It is the night on which Jesus of Nazareth will be betrayed by one of his closest followers. A night in which the temple guard will seize him and drag him before a court to convict him and have him executed. On this fateful evening, Jesus has spent some considerable time in preparing his disciples for what lies ahead. He has taught them significant truths regarding his mission, and he has prepared them for their own commission. that in his absence they must be his ambassadors to the world. He has taught them by visible example as well as by word the reality of his own humiliation, a humiliation that will bring their salvation. and ultimately conclude in his exaltation. They have indeed this evening been plunged into the depths of despair and raised to the heights of glory. They have moved from an upper room in which they celebrated the Passover feast, which was a foreshadowing of Jesus' own work on their behalf. They have paused in the temple. before they will ultimately make their way to the garden of Gethsemane where the betrayal will take place. But before they depart from the temple, having spoken to his disciples, Jesus lifts his eyes to heaven and he prays. And this, the lengthiest recorded prayer of our Lord, is found in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, and has come to be known as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. It may not indeed be the best title for this prayer. While it does incorporate intercession, which was the main function of the priests, It has a breadth that goes beyond that limited distinction. Others suggest that we should simply call it the Lord's Prayer, but since there's another prayer of that name, we hold onto the title High Priestly Prayer. Jesus begins this prayer not by interceding for his people, but by praying for himself. And if we want to sum up the theme of these opening words of this prayer, it is a prayer for glory. Now the phrase glory, the word glory in the Hebrew simply means heavy, something weighty, something awesome and powerful. And so as the Hebrews gather around Mount Sinai, and they see the storm clouds gather around that mountain, and they hear the thunder, and they see the flashings of lightnings, almost an unnatural degree of power and splendor displayed. There, they see something of the glory of God. And Jesus in this prayer prays that the Son may glorify the Father. How is this to happen? What is the means by which the Son will be glorified and enabled to glorify the Father? What does Jesus have in mind as He prays this prayer? Does He expect that God will come to that temple as He did in the days of Solomon and that a cloud would surround it and fill it? and lightning will be seen and thunder would be heard and there would be this grand demonstration of the awesomeness and power and glory of God. Is that what Jesus is praying for, a physical manifestation as in the days of Solomon? No, not at all. Indeed, Jesus has in view a scene far different from such a scene of splendor. Jesus has in view a scene that to his hearers, to those who are, as it were, eavesdropping upon this prayer by the deliberate design of Jesus, Those who would read this prayer, John's readers, for whom he's recorded this, the vision that Jesus saw as a glorious thing was something that they would see as a shameful thing. What Jesus has in his mind as he says, Father, the hour has come, glorify your son, when his disciples observed the unfolding events, would see an event of humiliation, would see an event that was filled with pain and terror and grief, they would see their leader, their teacher, their master, suffering and dying on a Roman cross. And Jesus sees this as the means of glory. How? Why not a sudden, visible demonstration of God's power? Well, it is a visible demonstration of God's power. For it is the supreme demonstration of the love of God for the world that God, yes, God, compressed into the form of a man, should die in the place of his people. It is the powerful and effective means of accomplishing the salvation of those who are dead in trespasses and sins. Of those who are chained in the dark dungeon of the curse. The cross of Christ. That wooden post with a man hanging on it outside Jerusalem. That shameful thing is a demonstration of the glory of God. Not in the sense of something that glitters and sparkles and overwhelms in that sense. Not something that is beautiful, Like the setting sun and the beauty of the sunset. Oh no, this visibly is a cruel thing, is an ugly thing, a twisted and corrupt thing. But what is achieved there on that cross is a glorious thing. And this is what Jesus has in mind. For he has already to some degree demonstrated the glory of God. He's demonstrated it in his incarnation, as John indicates in his prologue to the Gospel. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory. He's demonstrated it in his ministry too, at Cana, where he changed the water into wine. We are told that he manifested his glory there. At the tomb of Lazarus, when he raised Lazarus from the bondage of death and brought him back to life, before that event unfolded, Jesus speaks to his disciples and said, this illness does not lead to death, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. And all of that is true, that in each of those events and throughout the life of Jesus, something of the glory of God is seen. Something of the power of God is evident. Something of the love of God is made manifest. But ultimately, the greatest demonstration of the love of God and the power of God in accomplishing the purposes of God is seen at the cross. And Jesus refers to that when having throughout his ministry said, the hour has not yet come, the hour has not yet come, suddenly his tune changes and he says in chapter 12 and verse 23, the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified. And what does he go on to say? Truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Yes, Jesus knew that the greatest glory would be through his death, that that would accomplish the purposes of God and bring glory to God. And so, as Jesus bows his head or lifts up his eyes to heaven and cries out, he says, the hour is here, the hour has come, now do it, now glorify your son, that the son may glorify you. The