“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.“
John 17:1b-2
The seventeenth chapter of the gospel of John is a mountain peak of scripture. It is Jesus’ extended high priestly prayer that beats with a heart for all of those He was headed to the cross to save. I’ve always been amazed by this prayer. It read it several times throughout each year, often every Passion Week reflection, and am just blown away every time by the love of Christ. Nobody can say that the death of Christ was a tragic misunderstanding. Jesus did not blindly stumble to the cross. He knew what He was doing.
From the very beginning of this prayer, Jesus commits to the “hour” that “has come”. God’s sovereign plan to redeem all who will trust in the death and resurrection of His only Son had begun. Jesus was poised to redeem and save. He was destined to suffer, die, bear the sin of the world, and thus glorify God the Father Who will give eternal life to all who will believe and follow the Son.
Jesus was going to bring glory to God by providing the sacrifice once for all on the cross. God the Father was going to glorify God the Son by raising Him from the dead as proof that He has given Jesus all authority in heaven and earth. All those who trust in Jesus forever will possess eternal life in His salvation. And from this prayer, a commitment to our salvation brings the fresh change of the gospel to the world. All we do as Christians centers on and perpetuates this good news! God has saved us! The Father has been glorified by the complete sacrifice of His only Son! The Son has all authority and has been glorified by the Father as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! And we shall rule with Him forever. Nothing is more exciting than this.
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