Good morning, Friends,
As I mentioned in my last post, I am going to provide a breakdown of John 17 to give us a better understand of this passage.
John 17:1-5
17 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gave me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
John 17 contains the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in any of the Gospels. Jesus prays this after He finishes His final instructions to the disciples and before He is betrayed, arrested, and crucified. First, Jesus prays for Himself, then He prays for His disciples, and He closes the prayer by praying for all believers. This intercessory prayer is commonly called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.
The office of high priest was instituted at Mount Sinai when God gave the Law to the Israelites through Moses. Aaron and, subsequently, his descendants were chosen to be priests who were responsible for interceding for Israel before God (Exodus 28 – 29). One priest was selected as the high priest who would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to offer the sacrifice that would temporarily cover the sins of the people (Hebrews 9:7). When Jesus came, He offered His life as the ultimate sacrifice that would not only cover the sins of the people but completely cleanse His people and save them. Jesus is the ultimate High Priest, and His intercession for us in John 17 is a wonderful, multilayered example of His love.
As Jesus begins His High Priestly Prayer, He reveals that His purpose in coming to earth was to glorify the Father by giving eternal life to those who believe in Him. Although Jesus is God and was with the Father before the world began (John 17:5), He humbled Himself and came to earth as a man so people would know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ” whom He sent (John 17:3). Now, the hour had come when Jesus’ work on earth would be finished (John 17:1), and Jesus asks the Father to glorify Him as He prepared to finish the work that would “give eternal life” to those who believe in Him (John 17:2). (Credit: gotquestions.org)
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We go through life always learning new things. And this prayer though not new to me, what is new is that it is the longest recorded prayer that Jesus prayed while he was on earth. And He starts it with himself.
I mostly pray for the needs of others. It seems like my family and friends should always come first.
And yet, here we find Jesus praying for himself first.
He that knew no sin.
He that did not give into temptation.
He who was the Son of God.
But also, He that was God.
He finished what He was sent here for.
That we could have eternal life with Him.
The One and Only True God.
There is no other.
Thanks for coming by today, Friends.
Have a blessed day!
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