It Is Time

It is time. This is a phrase that is used when introducing something big that is about to take place. Maybe it's an astronaut getting ready to crawl into the space shuttle.  Maybe it's a fighter pilot getting ready to go off on a mission. It could be an actor or actress as they are about to enter the stage. It could be a musician as he or she is getting ready to perform a musical piece. It may even be a mom or dad as they prepare for the birth of their child. Maybe it is the young adult as they prepare to walk in for his or her first interview.

There are many who would begin reciting, Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed by thy Name . . . , found in Matthew 6, genuinely thinking that this was the Lord’s Prayer.  In reality, this prayer might be more accurately titled The Disciples’ Prayer.  The reason I suggest this, is that this is the prayer which Jesus used to explain to the disciples, when they were wanting to know how to pray.

Prayer was not at all unusual for Jesus.  One of the things which stands out in Jesus’ life is that He seemed to be continually in prayer.  Now, if you want to understand where I believe the Lord’s Prayer truly is, you would need to turn to John 17.  Here, we find what is often referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.  Here, we are allowed into one of the most sacred conversations ever recorded.  Jesus is on His way to be crucified on the horrible cross for the sins of all humanity of all time to provide a way of salvation to all who would believe on His Name.  

I would like for us to stand as I read the short passage today.

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

We also will be seeing the word glory used at least eight times in this prayer.  Glory is one of those words which ought to be used primarily in reference to Jesus or our Heavenly Father. It is almost like the word, awesome, should be reserved to be used primarily for God. 

The greatest glory was seen in the cross and what Jesus accomplished on it. 

The Glorification Is Imminent. - 17:1

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You . . .

The very first four words of verse 1 gives us some context. Jesus spoke these things . . . These things are what we’ve been going through in chapters 14-16.  Those three chapters covered a great deal of territory in a very short time.  After Judas had left to do his dastardly deed, Jesus spent time comforting the disciples in many ways.  He reminded them that though He was going away, He was coming back.  He informed them that while He was gone, He would send the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, instruct, teach, etc.  He instructed them that this was possible because they belonged to Him, because they had chosen to believe in Him.  And because of this, when He went to the Father, He would send the Holy Spirit to indwell them permanently.  He also lets them know that times are going to be incredibly rough for them in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.  Yet, the reality was that He had already won the victory.

Jesus had also just reminded the disciples that He had overcome the world.  How appropriate that He should spend time in prayer with His Heavenly Father.  As we consider how dark the hour ahead must have been, as Jesus contemplated that He had to die for the salvation of all who would believe, we are amazed at the fact that Jesus’ prayer is not negative or complaining or pleading.  In actuality, it is a very positive prayer. In fact, Leon Morris, in his commentary on John states:  We so often understand this prayer as though it were rather gloomy. It is not. It is uttered by One who has just affirmed that he has overcome the world (16:33), and it starts from this conviction. Jesus is looking forward to the cross, but in a mood of hope and joy, not one of despondency.

The idea of Jesus lifting up His eye to heaven, presents a picture of purity of heart and an acknowledgement that His Father is on the throne in heaven.  Those individuals who are guilty and disobedient are unable to lift up their eyes to heaven, for they would rather avert their gaze and stare downward.  In addition, Jesus does not address His Father in the usual Jewish manner of our Father.  It is in the singular, as if He would say My Father.  This is an intimate, family type of relationship.  But we must go on and see another major change.  

Up to this point, Jesus had pointed out that His hour had not yet come.  Now, He states that the hour has come.  This is probably one of the most important time periods of history.  The hour is not the specific 60-minute period of time.  It is the event in which Scripture had prophesied in Genesis 3, shortly after Adam’s sin and fall, continuing throughout Old Testament history.  It is the event for which Jesus left the splendor of heaven, knowing His destiny, as the songwriter puts it.  It is the event in which the salvation of mankind would be provided.  It was the event in which death would be defeated and sin would be no more the victor.

As we understand that these first five verses are Jesus praying for Himself, He does so in an unselfish manner. Then Jesus gives a simple request:  glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify You.  This is what Jesus was all about the whole time He walked this earth; He was here to glorify His Heavenly Father.  This is what we’re going to see in the next few weeks as we look at this powerful prayer.  The central point is that the Father would be glorified. 

And it will be seen through the three areas that Jesus is going to focus on.  Today, we’ll look at verses 1-5, as Jesus prays for Himself.  Later, Jesus prays for His disciples in verses 6-19.  Then, we’ll see Jesus praying for us, the Church, in verses 20-26.  In Frederick Godet’s commentary, he explains:  … when Jesus prays for Himself [in vv. 1–5], it is not His own person that He has in view, it is the work of God …; when He prays for His apostles [in vv. 6–19], He commends them to God as agents and continuers of this work; and when He extends His regard to all believers present or future [in vv. 20–26], it is as if to the object of this work, in other terms because these souls are the theatre where the glory of His Father is to shine forth; for His work and the glory of the Father are for Him one and the same thing.

