A Divine Conversation

John 17

Dr. Rich Peterson

July 23, 2006

John 17:1-26

¹After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ²For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

⁶I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. ⁹I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. ¹¹I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. ¹²While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

¹³I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

²⁰My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²²I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

²⁴Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

²⁵Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

Of the 650-recorded prayers in Scripture, this is the pinnacle. Of the fifteen instances of our Lord praying, this is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. In many of Jesus’ prayers, he seeks his Father as the dependent man, but here, in the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, Jesus communicates as the Son with the Father. Deity speaking to Deity.

And so as far as great prayers of the Bible are concerned, this prayer of Jesus is the greatest of the great! Other prayers, of course, remain prayers between God and man, communications between the created and the Creator. This prayer alone most fully reveals the soul of Jesus (Calvin) and the heart of God as none other. We are privileged upon every reading of it to overhear a divine conversation.

“Some brethren pray by the yard; but prayer is measured by weight, and not by length.” So spoke the British Pastor Charles Spurgeon. And if this statement is true, and it is, then the most significant prayer ever prayed is this one recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 17.

The treasures of this prayer are so many and so precious that preachers throughout time have invested upwards of 45 full sermons mining its riches. We have this morning one half an hour!

Succinctly stated then, John 17, what some have called “The High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus reveals the Beloved Son praying for the continuous generosity of his Father’s love to be given to the elect as displayed through supernatural splendor (glory), divine perseverance (protection), joyful solidarity (unity) and true sanctification.

See first of all that this is the Son of God praying.

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed” (17:1).

Assuming the Jewish posture of prayer Jesus, with eyes open and hands to heaven prays in an expecting, anticipating, fully engaged manner in this discourse with the Ultimate Other.

This is the Beloved Son praying.

Why is this then the greatest prayer ever prayed? In part because of the greatness of the person praying it.

Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus the Only Begotten of God the Father. Jesus the Son loved dearly by the Father. Jesus the one who prays with unique authority as the only one “loved before the creation of the world” (17:24). In verse 24, which in many ways becomes the epitomizing verse of this chapter, Jesus prays:

“Father, I want (better: desire, better still, will) those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me, because you loved me before the creation of the world” (17:24).

No one other than Jesus can pray in this fashion.

Jesus prays here as one fully conscious of his role as divine mediator. As you read this prayer, something of the splendor of Jesus’ deity is dramatically displayed in the words that he uses. Jesus is the Son of God, He’s the Lord of Glory and so he prays, “Father, glorify Your Son.”

Jesus is the Word become flesh, the Word incarnate, and though he be incognito to many, he nonetheless is the eternal Son of God, the one who had been with God from the beginning. “You loved me before the creation of the world, or more beautifully stated, “Thou didst love Me from before the foundation of the world.”

Jesus is communicating with His Father as one fully conscious of who he is, fully conscious of an existence with God before the world was created. And on that basis he brings now the petitions most important to him on behalf of his disciples.

The greatest prayer ever prayed because it is Jesus, the second person of the trinity, the divine Lord and divine Messiah who prays it.

And what then does he pray for? What is the subject of our Lord’s prayer?

Asked another way; have you ever wondered what the Father and the Son talk about when they meet together? Wonder no more! They talk about us!

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me….”(17:24).

Don’t miss this! “I want those you have given me.”

Over and over again Jesus prays of God’s gift to the Son of the elect.

Verse 2: “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.”

Verse 6: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.”

Verse 9: I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.”

Verse 24: Father, I want those you have given me, to be with me where I am….”

As we have already said, this great prayer involves the Beloved Son praying for the continuous generosity of his Father’s love to be given to the elect.

The idea of giving is extremely important in this prayer. “Give” in one form or another is used 17 times in our Lord’s High Priestly Prayer (and 76 times in the Gospel of John).

The generosity of God is highlighted throughout as Jesus is given authority (v. 2) that he might give eternal life to all those God has given him.

Jesus is “given” a work to do which included the living of a perfect life in order to die to be resurrected for the redemption of all humankind.

