Week 6: Prophecy Fulfilled
John 17
In the beginning of his gospel account John tells us of the Word becoming flesh, of a fulfillment of prophecy to come through Jesus. John tells us about the source of true life, the origin of all light, the incarnate God we know as Jesus, stepping down from much deserved glory to be Emmanuel, God with us. From the beginning of His life, to mere hours before its end, Jesus, the spotless lamb, is for us, His very betrayers.
That doesn’t make sense, does it?
Moments before His betrayal, arrest, crucifixion, and death, Jesus finds Himself before the Father, interceding for none other than those whose sins would later be what nails His body to the cross on Calvary (v.9). He speaks of a bittersweet, yet triumphant homecoming, of a Kingdom that is coming, and a people to be sent.
But most notably, Jesus asks His Father five things, all of which are primarily about the unity and preservation of His chosen people, not the pain He is about to endure. Who is like our God?
Jesus could’ve used His last moments to heal the sick, to hangout with the disciples, to do so many things, but instead, He chooses to dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father in prayer for us and “also for those who will believe” (v. 20).
Theologian and co-founder of The Gospel Coalition, D.A Carson, emphasizes five petitions made by Jesus in this prayer:
His Father will keep His follower’s safe
His father will make His disciples one, unifying His bride
God will sanctify His followers
His followers will experience the full measure of His complete joy
His followers will be with Him forever
Do we seek those same things too? If we are to be conformed to His image, shouldn’t we also pray similar prayers, or have parallel desires?
Prayer is the greater work, Resonate. If the very one who knew no sin could intercede in His last moments for those who sinned against Him willingly and frequently, surely, we can seek the Father too. He alone deserves the glory. Theologian, John Piper, defines glory as “the going public of [God’s] infinite worth”; God receives glory in our neediness, in the proclaiming of the one true gospel, in leveraging our lives for the building of His Kingdom. And that’s precisely what Jesus did. He loved His followers, despite knowing the depth of their current betrayal and that to come. He sought the Father’s will and obeyed Him fervently, even when He knew obedience meant His brutal death. Doing all things for the glory of the Father, means to emulate Jesus in all things, even, and especially the chaos, the pain, and the betrayal of this world.
Nearing the end of His discourse with the Father, Jesus makes a request on behalf of us, His people, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (v.24). There is no greater love than this, Resonate. We could never deserve it or earn it, yet still here Jesus is, asking the Father to allow His very betrayers into His glorious Kingdom.
That doesn’t make sense does it?
