John 17: The High Priestly Prayer

The Priestly Petition

Introduction

Recap- Upper Room- Love as I have loved. Believe in me, Keep these commandments. Walking to Gethsamane. Abide in Me. But you can’t on your own, so I’m going to give you prayer and the Holy Spirit.

Read John 16:31-33. “You are going to leave me!” In Matthew 26:37 he says, “My soul is very sorrowful even to death… then he fell on his face and prayed.” Luke 22:44 records, “Being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Enter into the turmoil of our saviors suffering. He knew what awaited Him. His hour had come. There would be no comfort emotionally for his friends would desert him. There would be no comfort physically for he would thirst, he would suffer, he would agonize. There would be no comfort spiritually, for the wrath of God, to be poured out for the sin of humanity would be laid upon his shoulders. He was in turmoil. He knew he was alone. Yet: John 16:32, “I am not alone.”

So He turned his eyes to heaven and said, “Father.” He had His Father. Mark records, “Abba.”

I’m in tears writing this. When all else fails. When abandoned by friends. In pain physically, broken emotionally, dry and deserted spiritually, we too can cry out abba. Father. What Father turns a deaf ear to the cries of their child?

Learn from our Leader here. Follow His example. Cry out to Abba. He is a good Father.

The prayer that Christ is about to launch into is fittingly titled The High Priestly Prayer. And it was this posture that Christ prayed. He prayed as Priest. He died as Messiah. He suffered as Lamb. But he prays as Priest.

Priest is someone who serves as an intermediary between a people and God. In the OT the Priest served 2 primary functions.

To prayerfully petition God on behalf of His people (Exodus 28:29)

To offer atonement or submit the sacrifice for sin on the alter. (Leviticus 19:22).

Christ was in turmoil for he was performing this dual function. He was petitioning the Father on behalf of HIs people as he prepared to make atonement for them.

So what was His petition.

Petition was Singular

“Glorify Your Son”

Glorify is “to clothe in splendour”. I believe here Christ is petitioning the Father to clothe Him in the grace, strength, mercy, and endurance required to die on the cross. “Give me the mercy needed to forgive while they taunt me. Give me strength to hang there, even though I could call angels on my behalf. Give me grace to look upon them with compassion.” Clothe me in Your Splendor.

Notice here that it is not selfish to petition God for your own needs. It was not selfish for Christ to petition for Glory for the ultimate purpose in the provision of glory was to “glorify the Father.”

Glorify me that I may ultimately glorify you!” This was Jesus’ only objective in all his ministry, not just this moment. John 5:44, “I do not seek the praise of men, but only the glory that comes from God.” This is in direct alignment with the Model Prayer.

I want your name to be hallowed.

I want your kingdom to come. Your will to be done.

But I need your strength. I need your glory.

Jesus live and breathed, to glorify His Father and as his life comes to an end it is not surprising that he utters this request?

What do you live for? Are you as singularly focused in your life’s objective? When you petition are you praying for your needs, so that God would be glorified? Or are they self-centered?

It is not selfish to petition God for what is necessary to ultimately glorify and honor him.

Alignment with God’s Purpose

He continues to prove his petition is in alignment with God’s purpose by saying, “you’ve given me all authority to give eternal life.”

The Father had ordained the rule of the Son. Psalm 2; So the son has authority to judge John 5:27 and to take up his life John 10:18; and he has authority to give eternal life.

Eternal Life

Eternal life is life eternal. Life forever. Infinite life past the time you are dead and buried. This is true. The believers reality is that life will continue in heaven with God. However, this isn’t how Jesus defines eternal life.

know “Ginosko.”

This word is used in the Septuagint and Greek New Testament to denote sexual intimacy. An absolute nearness. It is a knowing that is not theoretical, but experienced. Tangible. Flamed by love.

Eternal life is a personal, experiential relationship with God through the Son.

God longs to be known!

Jeremiah 31:34 CSB

No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.

Hebrews 8:11 CSB

And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them.

God’s people were destroyed for a lack of knowledge Hosea 4:6.

yet, Habakkuk 2:14 foresaw a time when the whole earth would know God.

He longs to be known, for in Knowing him we will be transformed, and eternal life will be realized.

This is why Christ came!

John 1:18 CSB

No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.

John 14:7 CSB

If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Matthew 11:27 CSB

All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.

Jesus came to reveal God, so that we may know Him.

And according to Jesus, He fulfilled this purpose and accomplished His work.

He accomplished His Work.

The work that glorifies God is ultimately demonstrated in his obedience at the cross, where he drew all men to Himself. But this is all his work.

John 4:34 CSB

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” Jesus told them.

John 5:36 CSB

“But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about me that the Father has sent me.

John 17:6 CSB

“I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

This was Christ’s work vs. 6. To manifest God’s name.

God’s name embodies his character. There is a lot in the name!

Abram-Abraham

Saul-Paul

Simon-Peter

I AM

Jehoveh Jireh, Nissi, etc.

God declared, “Therefore people will know my name (Isaiah 52:6). Jesus did it. He manifested His name.

Summary and Conclusion

He was in agony, but He was focused for His petition was singular. Glorify me, so that I may glorify you. So that I may continue to manifest your name. SO that people will truly know you.

This is the model of petition we need to emulate? So let me ask you?

What do you need from God so that He may be glorified in your life? Is there a particular relationship you can think of that needs the knowledge of God?