Jesus is given the Name (v. 11) that his disciples be kept safe and protected from divisiveness and the wily attacks of the evil one.

Jesus is given glory which includes the perfect moral glory reflected in his life and walk among humanity (Jn. 1:14), the glory of the Cross and resurrection, and the preincarnate glory which Jesus had with the Father before the world was (17:5).

The gracious generosity of God is further displayed through the love gifts Jesus offers to his followers:

(1) The gift of eternal life. “For you granted him authority over all people that he night give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (17:2-3).

(2) The gift of the Father’s words. “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them” (17:8).

(3) The gift of his own glory. “I have given them the glory you gave me, that they may be one as we are one” (17:22).

Giving, gifts, remarkable gifts! Apart from the generous giving of our gracious God, we would have nothing. As John the Baptist declared, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven” (John 3:27).

And yet, of all the gifts God has given the Son, of all the gifts Jesus gives to those who follow him, the most significant gift appears to be the gift the Father has given the Son, namely, “the men you have given me.”

The Father gives people to the Son. Theologians call this the doctrine of divine election.

Here we enter into the mysteries of the eternal arrangement made by the Trinitarian God before the creation of the world.

Listen to the words of Warren Wiersbe as he seeks to communicate this most difficult concept:

“Jesus Christ has the authority to give eternal life, but he does not give this precious gift to everybody. He gives eternal life to those whom the Father has given to him. At least four times in this prayer Jesus identifies the saved as those who have been given to him by the Father. God the Father has decreed that God the Son shall receive “a people” – the church – because of his completed work on the cross. God the Son is the Father’s love gift to a lost world, but the church is the Father’s love gift to his beloved Son.”

We are approaching now the deep end of the pool, so swim carefully.

“The Scriptures affirm that all three Persons in the Godhead are involved in our salvation. This is part of the eternal covenant made within the Godhead. God’s plan of salvation was not an afterthought. “This Man (Jesus), delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to the cross by the hand of godless men and put him to death” (Acts 2:23). “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you” (1 Peter 1:20).

Two lines of truth seem to run parallel in the Bible: one, that God has chosen his elect from eternity, and two, that these “elect” have made a responsible decision to trust Christ. “All that the Father gives me shall come to me [that’s divine election], and the one who comes to me [that’s human responsibility] I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). If we deny divine election, then we make salvation the work of man. If we deny human responsibility, then we make man less than man, a mere robot fulfilling the eternal plan of God. “Salvation is from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9) expresses divine sovereignty. “Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isa. 55:6) expresses human responsibility.

A paradox? Yes. A mystery? To be sure! An impossibility? No! One of my professors at seminary said, “Try to explain divine election, and you may lose your mind. Try to explain it away, and you lose your soul.” Truth is not always at one extreme or the other. Sometimes truth is found at that subtle point of paradox where two opposites meet. At any rate, it is not necessary for a lost person to comprehend the mysteries of divine election in order to be saved. He knows that God loves him (John 3:16) and that God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He knows that the promise of salvation is for “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord” (Acts 2:21). If he calls, God will answer and save him.”[i]

Spurgeon, seeking to calm the fears of his own congregation, once asked his people, “Am I included in that happy throng whom God the Father gave to Christ? Beloved, I cannot tell you by the mere hearing of your names; but if I know your character, I can tell you decisively – or rather, you will need no telling, for the Holy Spirit will bear witness in your hearts that you are amongst the number. Answer this question – have you given yourselves to Christ? Have you been brought by the constraining power of his own free love, to make a voluntary surrender of yourself to him? Have you said, “O Lord other lords have had dominion over me, but now I reject them, and I give myself up to thee.” If so, trouble not your minds about election; there is nothing troublesome in election to you. He that believes is elected, he who is given to Christ now, was given to Christ from before the foundation of the world.”[ii]

The Beloved Son prays for the continuous generosity of God’s love to be poured out upon his chosen saints.

What an amazing thought!

What effect then should Jesus’ prayer on behalf of His elect have on us this morning?