means of glory is in the cross, but it must not remain at the cross. It is inseparably tied to what followed. The cross alone is not a glorious thing. A glorious work was done on the cross, but it is proven only by the events that followed. And so the cross of Christ can never be separated from the resurrection of Christ or from the exaltation of Christ. Jesus died and Jesus was buried. That in and of itself would not have been a glorious thing. Despite the earthquake, and the dead being released from the graves, despite the blackening of the sun plunging that whole region into darkness, despite the cries of Christ from the cross and all that they signify, if Jesus had remained buried in that tomb, it would have been an inglorious thing. It would have achieved nothing at all. It would have been a vain attempt to bring salvation to people who would remain in darkness, remain in their chains. If Christ is not risen, Paul says, we are of all men most miserable. Yes, the cross is the means to glory for the Son of God, but it had to be followed by resurrection, you see. Jesus needed to be raised to life, demonstrating that the Father had, in fact, accepted his sacrifice on behalf of his people, that he had satisfied the wrath and justice of God against sin. that He had broken the power of death and freed men from under the curse of God for their rebellion against Him, Jesus had to be raised to life again. And in doing so, the cross becomes a glorious thing, for it is the proof of salvation to all who will believe in the Son of God, crucified and raised again. But Jesus indicates that even that is not entirely sufficient. Jesus dead, buried, raised again would certainly be a glorious thing, but Jesus wants more. Glorify your son that your son may glorify you, he says. Glorify me, not by fulfilling your purpose of saving humanity and raising me from the dead, proving your acceptance of my sacrifice. Not that alone, but more. Glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had before the world was created. You see, Jesus had humbled himself. God contracted to a spanning, comprehensively made man. Had Jesus died on the cross and accomplished salvation for his people, what a wonderful thing. Had he risen from the dead, proving the acceptance of that sacrifice by the Father, what a glorious thing. But for Jesus still to walk upon this earth, Jesus, the God contracted to a stand still, just a man. No, what Jesus wants is a demonstration of the fullness and the abundance of the salvation that has been won. That Jesus be raised, ascended into heaven to sit once more upon the throne of the universe. John was given years later a vision of heaven, of the throne room of heaven, and there he was told that the lion of the tribe of Judah had succeeded in becoming worthy to enact God's purposes for the universe in bringing final salvation and judgment. And when John looked in that vision that he had of the throne room of heaven, what did he see upon the throne? He saw a lamb as it had been slain. But let me ask you, if we could see into the realities of heaven at this very moment, what would we see on the throne? We would see a man with wounds in hands and feet and sides. A man reigns in glory. A man has authority over the universe. What an incredible thing! That Jesus has raised humanity up to that exalted position. that in his humanity he reigns over all things, and this is what he prays for. Glorify your son, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. May my humiliation not continue, but may it result in exaltation and glorification for all of time. Jesus prays that his mission will be such a complete success that it will restore him to the fullness of the glory that he had always had with the Father, and that he relinquished for a time in order to save humanity. A mission that brought salvation to sinners, that raises man back to that exalted position of being image bearers of God. And this work, of course, brings glory to the Father, not only to the Son who achieves the victory, and demonstrates His own glory and power as a result. But it brings glory to the Father also as He is justified in His plans and purposes, in His judgment and curse, in His forgiveness and reconciliation of sinners. The whole work that is undertaken then on the cross And in the glory of heaven is the work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so that Jesus is praying not only for himself, but for the Father also, for the triune Godhead, that all men may bow before this God and worship this God. And what is the basis? Well, I've already hinted at it, but it's found in verse two. Why should the Father glorify the Son, that the Son may glorify Him? Well, He says, since you have given Him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him. Jesus prays for glory because of what the Father has promised. The glory of the son that is referred to in verse one, glorify your son, is connected to the authority that has been promised to the son. Glorify your son since you have given him authority over all flesh. Now we need to understand this authority. You see, at the point that Jesus is praying here, he has not received all authority. He is still limited by a particular mission that he is on. This is an authority that is specifically to be given to the son on the full accomplishment of his obedience to the father's plan. It will actually be received as a result of the victory of the cross. We see this indicated, for example, in Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, in Philippians chapter 2, and verses 9 through 11. After describing the humiliation of the Son of God that he took on the form of a servant, became a man, and was obedient to the death on the cross, we read, Therefore, because of this, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that every tongue will confess and every knee will bow before him. And so it is that when Jesus gives the commission, the great commission as it's recorded for us in Matthew's gospel, chapter 28, he is able to say, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. That is after the cross event. That is after the victory that he has won. The father has fulfilled his promise to the son and given him the glory. Well, here, Jesus is praying for that glory. Father, glorify your son since you have given him authority. This promise is mine. Let me realize it. Let me receive it. Glorify your Son. Furthermore, he says, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. And this is in and of itself related to the outworking of Christ's victory. Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you since He has been given authority to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him. The authority that Jesus is given is the basis for the life that he is able to secure for his disciples, for his people. The glory of the Father is seen in the fact that those whom he has given to the Son are in actuality brought to the Son, secured by the Son through his sacrifice on their behalf. The father is glorified when the son is glorified through the authority being one and being applied in the lives of those who will trust him. So he's praying, glorify the son since you've promised him authority, that the father may be glorified since those given to the son will receive eternal life. And what is the result of this request then? Well, that those whom the father has given to the son, those for whom the son has given his life, may receive eternal life. And he says, this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. To know God, that is eternal life. People will see and know God as he's revealed in Jesus Christ. As Jesus wins the victory for them on the cross and is given authority, he is enabled to open their eyes to see the glory of God. It is through knowing him they will know God. And this knowledge of God is life. Jesus says in verse four, I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. He said earlier that he always does the Father's will. Now Jesus hasn't completed the work in its entirety. There are a few hours yet till he will cry from the cross, it is finished. But even up to this point, he is able to say, I have glorified you because I have always done what you purposed for me. I have accomplished the work that you gave me to do. Nothing that you intended for me to do in my life on this earth has been left undone. And with full confidence he faces the cross with a determination that even that, the greatest and final work that he will accomplish on earth, will not be left undone. Yes, Jesus has glorified the Father through doing his will on earth. And he is praying now to the Father that his will will be done on earth, that it will be brought to its full, complete, climactic conclusion. And it will result in humanity, in men and women and children knowing God. Not knowing about God, not being able to answer catechism questions on theology, but knowing in a personal relationship with God, the God who is the creator of the world. As Carson says, eternal life is best seen not as everlasting life, a life that has no end, but as a knowledge of the everlasting one. That is what Jesus says. This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God. And you see, what is entailed in this knowledge is an intimacy of relationship that he later will refer to as a union. that they will be one with God, united to God. And so, there is the source of this eternal, this everlasting life, is through the knowledge, the intimate knowledge of the Everlasting One. They have no life in and of themselves, the life comes from God. He is the source and He will forever be the sustainer of this life. or to review it a different way, eternal life is not about quantity, it's about quality. And in that sense, it explains the difference between those who will exist eternally after death, but under condemnation, and those who will exist eternally after death. but being saved. We struggle at times to understand eternal death, eternal life in those terms, but if we think of it more in terms of quality of life, the one is under the curse of God forever, separated from God forever, enduring the wrath and judgment of God forever. and the other enjoys the presence of God and the love and the blessing of God, the life of God forever. Father, Jesus says on this fateful night, the hour has come. Glorify your Son through the cross and exaltation. that the Son may glorify you since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life that they may know you and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I have glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do, and now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. Have you seen the glory of Jesus of Nazareth? Have you seen the glory of the cross? Do you know God? This is why Jesus came. And John, in effect, in recording this for his readers, is saying to these Jews who are questioning what Christianity is all about, is saying to them, this is the only way. You want to know God, you know him through Jesus Christ. You want salvation, you want redemption, you want reconciliation with God, it is found through the humiliating, vulgar work of the cross. And if you will not accept the Jesus who hung on the cross, who has been testified as raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, then there is no salvation for you, there can be no knowledge of God for you, therefore no eternal life. But if you will see the glory of God in the cross of Christ, then eternal life is yours. For in that great event, you come to know God, the greatness of his love, the unswerving nature of his righteousness. and the extent of his justice are all revealed in the cross. Have you seen the glory of Jesus in the cross? And if you have, then are you able to pray in a similar vein to Jesus here? The gist of his prayer is this, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Now think what that meant for him. That meant the anguish of the cross. He endured the cross and the enduring is a real enduring. It's not just an imaginary thing. He endured it for the joy that was set before him, the victory that he would win and the salvation that he would procure the cross. Now the question for us is, are we willing to pray a prayer like this? Father, glorify your son in us. Glorify your name in us. Because you know what that will entail? A cross. Suffering. an anguish, real suffering, a real enduring. Do you want God to be glorified in your life? Then you must take up the cross and live for Christ.