"Righteous Father, I Know You" -- John 17:24-26

Introduction

All good things must end.

A favorite meal with special friends and loved ones. A tense, well-played sports event between two evenly matched teams. A book that brings you into its pages and lets you live the adventure with the characters.

The prayer of the Savior.

Jesus has been offering His prayer in the upper room as He comes to the conclusion of this chapter in His life and this time with His disciples. Never again will He have a time like this with them before His betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection. Never again will the original 12 be together in one place.

Jesus has taken the time to lift Himself in prayer, followed by the prayers for His disciples’ safety and strength. He has prayed for us. And now it’s time for this prayer to end, time for Him to go into the garden, to await His captors.

Central Truth: Jesus’ conclusion to His prayer is for us to have the Father’s love and the Son’s fellowship with us until we see Him in His glory.

Jesus’ prayer is that:

1. We will see His glory (24)

Jesus began His prayer asking the Father to glorify Him in order to glorify the Father. He had been and would remain obedient to the Father until He returned to the Father.

Now His prayer is that the disciples will see Him in His glory. He defines this glory as the glory that was His before creation, the glory that reflected His place in the Trinity. Now He asks the Father to allow His disciples to see Him in glory. In order to do this, the disciples will have to stay strong in their faith, stay strong in their faith in Him and strong in their commitment to stay the course.

Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 24 that “he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mt. 24:13). It takes a dedication to Christ to stand firm to the end. Life is hard, and the Christian life is one of great blessing, yes, but with the great blessing comes great testing. We grow through the tests. We learn from the tests. We become more trusting and dependent upon the Lord through the testing of our faith and our commitment to Him.

These men, especially, will be tested in ways none of them can appreciate at this hour. Tradition tells us that almost all of the disciples died prematurely at the hands of their persecutors. The Bible records that James, the brother of John, was beheaded at the orders of Herod. Tradition tells us that Peter and Andrew were crucified, that others were beheaded or drawn and quartered. John, though he died of old age, was reportedly placed into a vat of boiling oil, yet somehow survived. We know from the Bible that he was exiled for his beliefs, and that exile resulted in the Revelation. None of those in that upper room that night would live an easy life because of their faith in Jesus. Yet each of them stood strong in their faith even though it cost them their lives.

Jesus’ prayer for them at this hour is that they will see Him in His glory. The only way that happens is if they stay strong and are reunited with Him at their deaths. It is a high cost they will pay, but it is a cost that is worth it. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:10). Jesus prays for them to be blessed, for them to remain in His kingdom, for them to see Him in His glory.

1. Our knowledge of the Father is confirmed (25)

Remember the testimony of Peter at Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus asked who they said He was? “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Again, when asked if they too would desert Jesus, Peter’s response is: “Lord, to whom should we go? You have the words of life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). Earlier that night, Jesus was asked by Philip, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (John 13:8). Jesus’ response to him is, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 13:9).

Jesus’ entire ministry on earth has been the fullest revelation of the Father as is possible for sinful men and women to see. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). The words He said and the things He did came from the Father and demonstrated the Father’s love to a lost and dying world. His message was one of invitation to a life of reconciliation, of rest and grace and mercy.

Jesus’ ministry has been successful in the lives of these men. They have watched, they have learned, and they have come to accept the truth about Jesus. He is the One sent by the Father. They hear His voice, they know His voice. They are His, and because they have seen Him, they have seen the Father and know that He is sent by the Father.

What a rich blessing to know the Father, and to know that Jesus is the exact image of the Father in our world and in our lives. To know that Jesus demonstrates the love and compassion of God the Father enables us to experience that love and compassion and, equally important, share that same love and compassion with those around us. Because of this knowledge, we are drawn into the great ministry of reconciliation that was begun when God so loved the world that He sent His Only Son. We are joined with Him in this great message and this great truth. All we have to do is tell the world what Jesus has done for us, to remind them of His words and let Him live through us. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

1. His love and fellowship will be with us (26)

I can’t imagine what it must be like to be truly abandoned in this world. I thank God that I had caring parents, a loving wife and three really terrific kids. I have been blessed by church families all around the state of Texas. I have friends I’ve had since high school that are there for Kim and me when we need them; our fellowship is sweeter now than it was in the teen years. I have been truly blessed.

But the greatest blessing I have is to know that Jesus is with me, and will be with me for all my life.

And that is the last part of Jesus’ prayer. “I Myself will be in them” are the last words of His prayer. He summarizes His prayer with this last thought. He reaffirms that He has made us known to the Father and will continue to do so. It is Jesus’ current ministry to bring us before the Father, interceding on our behalf as we walk through this life. It is Jesus’ position at the right hand of the Father, the glorified Christ, who reminds the Father that we belong to Jesus. Not that God is forgetful, but that Jesus speaks to a Holy God for us, His Spirit putting our prayers into words God will hear and understand.

The relationship we have with the Father is enhanced and fulfilled through Jesus. And He is with us. There are times we may feel alone, but He is with us. There are times we may feel we need a friend, and He is with us. There are times we need encouragement, and He is with us. There are times we will need words, and He is with us. Jesus’ promise and His prayer is that He will always be with us, walking our paths, calming our fears, stilling our discomfort, soothing our hurts, lifting us when we are down.

There is no greater assurance for the believer today than to know that Jesus is always with us, our anchor in the storms of life and our assurance of God’s all-abiding love.

Conclusion

With the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus lets us know that, though He is returning to the Father, He will never leave us alone. He bridges the gap between us and God the Father. He speaks to the Father on our behalf and He speaks to us from the Father’s words. He is the Word of God, and His Spirit brings His words to our remembrance. Because of Jesus, we always have a Friend, always have a Guide, always have a Savior.

As Jesus’ words declare His commitment to us, how can we not commit ourselves to Him?