The Gospel of John: John 17.1-26

Read and meditate on John 17.24-26.
Jesus glorified the Father, and now He asked that the Father should glorify Him, and that the glory they know together, His disciples should know as well. We are redeemed for glory, and nothing could be better than that.

                                 ²⁴Father, those whom You
have given me, I want them with me, too,
where I am, that they may behold in Me
the glory You have given unto Me
before he world began. ²⁵The world has not
known You, O righteous Father, as it ought
to have, but I have known You; and these men
have known that You have sent Me. ²⁶And to them
I have proclaimed Your Name, and will proclaim
it, that the love You have for Me, the same
may be in them, and I in them.”

- John 17.24-26

Reflect
1.  Jesus wants His friends and followers to be with Him. Where? When? In that final day, how will we know that we are with Him (1 Jn. 3.1-3)? How can we know when we are with Him now (Matt. 28.18-20; Eph. 2.6)? How does being with Jesus now relate to being with Him then? Complete this prayer: Lord Jesus, Immanuel, “God with Us,” let me know Your presence today unto…

2.  Jesus said He had glorified the Father with His work (v. 4), and now He was about to return to the glory He enjoyed with the Father before the world began (cf. Phil. 2.5-11). He seemed pretty excited about this. What is it about knowing the glory of God that is so eminently desirable? Is knowing God in His glory the driving force in your life, like it was for Jesus? Explain. Father, I know that when I meet with You in Your glory, that…

3.  Jesus said the world “has not known” the Father, but Paul insisted that everyone knows God (Rom. 1.18ff). Is this a contradiction? How is Paul using know? How was Jesus using know? What does it mean for someone to know the Father in the way Jesus was praying about here? Father, to know You, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent – this is eternal life. Every day, Lord, let me increase in…

4.  Jesus revealed the Father to His disciples, and He promised more revelation to come. How should this instruct us to think about our own knowledge of the Father, and of Jesus, which is eternal life? Meditate on Psalm 116.12-14 as you think about your answer. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for showing me the Father. Every day, Lord, show me…

5.  Knowing the Father, seeing His glory, being sanctified in His truth, and being one together, sharing in Him and His glory through Jesus – this is what Jesus prayed for us. But not as ends in themselves. Knowing God like this should lead to something more specific (v. 26, cf. Jn. 13.35). What? Bring together into one your prayers from questions 1-4.

Summary
“For, [Jesus says], if they learn who you are, O Father, then they will know that I am not separated from you. They will know that I am one of your most dearly loved, a true Son and someone who is closely knit to you. And those who are rightly persuaded of this will keep their faith focused on me and remain in perfect love. And as long as they exercise their love as they should, I remain in them. Isn’t it great how he finishes off this discourse on the note of love, the mother of all blessings? Let us then believe and love God, that it may not be said of us, ‘They profess that they know God, but in their works they deny him.’ And again, ‘He has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.’” John Chrysostom (344-407 AD)

Three themes interweave throughout this prayer: the glory of God, the people of God and their purpose, and the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a single sentence, explain how these relate to one another.

Closing Prayer
The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.

Psalm 118.14-17

Psalm 118.14-18 (St. George’s Windsor: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come )
In the Savior we are strong! He is all our strength and song!
To His grace now raise your voice; in His righteousness rejoice!
For the Lord does valiantly; we shall live eternally.
Praise His works with all your breath, you whom He redeems from death.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.