(REFLECTIONS ON John 17:1-26)

Jesus is the Christ and the Christ came from glory, the glory that He had with the Father before the world was. And through His death and resurrection, Jesus, the Son, the Christ will return to glory. If Christ was already glorified before, then why did He need to come down to creation as Jesus, if He would just return to glory?

It is because, He came down with authority over all flesh, to offer eternal life to all those that God gave Him.

3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Christ left His glory, came as the man Jesus, so that through Him, those that God gave to Him may know God, and know that Jesus is the Christ, thus entering into eternal life. Eternal life, is thus not just talking about the afterlife, but is a new identity through Christ starting from this life and not ending with death on earth.

Just as Christ was not of the world, so we that believe and trust in Jesus Christ, with our new identity and new birth into eternal life are also not of this world. As Jesus prays, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,” He is not returning to the Father just Himself, but bringing the world that believes in His name, with Him united with God as one in eternal life.

22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;”

It is for eternal life, knowing God and that Jesus is the Christ, unity, and glory that Jesus came to the world. It is through Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and the Gate, that we enter into this relationship of unity with the Father, and this is eternal life, now, today, for those that are willing to hear, listen, and obey.

Our faith takes us in a direction into eternal life and unity with God, it was never intended for us to take our faith into our direction, our life, and unity with the world.

16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

This is Jesus’ prayer for Himself, His disciples, and the church. As Jesus returns to glory, let us go in the direction of glory through Jesus, rather than towards the broken world that leads to death and destruction.

Brothers and sisters, if the world is on fire, we are to take people out of the fire through Christ, and not deeper into the heart of the fire.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: John 17