March 21, 2021
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.”
Some people ask the question, “Did Jesus ever claim to be God?” Certainly you can point to his conversation at his trial with Pontius Pilate as evidence, but also, what do you make of this right here? Jesus claims to have a glory shared with God the Father that has been present before the existence of the world. You either take him at his word or you back up a padded truck at this point to take Jesus to the loony bin. No other person in the history of the world can make this claim: that he existed with God from before time and space as we know it came to be. That is other-worldly stuff.
Jesus also says here that he has glorified God while on earth - that means that Jesus has reflected the goodness of God, the character of God, and the very righteousness of God in his obedience while he walked the earth. Hebrews 1 testifies that Jesus is the “very imprint of his nature.” Notice that Jesus proclaims that this is his purpose on the earth, to obey the Father, and he will do this even to his death. And now Jesus is calling on God the Father to glorify Him, which is of course his right to do as the second person of the Trinity. Jesus will be restored to his rightful place at the right hand of God (Psalm 110), and will then partake in that same glory as God the Father, a glory they have eternally shared. Sometimes we miss just how much Jesus gave up in his incarnation on the earth. He emptied himself (Phil. 2), meaning he gave up all the privileges of his deity and allowed himself to become a servant to fulfill his ultimate purpose. Jesus’ impact is multi-dimensional - his purpose is far more singular - to be the Savior.
Prayer: Jesus, you are Lord of all. You were with God at creation, as John says, all things were made by you, through you, and for you. Then my worship, too, Lord, is for you. It’s all for you, Jesus. Let me glorify your name in the way I speak about you right now in this prayer. Help me to fulfill my purpose in being a faithful follower of you, that your name might be even more fully glorified. Amen.
40 Days of Joy: The movie The Red Balloon. This is a French movie from 1956, and is full of joy, loss, and redemption.
