John 17:1-2

December 14, 2014

Were still in the upper room where Jesus comforts his disciples before his crucifixion and
their own persecution. They will face trouble in this world, but they can also take heart
because he has overcome it. Now we come to chapter 17 and read more comfort in what
has been called his High Priestly Prayer:
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:
The time has come for Christs glorification, and by that he means his death and
resurrection. Earlier in John he said, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be
glorified. 24Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (Jn. 12:23-24). The time of his death
has now come, and he prays that the Father will glorify the Son so that the Son may glorify
the Father.
Im reminded of something Paul wrote after his conversion in his letter to the Philippians:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a
man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:5-11).
John says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2The same was in the beginning with God (1:1-2). Jesus existed in the beginning, and
he was in the form of God (compare John 17:5), but when the time was right he changed in
form and was made in the likeness of a man. Its important to note that he did not change in
nature or essence but only in form. God became flesh, John says, and dwelt among us
(1:14), and Paul says in Philippians that he humbled himself in doing it.
The effect of this, of course, was that He was in the world, and the world was made by him,
and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not (Jn.
1:10-11). In other words, when the creator came into the world, his glory was hidden
within human flesh and neither the world nor the expectant Jews recognized him.
There were, however, a number of men and women who were given to him (Jn. 17:2), and
these recognized him for who he was. Jesus spent his entire earthly ministry seeking these
people and telling them about himself and the Father so that they might believe and have
eternal life (Jn. 1:12-14). Theres even one instance that we call the Mount of
Transfiguration in which he briefly reveals his hidden glory to a few of his disciples: And

after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an
high mountain apart, 2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun,
and his raiment was white as the light (Mt. 17:1-2).
Shortly after that he was crucified and resurrected, and this prayer in John 17:1 was
answered to the glory of the Father. He, in fact, did not leave Christs soul in the
underworld nor let his body see decay (Ps. 16:10). The comfort this must have brought to
the disciples and brings to us even today is enormous, and Paul teaches on it in his letter to
the church at Corinth. Someone said there is no resurrection, and this was Pauls response:
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14And if Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15Yea, and we are found false witnesses
of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so
be that the dead rise not. 16For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be
not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in
Christ are perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable. 20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that
slept [...] 39All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of
beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40There are also celestial bodies, and bodies
terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars:
for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is
sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it
is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45And so it is written, The first man
Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46Howbeit that was
not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47
The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48As is the
earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are
heavenly. 49And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly (1 Cor. 15:13-20; 39-49).
Jesus prayer here in John 17:1 is that the Father will glorify the Son in the resurrection. He
will die like the corn of wheat, but it will result in much fruit because he will also be raised
and become the firstfruits of them that slept. We all joined Adam in his sin, and thats why
we all die, but more than that we who believe have joined Christ in his sufferings, and thats
why we all live!
Think about the picture we see in baptism when a believer goes down into the water and
comes back up out of it again. Buried with Christ in the likeness of his death and raised to
walk in brand new life. Paul writes in another place: If Christ be in you, the body is dead
because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you (Rom. 8:10-11).

Note that: the body is dead, but the Spirit is life. Well all go to the grave; well be absent
from the body and present with the Lord. However, the mortal body that goes into the
ground will also be raised later in the resurrection by the same Spirit that raised Christ! It
is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory:
it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:42-44). Much hope lies
in this prayer for glorification.
Why does the Father glorify the Son, and how does the Son glorify the Father? The answer
is found here in verse two:
2

As thou hast given him power over all flesh,

The Father will raise the Son from the dead that he might have power over all flesh. The
Greek word for power is better translated as authority,1 and we see all through the New
Testament that this is true of Christ. He is called a Lord and Master and even a despot (Rev.
6:10; ), and we are often called his slaves. In 1 Timothy 4:10 Paul teaches that
Christ is the (soter) of all men, specially of those that believe. That term, Soter,
means savior, but it was applied to gods and emperors,2 so Christ is the Emperor of All. This
isnt a small point, and the Apostle Paul understands its significance:
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;
when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25For he must reign, till he
hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For he
hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest
that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28And when all things shall be subdued
unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him,
that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
Christ was raised and exalted to rule over all flesh, and that includes every man, woman,
and child in creation, but it also includes every enemy even death! Therefore at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father (Phil. 2:10-11). The Father has given him this power for a specific reason:
that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
The Son is resurrected in power for the purpose of giving life to as many as were given to
him. This is something thats already come up in John, and it takes us back to a promise
made through Jeremiah. First, go back and look at what Jesus has already said:

1
2

http://biblehub.com/text/john/172.htm
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=swthr&la=greek#lexicon

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. 38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me. 39And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I
should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day (Jn. 6:37-39).
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My
Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Fathers hand (10:27-29).
The idea is established that God has a number of people, a remnant, that hope in Christ for
eternal life. These are his sheep, and he acts as their faithful Shepherd. This hope is
expressed in Jeremiah through similar imagery:
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
2
Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have
scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon
you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. 3And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all
countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall
be fruitful and increase. 4And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and
they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. 5Behold,
the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall
reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6In his days Judah shall
be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE
LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall
no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8
But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the
north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their
own land (Jer. 23:1-8).
Some of the meaning of verse four is lost in the King James when it says none of them shall
be lacking. Other translations give us a better idea when they say that none of Gods
sheep shall be missing; Strongs concordance says they shall all be numbered.3 The
verse ties perfectly with John six and ten in pointing to Christ is the King and OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS. We come to him in hope that he will bring us to dwell in our own
Promised Land!
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http://biblehub.com/hebrew/6485.htm