We will see Jesus looking at the cross from an eternal perspective and not just the horrors of what is about to be.  He was totally dependent upon His Heavenly Father and submissive to His will, fully aware of what was coming in this hour.  The glory is going to be seen at the cross.

The Giving Is Administered. - 17:2

. . . even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.

The authority which Jesus had over all humanity was seen at the cross.  Though it looked as though others were in authority over Him as they falsely accused Him, beat Him, and crucified Him; it was He Who was in charge the whole time.  By His willingness to die on the cross for the sins of humanity, He had the authority to give eternal life.  In John 10:17-18, Jesus reminds us of this truth: 

For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father. 

My friends, this is also a reminder to us that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.  He is the only One granted that authority to give eternal life.  There are a host of false messiahs who would offer eternal life; however, only Jesus has the authority to actually give eternal life.

But we need to move to the next verse to understand more clearly what is eternal life.

The God Is Messiah. - 17:3

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

There is an interesting definition here of eternal life.  It is that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I want to focus on what appears to be the centrality of what is eternal life - the word know.  The Greek word implies not mere intellectual knowledge, but a deep, intimate love relationship.  With whom is that love relationship?  The answer appears to be the only true God.  And that is possible only by a relationship with Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  

What does this involve?  Since God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, the Son, are eternal; they have no beginning and no ending. Thus, it stands to reason that once we have that relationship of belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no ending to it either.  Eternal life actually refers to a quality of life and not simply a quantity of life.  Those who refuse to acknowledge and believe in Jesus Christ will also live forever.  However, their quality of life is going to be one of absolute torture and torment, forever separated from the love, peace and joy which is found in the Kingdom of God.  

And since eternal life is a quality of life and not a quantity of life, it is something which is possessed right now and not something which needs to be waited upon for the future.  John writes later on his his first letter, in 5:13: 

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,so that you may know that you have eternal life.  

Some may wonder how we know that this is truly a done deal?  Everything that Jesus was supposed to do was accomplished according to verse 4.

The Goal Was Met. - 17:4

I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

Everything which we read that Jesus did was exactly what the Father wanted Him to do.  The ultimate conclusion or the final project was done on the cross.  Even though it had not yet happened when Jesus prayed this prayer, He prayed as though it had; having accomplished.  He knew that it would happen, because He is God.  Nothing could stop what the Father wanted done.  

This work was not just what was going to happen on the cross, but also included everything which Jesus had done up to this point.  All of the sermons and miracles He shared and performed while on this earth were part of that.  Jesus’ training of His disciples for carrying out the Great Commission after He was gone was part of that work.  And, of course, what He did on the cross is included.  It is because of this that He is able to give the gift of salvation.

What a reminder to us that when God calls us to do something, He will enable us to follow through so that it is accomplished.  What an encouragement to remember that God is in charge (sovereign) and He is completely in control.   

This is also a wonderful reminder that since only the One Who was without sin and was perfect in all areas would be the only One Who could be the substitutionary sacrificial Lamb for all humanity. This was accomplished in Jesus Christ.

We also need to remember that Jesus will not remain on the cross.  He will return to His Father.  This is seen in verse 5.

The Glory Will Be Manifest. - 17:5

Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

It almost seems to me that this verse could be a parallel to what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:9-11: 

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

My friends, Jesus is no longer on the cross.  Jesus is no longer in the tomb.  He is now the glorified Christ, at the right hand of the Father.  This is the glory Jesus shares with the Father.

Gleanings

MacArthur summarizes this way:  Were it not for the cross, there would be no salvation from sin for anyone in any age, no gospel of grace, no hope for this life, and no eternal destiny but hell. Without the cross, the eternal plan of salvation that God promised from before the beginning of time would never have come to fruition.

In this prayer, we’ve barely scratched the surface.  Let me point out one more thing. There is another word which we see repeated multiple times in this prayer.  It is the form of the word

give

which is seen in one way or another at least 17 times in this prayer in chapter 17. 

What wonder that God would give His Son!  What wonder that Jesus would give eternal life to all who would believe!  What wonder that God should give the victory through Jesus Christ!  Eternal life is not something we earn by character or conduct; it is a gift we receive by admitting we are sinners, repenting, and believing on Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.

Warren Wiersbe states:  When you were born the first time, you were born “in Adam” and were a loser. When you are born again through faith in Christ, you are born a winner!  This prayer comes in view of that horrific, yet glorious cross.  May we never forget the incredible love and glory that was shown at that hour.