April 24
Bible Reading: John 17:1-5
John 17:4-5, “I 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.”
Our passage describes the glorious work of Jesus, in which He left the glory of heaven, glorified the Father in His work on earth, and then, as a result, was glorified by and with the Father.
Jesus spoke of “the glory that (He) had with (the Father) before the world existed.” His estate, from eternity, has been heaven’s glory. He was the object of angelic worship (John 17:4). As the self-existent creator of all things, He needed nothing and possessed everything. Yet in love, He deliberately stepped down from heaven and exchanged His Kingly attire for that of a pauper (2 Corinthians 8:9).
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:11). He made Himself poor. There was no place for Him in the inn. His crib was a feeding trough. None of the religious elite or powerful came to acknowledge His birth. His mother and father were but humble folks. His family was forced to flee to Egypt soon after His birth. Jesus was poor in His life. He associated with the lowly. He had no earthly riches. His disciples were ordinary men. He once said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him” (Isaiah 53:2). He had no bank account. No elaborate wardrobe. He traveled by foot. Though impoverished, He gave. He taught. He healed. He raised people from the dead. He fed the multitudes. He, who says, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” was always giving. Though a King, He lived the life of a servant (Mark 10:45; John 13:1-20).
Jesus had enemies. They conspired against Him, then had Him arrested and put Him on trial. There was no one to defend Him. He had friends, yet they deserted Him. So, He made His way to the cross alone. They stripped him of His clothing and crucified Him on the cross. The religious leaders incited the crowd against Him. “Crucify Him, Crucify Him” they scornfully cry out. The soldiers made fun of Him. The people passing by insulted Him. Crucified between two common thieves; they mocked Jesus too.
Jesus “accomplished the work” that the Father gave Him to do, submitting Himself to the Father’s will perfectly (John 17:4). He loved the Father, and the Father loved Him. For all eternity, they’ve existed in perfect fellowship. Yet as He is dying there on the cross, and the sins of the world are put upon Him, he cries out “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Naked, on that cross, soon to die for crimes not His own, He is totally abandoned and utterly alone. He is bereft in every way, but especially in that which mattered most to Him—His relationship to the Father. He is the antithesis of a rags to riches story. He went from riches to rags. He gave and gave and when He had given everything, but His life, He gave that too. He did it on purpose. It was no accident. The Father gave the Son (John 3:16). The Son gave Himself (Galatians 2:20). He did it all in perfect obedience to the Father, to save lost sinners like you and me!
See Him there hanging on the cross! The Scriptures declare, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Galatians 3:14). Our Lord is cursed, impoverished, naked, all alone, devoid of righteousness in bearing sins not His own (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is as Martin Luther once says, “The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.” Indeed!
Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence” (John 17:5). And so it came to pass, that following the resurrection, Jesus was “exalted at the right hand of God” (Acts 2:33). And there will come a day when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).
As the hymn declares, “Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou My God shouldst die for me!” That He would do what He did for you and me is a glorious thing, the most glorious work of all (Galatians 2:20)! How we should then praise and thank Him for the gift He has given in rescuing us from our sins!
Jesus left the glory of heaven so that he might save us to the glory of heaven.
HE IS LORD
Emptied of His glory; God became a man,
To walk on earth in ridicule and shame.
A Ruler, yet a Servant; a Shepherd, Yet a Lamb;
A Man of Sorrows, agony and pain.
Humbled and rejected, beaten, and despised.
Upon the cross the Son of God was slain.
Just like a lamb to slaughter, a sinless sacrifice;
But, by His death His loss became our gain.
Chorus:
He is Lord, He is Lord!
He is risen from the dead and He is Lord!
Ev’ry knee shall bow, ev’ry tongue confess That
Jesus Christ is Lord
Satan’s forces crumbled like a mighty wall.
The stone that held Him in was rolled aside.
The Prince of Life in glory was lifted over all,
Now earth and heaven echoes with the cry. (Chorus)
WORDS: Linda Lee Johnson, Claire Cloninger and Tom Fettke
MUSIC: Tom Fettke
Copyright 1986 by Word Music
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