Reading John 17 - Jesus Finished the Father's Work from The Passion Translation
1 This is what Jesus prayed as he looked up into heaven, "Father, the time has come. Unveil the glorious splendor of your Son a, So that I will magnify your glory! 2 You have already given me authority b Over all people so that I may give the gift of eternal life to all those that you have given me. 3 Eternal life means to know and experience you as the only true God c, and to know and experience Jesus Christ, as the Son who you have sent. 4 I have shown the world your glory by faithfully doing everything you've told me to do. 5 So my Father, restore me back to the glory which we shared together when we were face to face before the universe was created. d"
a: The Father unveiled the glory of his Son on the cross, by the empty tomb, through his ascension into heaven, and by the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon his church.
b: The Aramaic is translated, "responsibility".
c: The Aramaic is translated, "the God of Truth." This alludes to Deut 6:4.
d: The Aramaic is translated, "before the light of the universe."
If you keep reading this chapter we get to read how Jesus prays for His disciples and for us. Let's consider two things as we understand Father, Son, Holy Spirit and who we are. In Ephesians we are told to be imitators of Christ, in Romans we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ, and in multiple scriptures in Galatians we are called children/sons/daughters of God. Re-reading the passage above we see the Son praying to His Abba Father, right? If we are called to imitate Jesus the Son and are already called children of God, then we are represented in every prayer that Jesus prayed to His Father.
Therefore we have been unveiled in a glorious splendor of righteousness every time we magnify the glory of God our Father. We have been given authority over everything on this earth, along with the gift of salvation, the gift of the Spirit, and eternal life. If He is in us then we are in Him, is this right? Without Him we are nothing, and Christ in us means He is everything. Meaning this is not about us, and the Gospel isn't about us escaping earth.
Jesus prays and actually explains that eternal life means to know and experience God our Father and to know and experience Jesus as the Son. In the Greek, ginṓskō – properly, to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance). Are we seeking a personal experience with our Father daily? A first-hand, personal experience doesn't mean sitting in church one day a week.
We need to spend more time at our Father's feet, learning to pray like a Christ-ian, for it is indeed the instruction of Jesus that his disciples pray with a God-centered focus, "Hallowed by your name". Yes, we must truly want this. We must truly desire to see the name of God exalted. Lord, make your name hallowed, make it holy, for it is being disregarded, vindicate yourself through the proclamation of the gospel. Do you struggle in life due to a lack of prayer? Religion will teach you to repeat words but that does not mean you know how to pray. It is an empty, repetitious obedience and we end up complaining to God about our circumstances instead. So how did Jesus pray?
Jesus prayed:
- in lonely places
- early in the morning
- kneeling or on His face
- by speaking out loud and talking to His Father
- for God's Will and not His
- for His disciples, believers and His enemies
- with heartfelt gratitude and praise
- for guidance with persistence
- based on His knowledge of God and His truths
In John 4:24 Jesus said, "God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." He also said, "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32), underscoring the importance of truth in the life of Jesus and, in turn, our lives. Proper prayer requires us to have a truthful understanding of God and what He has revealed to us through His Word. The Gospel contains the power to meet all your needs every day if you rely on it instead of trying to live through your own efforts.
If the truth sets you free and Jesus was the truth, and now that truth is in you, doesn't that make you free?