A few thoughts come to mind:

(1) It should remind us of God’s incomprehensible grace. Deformed by sin we are transfigured inwardly and outwardly by means of God’s grace.

(2) It should promote humility. We are but dust. Clay in the hands of the Perfect Potter. Who are we to lift our voices in protest to Almighty God? Who are we to raise our fists and shake them in the face of Sovereignty inferring his ways are inferior to ours?

And yet this same prayer on behalf of God’s elect

(3) Should foster dignity. We are his, we are saints, we are loved by God with an everlasting love. So significant to the heart of Jesus are we that he prays for us. He prays for us continually at the right hand of God. He ever lives, the Bible tells us, to intercede for you and me.

We say we’ll pray for one another – and then we don’t. We tell people we will remember them in prayer – and then we forget.

Jesus never forgets! He always remembers and he remembers you by name. He knows you intimately. He loves you passionately. He knows you better than you know yourself. You are his – he loses none. Of all the millions that his Father in heaven has gifted to his Son, he has lost none of them. Not a single one.

These are but a few of the thoughts that come to mind. And yet thoughts are not enough. We have entered now with Jesus into the holy of holies where thoughts about God must turn into prayers to God.

And so we pray:

Lord Jesus, what overwhelming encouragement to know that you are “not praying for the world”, but for those given to you by God. You make us feel so grateful. How can it be that we have been chosen to be your own people? To be God’s gift to you? You return to the Father. You allow us to share in your own eternal, Trinitarian relationship of love, the love that is the essence of the divine unity. You tell us that you will be glorified in your friends in time and eternity.

Our hearts are moved to see how loyal you are to your disciples, how faithful you are to those of us who have believed through their message. You loved them even while sensing their weakness. You knew that one of them would betray you, as we so often do. And yet, you still took, take still, unmistakable pride in your people, saying, “and in them I am glorified.”

Despite countless infidelities, you never stop loving us. Despite our guilt and sin, you take time to express your gratitude to the Father for us. Throughout your priestly prayer you speak of your disciples as the Father’s gift to you. We are not strangers, but those “you have given me.”

Over and over in your prayer you praise God’s generosity to you. It is as if that praise overtakes every other thought. You are the Father’s unspeakablely wonderful gift to us; you also delight in us as the Father’s amazing gift to you.

This is our faith: That the eternal Word of God came among us to save us, to change hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. You, our Savor, squandered the fulfillment of your own human life to give us the possibility of new life. You allowed your existence to be cut short, indeed you drastically limited the possibilities open to your own exalted humanity.

And you did all this to devote yourself to our transformation. Unaccountably, in spite of our infidelity, you esteemed us as a priceless gift presented to you by the Father. You did everything for us. The only advantage you reaped was our own salvation.

You Jesus were glorified through the cross that you might glorify the Father. And by the authority given through that act of self-donation you give eternal life to all those the Father has given you. Life, unlimited and abundant, to those who know you, the only true God through Jesus Christ, whom you sent.

You Lord Jesus have completed all the work the Father gave to you, and have returned to the glory had in the presence of the Father before the world began.

And now Jesus, it is your divine desire that we be with you where you are, and that we see your glory.

But how can we be with you in glory unless you protect us through your divine preservation?

How can we be with you in glory unless you provide us your joyful solidarity?

How can we be with you in glory unless you make us holy through the sanctifying truth of your word?

How can we be with you in glory if we become or remain disobedient to your call on our lives to go into all the world proclaiming the good news of the Gospel, sent by you, as you were sent by the Father?

And so, most worthy Lord Jesus, we acknowledge that whatever else may be on our agenda, it pales into sheer insignificance with your petition that we behold your glory.

Your deepest desire is that we see your glory! Are you then saying to us Lord, that if that is our destiny, if that is what you are preparing for us, that we should, right now, be preparing ourselves for that glory?

“Finish then Thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be, let us see Thy great salvation, perfectly restored in Thee. Changed from glory into glory, til in heaven we take our place, til we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, love and praise.”

[iii]