Lesson 46: John 17:1-5 - The High Priestly Prayer – Jesus Prays for Himself
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Just as Jesus’ life on earth had been a life of prayer (out of which flowed His ministry), so now in the final hours of His life He prays. We can divide His prayer into three sections: what He prayed for Himself, what He prayed for His disciples, and what He prayed for His Church.
This lesson is about what He prayed for Himself. First, we see the absolute confidence He had in God the Father. He knew His relationship to God, knew it was secure, and knew God’s plan for Him. He willingly accepted the plan even though He also knew the shame about to be brought on Himself, but He was not afraid. Even though in just a short time He would ask God if there could be another way to accomplish the redemption He had willingly come to complete, He already knew now what His answer to God’s will would be. For now, He looked past the shame and agony He would soon endure, to the glory to be brought to God the Father through His obedience.
How many of us, if we knew we were to die within 12 hours, could say to God, “I have glorified You with my life, I have accomplished what You gave me to do”? What is God’s will for your life? In Jesus’ life the will of God was to provide the way to eternal life for mankind – to all who KNOW God and Jesus Christ. The most basic will of God for our life is sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), which means to be set apart to God and from the world around us. There are three primary ways for how we are to be separate or different from the world: 1) we give ourselves willingly to God to be transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 12:1-2); 2) as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, we control our bodies so we can live in holiness and honor; and 3) we learn to give thanks to God for and in every circumstance in our life (1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Ephesians 5:20).
Jesus knew the glory waiting for Him when His sacrifice was completed. We read in Hebrews 12:2 He accepted this coming agony and death “for the joy set before Him” – He could already see the glory. Do we know Jesus well enough to also be able to see the glory which will be ours for eternity, even as we stand face-to-face with earthly troubles?
*In what area of your life is God asking you to step away from this world’s ways and separate yourself to Him?
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Just as Jesus’ life on earth had been a life of prayer (out of which flowed His ministry), so now in the final hours of His life He prays. We can divide His prayer into three sections: what He prayed for Himself, what He prayed for His disciples, and what He prayed for His Church.
This lesson is about what He prayed for Himself. First, we see the absolute confidence He had in God the Father. He knew His relationship to God, knew it was secure, and knew God’s plan for Him. He willingly accepted the plan even though He also knew the shame about to be brought on Himself, but He was not afraid. Even though in just a short time He would ask God if there could be another way to accomplish the redemption He had willingly come to complete, He already knew now what His answer to God’s will would be. For now, He looked past the shame and agony He would soon endure, to the glory to be brought to God the Father through His obedience.
How many of us, if we knew we were to die within 12 hours, could say to God, “I have glorified You with my life, I have accomplished what You gave me to do”? What is God’s will for your life? In Jesus’ life the will of God was to provide the way to eternal life for mankind – to all who KNOW God and Jesus Christ. The most basic will of God for our life is sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), which means to be set apart to God and from the world around us. There are three primary ways for how we are to be separate or different from the world: 1) we give ourselves willingly to God to be transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 12:1-2); 2) as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, we control our bodies so we can live in holiness and honor; and 3) we learn to give thanks to God for and in every circumstance in our life (1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Ephesians 5:20).
Jesus knew the glory waiting for Him when His sacrifice was completed. We read in Hebrews 12:2 He accepted this coming agony and death “for the joy set before Him” – He could already see the glory. Do we know Jesus well enough to also be able to see the glory which will be ours for eternity, even as we stand face-to-face with earthly troubles?
*In what area of your life is God asking you to step away from this world’s ways and separate yourself to Him?