John 17:1-5

John 17:1-5

Jesus said this and after lifting up His eyes into heaven He said, “Father, the hour has come.  Glorify your Son in order that the Son should glorify you.  Just as you gave to Him authority of all flesh in order that all who you have given to Him, He should give to them life eternal.  And this is life eternal: in order that they should know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.  I glorified you upon the earth after finishing the work that you have given to me in order that I should do it.  And now glorify me, Father, from yourself by the glory that I was having from you from before the world was.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In this passage Jesus gives us the definition of eternal life.  Take note of this definition very closely.  Eternal life is knowing the Father and the Son.  Do you notice what is conspicuously missing from this?  Jesus doesn’t talk about knowing our dead relatives (although I confidently believe that those who are in Christ will be with us).  Here’s Jesus’ point, though.  So often when we think of heaven what we are really trying to think in our brain is a simple carryover of this earth.  We want all our loved ones to be there so we can continue to love the ones we love.  We just want life on this earth to continue.  What is usually conspicuously missing from the human perspective of eternal life is any kind of focus on God and His glory!  (Read most modern stories of people who died and went to heaven and compare how much is said about God versus how much is said about being comforted by seeing all of the person’s deceased loved ones.  It’s shameful.)  In fact, did you know that in all of the visions of heaven found in the Bible, God and His glory is not only the primary focus but it is the sole focus?  Again, I do believe that all who are in Christ will be with the Father in eternal life.  But our deceased loved ones and our reunion with them will not be the focus.  Our focus will be on the Father, His glory, and the Son.

When you think about heaven, do you think more about the Father and His presence or about your deceased loved ones?  Why is this true for you?

Second Thought:

Jesus claims that He glorified the Father.  I think Jesus does this in three very broad categories.  First, there is verbal glory.  Jesus teaches others about the Father and that gives the Father glory.  Second, there is physical glory.  Jesus heals people, has miraculous events happen, and has command over demons.  This glorifies the Father.  However, I think the most important way that Jesus glorifies the Father is in being crucified.  You may wonder how it is that the cross brings glory to the Father.  It is not the cross that brings glory but Christ’s obedience in going to the cross.  The Son glorifies the Father most by being obedient to Him.  The same is true for us.

Are you obedient to the Father?  How do you glorify God through your words, actions, and obedience?

Third Thought:

This section begins the part of our Bible that is called the High Priestly Prayer.  I am always amazed at the profound depth of Christ’s prayer as He prays this.  I suppose it isn’t the depth – He is the Son of God, after all – as it is the timing.  This prayer comes after the foot washing and after the Lord’s Supper.  This is the last thing that Jesus does before going to Gethsemane.  If that were staring me in the face, I don’t think that I would have the composure of Jesus to prayer deeply over His work, His disciples, and the world.  As you read through John 17, keep in mind that these are the last words of Jesus before His arrest and crucifixion.

Since these are Jesus’ last words with His disciples, how does that impact what we’ve already said here?  How does this impact Jesus’ emphasis upon things like obedience and glory?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 17:6-12