seem strange that the Lord, the Eternal Son of the Father, should say to him, “I have known you”; for had he not always known him? This knowledge is related to the position of man he has taken here on earth, dependent on the Father, living on his words, always having him as the object of his heart. As a man, Jesus knew His Father, and always acted on that knowledge. He does not say of his disciples that they knew the Father as he did, but he likes to repeat that they knew that the Father had sent him. All their blessings flowed from this fact so dear to his heart and to the heart of the Father.
As for the world, all was over, since it had rejected the Son. According to divine righteousness, the Lord was to be glorified and the world left under the consequences resulting from his misunderstence of the one the Father had sent. The Holy Spirit would descend, convince the world of its awful state, and introduce believers into the enjoyment of the results of the Lord’s work. God’s grace gives salvation to anyone who believes throughout the time of God’s patience, but the world as such only has to wait for divine judgment, when the time of grace has passed.
In his faithfulness, the Lord had revealed the name of the Father to those who had received him, and he added: “And I will make it known to them, that the love of which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” We have seen that from the glory in which he finds himself, the Lord gives eternal life to all those whom the Father has given him. This life consists in knowing the Father and the Son. To those who possess it, the Lord will continue to reveal this name of the Father, so that they may now enjoy the love that belongs to this relationship. He wants this love that he himself enjoyed to be in them and that he makes them happy, waiting for the glory where he will be known perfectly. How can this happen? Because God sees His Son in the believer. So that our thoughts do not turn to ourselves as objects of this love, the Lord says, “And I in them.” It is because God sees in us His Beloved Son that we can enjoy it. Christ replaces the self in the believer, that self that has disappeared forever into the depths of his death.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Words of Christ, characteristics:
-imperishable: Mk 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass.
-full of grace: Lk 4:22 And all bear witness to him; they were astonished at the words of grace that came out of his mouth, and they said: Is it not the son of Joseph?
-full of authority: Lk 4:32 One was struck by his doctrine; for he spoke with authority.
-spiritual: Jn 6:63 It is the spirit that invigorates; the flesh serves no purpose. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
-bring life: Jn 6:68 Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
-incomparable: Jn 7:46 Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
-words of judgment: Jn 12:48 He who rejects me and who does not receive my words has his judge; the word I have announced, it is she who will judge him on the last day.
-divine: Jn 14:24 He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word you hear is not from me, but from the Father who sent me. 1 Tim 6:3 If anyone teaches false doctrines, and does not attach himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to piety,
- Notable prayers, examples:
-Abraham for Sodom: Gen. 18:23 Abraham approached, and said: Will you also perish the righteous with the wicked?
-Jacob, to Peniel: Gen 32:25 Seeing that he could not defeat him, this man struck him at the socket of the hip; and the casing of Jacob’s hip was untied while he was struggling with him.
-David, when he was denied the privilege of building the temple: 2:7:18 And King David went before jehovah, and said, Who am I, Lord, and what is my house, that you may have sent me where I am?
-Solomon, to Gabaon: 1 R 3:6 Solomon replied: You treated your servant David, my father, with great benevolence, because he walked in your presence in fidelity, in righteousness, and in righteousness of heart to you; you have preserved this great benevolence to him, and you have given him a son who sits on his throne, as we see today.
-Solomon, at the dedication: 1 R 8:22 Solomon placed himself before the altar of jehovah, in front of the whole assembly of Israel. He extended his hands to heaven, and he said:
-Hezekiah, during the invasion of Sancholy: 2 R 19:15 to whom he addressed this prayer: Eternal, God of Israel, sitting on the cherubim! It is you who are the only God of all the kingdoms of the earth, it is you who made the heavens and the earth. 1 Ch 17:16 And King David went before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, Eternal God, and what is my house, that you may have sent me where I am?
-Ezra for the sins of the people: Esd 9:6 and I say: My God, I am in confusion, and I am ashamed, O my God, to raise my face to you; for our iniquities have multiplied over our heads, and our faults have reached heaven.
-Daniel for the Jewish prisoners: Dn 9:4 I prayed to jehovah, my God, and I made him this confession: Lord, God great and fearsome, you who keep your covenant and who give mercy to those who love you and who keep your commandments!
-the prayer of Habakkuk: Ha 3:1 Prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet. (On the mode of laments.)
-the Our Father: Mt 6:10 may your reign come; may your will be done on earth as in heaven.
-Christ’s prayer of intercession: Jn 17:1 After having spoken in this way, Jesus looked up at heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come! Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you,
-Paul, for the Ephesians: Eph 3:14 Because of this, I bend my knees before the Father,
- The Power of Christ
-he saves: Es 63.1 Who is this one who comes from Edom, From Botsra, in red clothes, In bright clothes, And standing up with pride in the fullness of his strength? -It is I who promised salvation, Who has the power to deliver. –
-he forgives: Mt 9:6 Now, that you may know that the Son of man has on earth the power to forgive sins: Stand up,” he said to the paralytic, take your bed, and go into your house.
-his power is infinite: Mt 28:18 Jesus, having approached, spoke to them thus: All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
-on nature: Lk 8:25 Then he said to them: Where is your faith? Seized with fear and astonishment, they said to each other: What is this one, who commands even the wind and the water, and to whom they obey?
-on his own life: Jn 10:18 No one takes it away from me, but I give it of myself; I have the power to give it, and I have the power to take it back: this is the order I have received from my Father.
-give life: Jn 17:2 according to whether you have given him power over all flesh, that he may grant eternal life to all those whom you have given him.
-performs wonders: Acts 10:38 you know how God anointed jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and force, who went from place to place doing good and healing all those who were under the rule of the devil, for God was with him.
-is demonstrated by his resurrection: Rm 1:4 and declared Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by his resurrection from the dead), Jesus Christ our Lord; He 1:3 and who, being the reflection of his glory and the imprint of his person, and supporting all things by his powerful word, did the purification of sins and sat at the right hand of divine majesty in the very high places,
- Eternal Christ, his pre-existence:
Mt 5:1 Seeing the crowd, Jesus went up on the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples approached him. Jn 1.1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jn 8:58 Jesus said to them: In truth, in truth, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am. Jn 17:5 And now you, Father, glorify me to yourself of the glory I had with you before the world was. Jn 17:24 Father, I want where I am those you have given me to also be with me, so that they may see my glory, the glory you have given me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Col 1:17 He is above all things, and all things subsist in him. Heh 7.3 which is without a father, without a mother, without genealogy, which has no beginning of days or end of life, -but which is made like the Son of God, -this Melchizedek remains priest in perpetuity. Rev 22:13 I am the alpha and omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
In the end, in this sublime conversation with His Father, which the Lord has kindly attended us, we see what blessed and glorious part we possess as the fruit of His coming here on earth. May we ponder this subject more deeply so that we can better enjoy these blessings and better realize what the Lord has asked Of His Father for us. This prayer is infinite, and we are only touching on the beauties. Can it be otherwise when it comes to the pouring out of the infinite heart of the Son to his Father? What deeply touches our hearts is that we, so miserable about ourselves, are the objects of such an interview. Our prayers support you all in your efforts to enjoy the blessings of this Prayer of the Lord on our behalf.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing exceptionally with you today about “Jesus’ appearance to his disciples on the Sea of Tiberias.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty Lord.