Gospel of John [17:22-24]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 43. Seated with Christ in order to behold His glory.

Title: Gospel of John [17:22-24]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 43. Seated with Christ in order to behold His glory.

 

 

JOH 17:22 "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one;

 

JOH 17:23 I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.

 

JOH 17:24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world.

 

He asks that the Church, given to Him as a gift from the Father, be with Him at that exalted position.

 

He has prayed to be reinvested with the glory which He had with the Father before the world existed and demanded a Savior if mankind was to be saved [vs. 5].

 

He has prayed to be reinvested with the glory He had with the Father before the world. Now He prays that his followers may behold this glory and, by implication, have a share in it.

 

"May behold" is the present active subjunctive of theoreo, which means to be a spectator of something. From our exalted position we may behold the glory of Christ, which glory has been given to each of us [vs. 22]. Our position as seated with Him at the right hand of God should be proof enough that His glory has been given to us.

 

If the gift of glory to the Son is the token of the Father's love for Him, those who share that love will naturally share the glory.

 

The disciples had seen the divine glory of the incarnate word on earth for three years. Three of the disciples saw the glory of the transfigured Lord.

 

The glory that He shared with the Father before the world was, He states as the Father's love for Him. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share a perfect love and so are perfectly united; so much so that they are one.

 

This same glory, the essence of the Trinity, their love, righteousness, justice, eternal life, truth, immutability, sovereignty, omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, Christ has asked that we see it and in some way share in it. Sinners would never be able to see it, never mind share in it. And so the atonement was necessary if we were to be a part of this glory.

 

The NT says a lot about the believer seeing Christ's glory and sharing in it in time and eternity.

 

I think we can safely assume that we see His glory more fully when we live in the presence of the glorified Lord in eternity because we will be better able to behold it. Yet that does not prevent us from seeing it in time to the extent that we are able, and through the assets God has given us, we are able to see it and enjoy it in time.

 

This glory has been made available to the world, but some refuse it for the sake of idols.

 

ROM 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

 

ROM 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

 

Rather than beholding Him some choose to behold their idol. If a believer will not get his eyes off his idols and behold the Lord from the position of His throne, the real Holy of Holies, then he misses this glory in time and waits for eternity, though there will be aspects of His glory that they will not be able to behold - suffering for His sake.

 

Perseverance in doing good is synonymous with seeking for His glory in order to see more of it and that more clearly.

 

This is wonderful motivation for doing good since it is a motivation of love for Him. It is not a motivation of scoring points to impress Him or others.

 

If you fail to see His glory in a situation you should look harder. There is something blocking your view because He is all and is in all. This is not to say that He's in every person, but certainly in every circumstance.

 

ROM 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

 

ROM 2:6 who will render to every man according to his deeds:

 

ROM 2:7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life [see it, experience it];

 

ROM 2:8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

 

ROM 2:9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,

 

ROM 2:10 but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

 

ROM 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.

 

No man can see the glory of God without regeneration through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

 

ROM 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

By standing in grace [His gifts] we gain joyful confidence in more of His glory being revealed in the future.

 

ROM 5:1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

ROM 5:2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

 

His resurrection revealed the glory of the Father's plan, which when seen by the believer, results in his own resurrection life.

 

ROM 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.